Following My Heart: A Journey Back to the East Coast

Hey, it’s been a while – in fact over a year has flown by since I last found myself in this same moment…

This post comes from our blog intern, Natalie.

Stepping out of the airport terminal, with more luggage in tow than I’d like to admit, I am hit with a hot gust of wind, thick with humidity. This feeling, of air that I can feel heavy on my tongue as I sip it in with short rapid breaths, is ingrained in my memory. It connects me to one place – Philadelphia. I’m back, and couldn’t be happier about  it. I sit in the backseat of the car on my way to my new apartment, watching the buildings pass by me in a blur. My mind buzzes with excitement as I recognize each area we pass – the path I used to run on in the evenings of last summer, a quaint restaurant I recall taking photos in front of. Nothing has changed I’d like to think, yet everything has. Is the city different or is it me? I just experienced the fastest year of my life. I moved to Los Angeles and immersed myself into the entirely new and exciting environment of college. I grew in ways I didn’t think were possible, met more amazing people than I can count on my fingers, but after all of that I was still left dreaming of one place and one amazing experience – being back here, over two thousand miles from home, working at Free People.

Now I sit amidst the cavernous brick walls of Building 25, ready to embrace the adventures that inevitably will come as a result of another summer in this beautiful city of brotherly love. This year’s cross country migration feels different, the novelty of the experience has somewhat faded yet a whole new excitement has since emerged. Rather than being filled with a daunting and mystifying mix of expectations and emotions, this year’s move was anticipated with the foreseeable thrill of seeing old friends and coworkers as well as getting to dive back into the work and creative atmosphere that I love to my core. Yes, I left behind the the West Coast’s ocean sunsets and all the incredible people I spent the cooler months of this year with, but summer has arrived and there is nowhere else I would rather be spending it than here in Philadelphia.

+ What are your summer plans?