• I grew up in the suburbs, so it was a culture shock when I moved to Brooklyn as a single mom. • My daughter thrived, becoming a resilient, independent city girl, but the culture shock shook me. • I lost my creative spark to write, but I made many friends. Ultimately, NYC wasn't for me, though.

After my divorce, I left the quiet suburbs for a small apartment in Brooklyn, where I would spend the next six years of my life in a turmoil of emotions, both good and bad.

I moved to Brooklyn to be closer to family, thinking it would make solo parenting more manageable, and it did. My young daughter began thriving, and although it wasn't easy for her to move away from her best friend, she said that seeing her cousins in school made her feel like part of a community.

"My people are here," sh

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