Day 3: First day of school

📍 Location: Top of the Rock, New York, USA

I woke up by the sound of my alarm. My roommates probably too. Oops, sorry guys. I’ve set it the night before with great sadness for 7AM. Okay, let’s be real, 7AM is not a respectable time. I’m getting so tired of places like schools that have the guts to just ask that from a person. There is only a limited amount of people that can fully function so early. Shocker, I’m not one of them. So let’s say that that was the reason why I was 20 minutes late on my first school day, without a passport and passport photo about which they repeatedly said to bring them with you. I think that they love me already.

For the next four weeks I’m following an English language course at Embassy English. It’s in the middle of New York (a few blocks away from Times Square) - so cool! Today was just an introduction day. Teachers explained a few important things and we got the change to meet our co-students. Tomorrow is the real deal. 

I think that about 80% of the students are from Japan. And the rest is from Brazil. Don’t get me wrong, they all are very nice and I even made a few friends already, but it was kind of a bummer that there wasn’t more diversity. I was looking forward to meet people from all over the world, getting to know a lot of different cultures etc. But this English course isn’t the right place for that unfortunately. Unlike New York, which is a melting pot of literally every culture in the world. So I just have to find a way to blend myself in the city and its people.

In the afternoon I went with a few people from the course to the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center). Because this sight was something like $35, the biggest part of the group found it too expensive and didn’t went anymore. So in the end it was just me and a nice Brazilian man. We had to wait for a little while, but were just in time to see the sun slowly set behind the breathtaking skyline of New York. It was seriously like a dream. Probably one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in my life. Worth every penny.

Day 1: Arrived in New York!

📍 Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA

Yes, I’ve made it! I’ve arrived safe and sound :) Which is quite an achievement if you have to sit for eight straight hours next to the weirdest guy on the plane. Like seriously, what are the changes. There are around 300 seats on the plane, and of all people, I have the seat next to him. The ‘him’ that I’m talking about was a man who was very nice at first; just asking me why I was flying to New York and being interested in my upcoming adventure. But after 20 minutes he was still asking me questions and they slowly went in a different direction. Like: “Do you have a boyfriend?”, “What is your type of guy?”, “Am I your type of guy, because you’re definitely my type of girl.”. Well no grandpa, you’re not. Now please be quiet because I want to watch a movie. But he wasn’t done, because he wanted to play Truth or Dare and take pictures of me while I was reading my magazine. And I’m such a pussy, because I can’t say no and seriously played the game with him and let him take the photos.

But I don’t know what was worse. Him awake or him asleep. Because right after the moment that he finally shut his mouth and fell asleep, there was coming a noise out of him that is going to haunt me for the rest of my life in my sleep. I think it was him snoring but I’m actually not quite sure.

I found my way to my apartment in Brooklyn very easily. First the skytrain, then the A-train and finally the G-train. I have to admit that if it wasn’t for the nice Dutch ladies (and their subway map) that I met at the airport, it probably would’ve been another story.

I can’t complain about the apartment where I will be staying for the next two weeks. For only $18 a night I have a nice bunkbed, a pillow with actual stuffing, a hot shower, a fridge and microwave. Of course there is no luxury, but that’s okay. I’m sharing the room with three nice people. Two girls and one guy. Everyone is going their own way, so these are not people with whom I’ll spend time in the city. But that’s okay, I will meet a lot of other people.

Well, so far so good. Tomorrow will be my first real day in The City That Never Sleeps. Wish me luck!

DAY 1: Off to New York

📍 Location: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Hello everyone! Guess who’s back again?

After almost a year of silence I’m going to bring this blog back to life. Yes, for real! RoosKoks.com is back from the dead. But this time it’s going to be a little bit different.

Let me explain. In a few hours I’m going to hop on a plane which will be the beginning of the greatest adventure of my life so far. I’ve been looking forward to this moment for over a year now. And it’s crazy that the time has finally come.

I’m going for 3 to 4 months to the United States and Canada! Just me and my huge backpack. Starting in New York, where I will stay for a month to follow an English language course. Then I’m going to head to the west coast. I’ll visit LA, San Fransisco, Seattle - and finally will reach my last destination: Vancouver. I’m not sure yet about my means of transport. Will I travel by car, by bus, by train? Everything is possible. We’ll see.

To be honest, anxiety and excitement are fighting for the first place right now. Of course I’m not doubting about whether I should go or not. There’s no way that I won’t be on that plane. I just don’t know what to expect. Pff, I have so many questions. Am I going to meet a lot of new amazing people? Is it a good decision to travel all by myself? Am I going to miss my family, friends and colleagues a lot? Get homesick? It was hard to say goodbye to them. Way harder than I thought it would be.

But I don’t have to question the fact that it’s going to be an amazing experience. It’s going to be tough - for sure, with huge ups and downs. An emotional rollercoaster. But I’m more than happy to take the ride.

I’ve decided that it’s a good idea if I’m going to blog my journey. To give you every once in a while an update letting you know that I’m still alive and that I’m - hopefully - doing just fine. That I’m having the time of my life.

That was it for now. I have to go catch a plane. You’ll hear soon from me! All the way from the Big Apple!

VINTAGE FINDS: COACH Duffle Bag 9166

Question: if someone would suddenly rush up to you to ask you: ‘<insert name>, what are you actually good at in life?’. What would you answer? 

I’ve thought about it. And for me, one of the things that I’m actually very, very good at - and it’s unfortunately not something to be proud of - is… procrastinating. Some examples. Procrastination on studying for an important test, which makes me have to set my alarm at 2AM to study all night long (in order to save myself from total failure). Procrastination on leaving my house, which makes me running late everywhere I go. And procrastination on buying a descent leather bag, which made me walk around for almost 4 years (!) with canvas bags like a hobo. 

About that last one. Some people might see buying a bag as a moment of joy. I do not. Buying a bag - or actually the preceding never-ending search for that bag - is horror with a big H. Because you’ll wear the bag practically every day, it has to suit you perfectly. The color, the model, the quality, the amount of space - everything matters. And finding that perfect bag my friends, is a hell of a job. So the procrastination begins.

Fortunately, once upon a time there was a brand named COACH, who decided to make a few duffle bags back in the 80s. And fortunately, an American woman had bought one of those bags but decided in the summer of 2016 that she should sell it on eBay because she had never worn it. And fortunately, I looked coincidentally on eBay and it was love at first sight. And from that moment, we decided to spend the rest of our lives together. No more canvas bags for me. End of story.

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DIY: Blind Hem Stitch

Leopard trousers: ZARA, Sneakers: Stan Smith

Kicking off this new month with a sewing DIY. I’m going to show you how to pull off a blind hem stitch. A what? For those who aren’t known with difficult sewing terms - a blind hem stitch is similar to an invisible hem. You won’t be able to see it on the outside of your garment. It’s often used for trousers and dresses.

A blind hem stitch is a little more difficult than a regular stitch. It takes some time before you get the hang of it. I struggled a lot with it at first, but now that I know the trick, it’s a piece of cake. I hope that with this DIY, I’ve made it easier for you to understand. Good luck!

FASHION WEEK SS 17: Recap New York

They say that in fashion world September is equal to January. Why? Because this month is all about a new beginning. Or - to be more precisely – it’s all about the launch of new collections. 

We flip through our September issues and are being introduced to the new trends and collections of the new season. The Autumn / Winter season. But that’s not it. No, we’re also looking forward. Further into the future. Because, during the well-known Fashion Weeks in the fashion capitals, we’ll see the collections for next year’s Spring / Summer season. And this event, with the duration of four weeks, is happening right now!

Traditionally, New York is the first one to be taken over by the fashion industry, then London, Milan and last but not least, Paris. While all of the models, photographers, fashion gurus and journalists etc. have meanwhile moved themselves to the city of London, I would like to reflect New York Fashion Week for a moment.

Though I wasn’t there in person, I have seen all of the fashion shows via the website of Vogue. The shows of Tommy Hilfiger, Proenza Shouler and 3.1 Phillip Lim were definitely my favorite! I’ve put together my 60 favorite looks of the whole thing in this slideshow down below. What do you think?

FAVORITES: An Ode To Vagabond

For today’s article I wanted to share my enthusiasm for the shoe brand Vagabond. If you have never heard of this brand before, it’s a good thing that you’re reading this now. Because man, they’re amazing. And I think everyone should know!

Vagabond is a Swedish fashion brand, but they are mainly known for their awesome shoes. I would describe them as minimalistic, timeless and of high-quality. At the moment, I’m the proud owner of two pairs of Vagabond shoes.