I lived in New York for two years, and had some of the best and worse experiences of my life during that time. I think one of the worse experiences I had was this time my roommate and I went shopping during a Blizzard. Neither of us had a car, and it was too late to use the bus provided by the school. The store was just a fifteen minute walk, and being broke, my roommate and I didn’t want to spend money on MTA or a cab. Anyway, on the way back we got hassled by some guys. In New York, if you’re a woman, it’s common to get hassled by random men who think that whistling, blowing wet kisses, staring down your blouse, or making a rude comment about your butt is a compliment. I had put up with that more than I would like to admit, and doing so that night pissed me off so much I stopped thinking clearly. When we were almost home, and a delivery truck was blocking the walkway, forcing us to climb over a pile of snow with a buggy full of groceries, the drivers appeared out of nowhere offering to help us. Strangers offering to help in NYC is usually an opening for harassment, so I said “no” and tried to speed up the process to get away from them. While I was focused on this, I missed the fact that the light had changed and I almost got hit by a car. The potential accident wasn’t what really stuck with me, it was the fact that the guys screamed watch out in a comical tone as if to say, “You should have just let us help you.” Needless to say, I was quite embarrassed.
