I took this photo the very first morning after arriving in NYC last April. For someone coming from a small city from the other side of the world, the city seemed intimidating from this small window, but I felt hopeful. Hopeful that I could be whoever I chose to be, start anew, be reborn.

When I saw the sun's first rays coming through the window, I quickly went close and started posing. As vulnerable as I felt, I knew that I would be okay. I only had myself and that was enough.