Isabelle Raphael

So I just moved to New York, 2011 summer.

I didn't have a job.

I didn't have any friends.

I didn't know what I was doing.

But I was, I have a lot of laundry.

So I spent the days kind of going up and down the elevator to the laundry department downstairs.

And one of these days, I was kind of

going back up in the elevator swinging my keys around my fingers and the keys as if by magic dropped in the down the shaft between the doors and the elevators so I heard them kind of clank clank clank clank down the shaft to the bottom and I just kind of stood there I was like oh my god I have

No, no wallet, no phone, no keys.

I don't know anyone.

I had no, I did not know my neighbours.

I had no bra on and I had no shoes and I was so hungry.

I basically was dead in New York.

I had no idea what to do.

So as I sat there just thinking about my death, I remembered that my sister building had a doorman.

If I knew anything about doormen, that they had keys to every single apartment.

So I was like, OK, all I have to do is walk 13 blocks without shoes.

I can totally do this.

It's summer.

I'm Australian.