When I first moved to New York, I often got asked where I was from. When I’d respond that I was from San Francisco, people would laugh and say, “I thought so. You are so Californian!” In general, if you are a happy, upbeat, bubbly person, you will not fit in as a stereotypical “New Yorker” here. It wasn’t until my third year here when people would actually assume that I was originally from here that I’d realized that New York’s mean, cynical reputation had potentially taken the best of me. After a certain amount of time, living here certainly does shape you and make you a bit harder, and whether that is a good or bad thing is really up to you to decide.