Welcome to the Weekend

I’d like to reintroduce myself. I’m Yafen, founder of this little piece of the internet. I went to a lovely women’s college in Virginia studying Creative Writing and Business. I went on to get my MBA and now I work in healthcare administration, and am working towards my second masters degree at the Mailman School of Public Health. I am amazingly lucky to have been so many places and know so many great people. I’m first generation, and the dreams I hold within me are only possible because my parents, especially my mom, harbor that adventurous spirit. My mom comes on weekend adventures too sometimes!

I’m a New Yorker through and through. As much as I yearn for distant shores, there’s a pull that keeps me here. The pace of life here is hectic to say the least. It’s often a balancing act. Compromises are often made in favor of work and professional pursuits. In this constant grind culture, the only time left for us to claim is the weekend. So we savor it, enjoy it, mourn it, and wait for it to come all over again.

When I started this project of Citizens Co. in early 2017, I was in a different place in life. I was in my late twenties, on the edge of being single, and felt an overwhelming sense of imbalance that only travel seemed to cure. I was afraid to share too much, wanting the focus to be on the places themselves. It was partially a diary of my travels, and a resource for fellow travelers. I’ve now entered my thirties, am married to my best friend, and put down permanent roots in Queens, New York, where I grew up. Citizens Co. is growing the way I’d always imagined. It also needs to grow, as I’m growing.

If I’m honest, the content has been slow because my heart has not been in it lately. I’ve been sitting on a bunch of posts I can’t seem to get through - New Orleans, Spain, Florida, and more. I haven’t really traveled in nearly two years due to Covid; out of precaution for ourselves and others. I don’t want to by any means downplay Covid. I get it. I work in healthcare and I was present on site nearly every day of the pandemic. My sisters are providers who see patients in close proximity, with one witnessing the brutality of this pandemic within the ICU. We’re all blessed to have made it and to be healthy and not traveling is a completely first world problem. The Weekender is a shift in mentality and finding awe in small things.

My world has shrunk down to New York City and bordering states. We’ve gone to Florida twice to see family and to squeeze in a few days of relaxation. My travel habits have completely flipped. I was once a person who had no problems jumping from city to city or country to country with few days in between. My age is showing and I’d rather take it slower.

Something I was struggling with was loving New York City the way that others with fresher eyes do. I’d look at other people’s weekends abroad with envy. The hygge life in the Nordic countries, yes please. Beach strolls in Australia. Even foggy London architecture, drool. And yet so many people would come for a slice of the life I get to live here.

The weekend is about unwinding, relaxing, exploring, and enjoying the simple pleasures in life. It takes many forms — a short trip, a drive, a boutique, a restaurant, and more. It’s about a profound appreciation for the community around us.

So welcome to the weekend and may there be many more to come.