Madeline Curr writes from New York City about trying to find human connections in the big city.
PHOTOGRAPHY ANNA VAN NIEUWLAND AND MADELINE CURR
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How are you meant to date in NYC when your heart is truly in the Australian outback?
WORDS MADELINE CURR PHOTOGRAPHY ANNA VAN NIEUWLAND AND MADELINE CURR
Madeline Curr writes from New York City about trying to find human connection in a big city.
"In this city that never sleeps, dates come in all shapes and sizes."
Maddie wearing her favourite cowboy boots in NYC.
"How are you meant to date truly date in NYC when your heart is truly in the Australian outback?"
She's being set up on a blind date by a friend.
"What I have discovered here is that a date does not have to filled with sexual innuendo and the thought of long-term commitment."
"In this city of nearly nine million people, a date can help you escape the crazy busyness, even for just a few hours, and remember how good it is to slow down and hear someone else's story."
Madeline Curr writes from New York City about trying to find human connections in the big city.
PHOTOGRAPHY ANNA VAN NIEUWLAND AND MADELINE CURR
"In this city that never sleeps, dates come in all shapes and sizes."
PHOTOGRAPHY ANNA VAN NIEUWLAND AND MADELINE CURR
A date.
Recently a study ranked New York City as the most likely city in the world to find your soulmate. Well, maybe not for a cowgirl. How are you meant to date in NYC when your heart is truly in the Australian outback? Don’t get me wrong, it’s exciting to live in the moment and have some fun. But the thought constantly in the back of my mind — that no matter what happens to me here I will eventually settle down in the outback — can really get in the way of dating.
I find myself reminiscing on my dating life back in Australia, probably to keep the dream alive, I guess. But although it’s all I dream of now, there are downsides to dating in the country, and the biggest one is the huge distance from other humans.
One of my first-time meet-ups in the country was quite an interesting one. In comes this cowboy, after driving three-and-a-half hours for a dinner date with me at the local pub. Little did I know, my brother and dad had finished a mustering job nearby and wanted to stop by at the only pub in town for a chicken parmy and an ice-cold beer. Not only did we bump into them, they decided to pull up some chairs at our table and eat dinner with us. My younger self was mortified at the time, of course. I couldn’t believe my family had done this to me!
Now, however, I would love my dad and brother to interrupt a date. Looking back at this whole unsuccessful event, I can appreciate the immense effort country daters put in, driving hours on end just to see if sparks will fly.
Dating in NYC is a whole other story. It’s been at least six single months in New York for me and I’m finally living in my own nineties-style rom-com. Except for the part where I don’t appreciate any man in skinny jeans, I can’t seem to click with guys who don’t like to get physically dirty and, oh, how I miss a man who doesn’t have a longer skincare routine than me!
I think to myself, “Now hang on, you’re in a new city, a different world: try to let go of your checklist, broaden your mind.” Then I hear the ping of a message landing on my computer. A calendar invitation: a blind date my girlfriend had set up, scheduling a time and place to meet. Scheduling me into his calendar, and we hadn’t even spoken yet. Give me that checklist back: there are some things you can’t let slide! When you’re used to being taken on dates in the paddock or maybe just offered an invitation to watch him ride in the rodeo, it’s hard to adjust to being asked if I want to ride an old horse and carriage around Central Park for a ‘thrill’.
Maddie has been single for six months since she moved to NYC.
PHOTOGRAPHY ANNA VAN NIEUWLAND AND MADELINE CURR
"In this city of nearly nine million people, a date can help you escape the crazy busyness, even for just a few hours, and remember how good it is to slow down and hear someone else's story."
PHOTOGRAPHY ANNA VAN NIEUWLAND AND MADELINE CURR
And what I have discovered here is that a date does not have to be filled with sexual innuendo and the thought of long-term commitment. A date is having a connection with someone. A date is to share ideas and dreams. A date can be just laughter, finding things in common, and hours of conversation. And in this city of nearly nine million people, a date can help you escape the crazy busyness, even for just a few hours, and remember how good it is to slow down and hear someone else’s story.
To hear more extraordinary stories about women living in rural and regional Australia, listen to our podcast Life on the Land on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major podcast platforms.
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