Un-Natural Disasters

What a crazy week! The weather in Boston was already strangely un-summery compared to anywhere I've ever lived before (it never gets out of the 80s and there is usually no humidity--I've even worn long sleeves to work a couple times), but this week Mother Nature decided to step it up. An earthquake on Tuesday, and a hurricane on Sunday! I'm crossing my fingers that it's not as strong as people are speculating, but I'm prepared. Hopefully next week brings sunshine and rainbows.

The First Month

It's hard to believe I've been in Boston for almost a month. I still feel like I don't belong. I mean, this city has a lot to offer in terms of entertainment and good food, but it just doesn't feel very homey to me. I have to walk 20 minutes to find a patch of grass to sit on (although the first few weeks I was here, I was afraid even that wasn't possible). I remember when I moved to Ann Arbor and was astounded by the orange squirrels running around everywhere--who had ever heard of orange squirrels before? Everywhere I've ever lived has been totally overrun with squirrels and rabbits. But not Boston. I've not seen a single squirrel since I've been here. The only wildlife I've seen were some waddling pigeons near Quincy Market, ducks in the Boston Public Garden, and sparrows in my 20-minutes-away park. I've bought two new houseplants since I came here (one for my cubicle... more on that later), but I'm going crazy from all this concrete everywhere. Even the local playgrounds are asphalt with piles of sand underneath the jungle gyms. It's just incredibly weird to be in a place where people don't go hiking or biking or canoeing all the time. I miss SNRE. And I miss riding my bike, but I'm terrified of the roads here. I see people biking all the time, but my desire never ever to ride my bike in town was solidified a couple days ago when I saw from the crosswalk as a biker - totally unfazed - banged his fist on the side of a minivan as he passed to let the car know it was getting too close to pushing him off the road.

I thought I was a city girl, but I guess I've never lived in a city quite like Boston.

And then there's work. After three weeks in, I feel pretty settled, but again, the adjustment is hard. I'm not very good at sitting still for hours on end, especially when the only thing to look at is my computer screen (and now my airplant!). Sitting all day makes my back hurt and my legs twitchy, so I end up walking circles around my office several times a day. That, too, makes me miss SNRE, where people used to go play frisbee outside between classes.

Not everything is negative, though! The people at my job are really great, and that's important. I've met lots of nice people around my age (i.e., not yet married with children), and they all have suggestions of fun things to do in the city. My hours are pretty flexible, so I can go in at 8, or I can sleep in and get there at 9:30. The dress code is also super casual, so half the staff is wearing jeans and no one ever wears heels (except me... because my shoe collection is basically flip flops and sneakers and the two pairs of heels I bought thinking I'd need them for work). My apartment is in a phenomenal location so I will never need a car and only rarely take the T (mostly when I'm hanging out with friends or sightseeing). And I do actually have some friends here, and I've seen most of them a couple times already.

So all in all, this wasn't a love-at-first-sight life change, but I'm getting used to it. And if absence truly does make the heart grow fonder, then next time I move somewhere that actually does have grass, I might just cry with joy.