I've been here in Boston (well, Cambridge) for two weeks now. I have learned a lot in that time.
-Locals who find Southern accents charming outnumber those who find them off-putting. When I referred to the cashier and bagger at the grocery store as y'all, the bagger cried out Y'all should come back here, okay? and beamed like she'd greeted a native speaker in Spanish.
-You can take the train to Wonderland.
From herrafeliks' Picasa gallery
-Actually, you can take the train almost anywhere. In fact, we've only taken the car out 3 times since we moved here.
-People don't really smile or say hi on the street, but most will smile back if you initiate.
-Everything is more expensive.
-Making new friends is the best part of moving.
stayin sassy
-Autumn is a season that actually happens in some parts of the world. I am wearing long sleeved shirts that I have never worn before.
Look at all those clothes! BONUS: my replacement glasses came!
-Living in the city is complicated. You have to move your car once a month so they can clean the streets. The apartments are tiny. Sometimes the trains close down at weird times or break. In exchange, I get to live within walking distance of virtually anything my heart desires. So far, the tradeoff is working.
-People here are very educated and well-spoken. I have a feeling my competition for jobs is VERY stiff.
-Did I mention that our apartment is tiny?
-Silly art projects do wonders for the job-search grumpies.
-So does chocolate cake. And wine.
big ups to Nico for hosting that wonderful dinner
So what does Cambridge have in store for the DePalmas? Only time will tell. Hopefully gainful employment and eventually a functioning oven. In the mean time, I'm gonna be getting to know this big, weird, cold city.
Discussion Question:
What is the hardest move you've ever made?
Posts
Okay, first off . . . the picture of YOU is adorable!! You are going to LOVE Boston (I've been to a museum with you and Boston is just one gigantic museum right?) and Boston is going to LOVE you! How could they not?
ReplyDeleteHardest move: Jim and I did not move away from home until we were 34 and 35 respectively. I thought I would D.I.E. I had never been homesick in my life. Never. Let me reiterate, I had NEVER been homesick in my life.
Jewels from the hardest move ever: I came to realize that I still had a HUGE crush on my husband and cherished every hug from my then 7th grade son, and any & all hugs from his friends, my new neighbors, and new acquaintances at church, yes hugs ROCK.
Yep - the first three months were grueling but the weeping slowed, and I found making new friends was everything, which you are already doing - YAY KJDeP!!!!!!!
I'm just so glad y'all had the courage to make that big move so that we could meet!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I am feeling awfully thankful for Nick right now :)
Hmm...hardest move is the one yet to come. I guess I have to decide where to live at some point, and though the choice is nice, it's a lot of pressure this time around!
ReplyDeleteBig cities kind of scare me, but it looks like you're already rocking it out! Looking forward to hanging out on Wednesday!
Big cities kind of scare me too! But when MIT calls your husband's name, what are you gonna do?
ReplyDeletefirst (okay, probably not the first) but welcome to new england, where the deepest blue-blood democrat would be called a republican where i transplanted from (no. california).
ReplyDeletei hear you about the cost of things, but sadly they're about in line with what i was used to before i moved here. i still love that panda's reaction.
despite what it promises to kidlit readers, you do NOT want to go to that wonderland: it's a dog racing track and occasionally skeevy place to be.
a couple things NOT to look for in boston: authentic mexican food.
but i envy you, living in cambridge. that was our back-up location if things didn't end up working out so well on the other side of the big muddy.
best of luck on the job hunt!
David, I can't wait to meet you and the rest of the crew Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteAnd we DID in fact go to Wonderland, and we were pretty delighted by the deserted beach! However, as a life-long landlocked Southerner, most of the magic came from taking a train to the ocean. :)
And yes, I wandered into what turned out to be a combo Louisiana/Mexican food restaurant [!!!! ??????] last night and they served cauliflower in the fajitas. I laughed maniacally.
Oh! How could I forget the prices in Boston! During my Freshmen orientation I remember giving a friend 5 dollars for a pack of cigarettes. He returned with my change, 10 cents. Instead of boarding a flight back to Nashville (which was my initial reaction...ha!) I taught myself how to budget and learned that I would need to sacrifice expensive habits for loaves of bread and cereal.
ReplyDeleteHardest move, you say?
Boston. Obviously. My entire first year was a constant tumble of excitement (Woo! I'm all by myself in the city!) and fear (Oh no, I AM ALL BY MYSELF and this is really big city).
Oddly enough, I soon discovered that Boston's not that big as I kept running into random people from Franklin who I had met at Shoney's or shows or Father Ryan.
I also wanted to let you guys know about a Greek diner that had the BEST fountain sodas, fountain-mountain-dew-awesomeness, but looking into it, I found out that the diner burned to ground in 2008. Sad times.
what? nooooooooo sad!
ReplyDelete