Six months?!

So, I've hit the six month mark in Virginia.


Part of me can't believe I've been here this long, and part of me is pissed at the other part for its lack of confidence.


I never really expected for it to be easy, and rest assured it hasn't been. I'm still adjusting to things after all this time, and making new cultural discoveries almost daily.


Note: DO NOT refer to any liquor store as the "packie" in your colloquial Massachusetts way. It is often misinterpreted as a racial no-no...FYI...


Today, I found myself watching Boston Med and realizing that in all the time I've spent here, I really never allowed myself to be actually homesick. When I moved here, I started work the following day and haven't stopped since (minus holidays, yes, UMass homecoming counts). Listening to the accents, the casually dropped "wicked", combined with the noise of the sirens outside my apartment made me so homesick I could hardly breathe.

I miss that dirty water...

That's not to say that everything in Virginia has been bad. I don't want to give off that impression at all - I have had a lot of fun in the six months I've lived here, and I've been incredibly lucky with all the opportunities that I've been given.


I've been very fortunate with my job. I'm getting better at it all the time, learning so much I wish it was graded, and having fun with my co-workers. In all honesty, I lucked out. Your co-workers could just be people that you have nothing in common with, besides walking the same bit of carpet everyday. No, these people invite me out because they know I'm new to the area, answer my questions, and (usually) understand my obscure pop culture references free from judgment. Not many people get that.


I live a mile from the Pentagon, 3 from the Lincoln Memorial and National Mall, and less than a 10 minute drive from that high school in "Remember the Titans". That's pretty cool. This is the most powerful city of the free world (as advertised by radio station 99.5), and has been the setting for some amazing things, including this:

This is why I majored in Poli Sci, people.

Every so often though, I find myself missing all of my friends from home to death. Watching your friends get tagged in pictures together on facebook only reminds you that you're not there, and only being able to call your mom instead of going into a different room in your house to talk or hug her really sucks. But, fortunately I'm getting better with it.

I've learned way more about myself in these 6 months than in any of the four years of college where you're expected to "find yourself". I never knew that I could really cook, fix a broken fuse in my car, paint on a canvas and have it not suck, or put myself out there in place where I'm pretty much alone. And to risk sounding completely narcissistic, I'm damn proud of myself.

For anyone out there that has moved from home, or is anticipating doing so, this is my advice:

1. Expect nothing and prepare for everything.

2. Evolve, but don't lose your quirks (ironically, they'll keep you sane).

3. Do something unexpected whenever life gets boring (today I joined a kickball league!)

4. There is nothing a glass (read: bottle) of wine and a Jen Lancaster book can't solve.

PREACH!

I don't really know what life has in store for me next, but if it's anything like the last six months, bring it on...

2010, A Swan Song

So, let's be real for a minute.


The internet is probably flooded with first time bloggers (i.e. yours truly) who are fixing to actually accomplish some sort of new year's resolution. I can't say I'm not one of them, but I would like to acknowledge that yes, I get it. Let's see how long this lasts.


That being said, let's discuss the whole topic of new years. A new beginning, a fresh start, blah blah blah - it's the same thing every year. Everyone suddenly despises the year we've just completed and can't wait for this next one, as if there is a literal blackboard being wiped clean of mistakes and indiscretions.


New Years isn't like a baptism (as some people on my facebook newsfeed and twitter seem to think), it's merely marking another year passing. Nothing changes but you. This is how I think of it - everything that has happened so far has happened, you can't change that. What you can do is build upon it to get where you want. Good luck and have fun building everyone, I can't wait to see what progress we've made a year from now.


Resolutions:
1. Live fearlessly
2. Obligatory health resolution
3. Take everyday one day at a time
4. Learn a language and/or become fluent in the one's I've already studied
5. Take more time to have fun




2010, it's been real. I learned a lot, became a college graduate, moved far from home, became a grown up, lost more loved ones than I could have imagined in a short amount of time, and countless other life artifacts. I don't blame you 2010, but let's see if we can improve on this.


In the meantime, I'll continue living my crazy transplanted life, and do my best to document what I can. I've tried diaries and journals throughout the years with no success, but maybe this is what I need. Who knows if anyone will read it, but it'll be nice for me to have it to look back on one day. So here we go again.


Insanity n. - Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
    - Albert Einstein


Lock me up, boys...