Six Months in Boston!

19 November 2017.

When I realized this week was the six month mark for my time in Boston, my first thought had been “What have I accomplished so far?”

Long story short, after 18 months traveling, I returned to the States but based myself in Santa Monica for about 3 years (experiencing the California dream!) instead of returning back to the East Coast. In mid-May, I relocated to Boston because I had a received a job offer I couldn’t refuse and missed friends and family.

My first full day in Boston, I decided to not waste time and start apartment hunting with a relocation consultant my new company had provided. The first apartment I saw was in Beacon Hill, a “competitively priced” 1.5 bedroom with a rooftop deck, a ten minute walk to work. Amazing, but out of my stated budget so I saw other apartments but kept thinking about that sun-drenched rooftop overlooking the Charles River… I was the first person to see it that first day it went on the market and ended up going back as soon as I realized I wanted it. I didn’t have my checkbook since it was in storage so the mostly immediate solution I came up with was taking out a full month’s rent in cash (which required a slightly urgent call to the bank) for the application/broker fee. A quick reference and credit check later, my application was first to be processed and the apartment was mine. Victory!

My second day in Boston, I started my first day of work. Yay! My team is awesome and I love my role. Everything is excellent!

My workplace has the entire top floor but this is my favorite view, overlooking Boston Common, the Public Gardens, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, and the Charles River, essentially my favorite places in Boston.

I reconnected with old friends, made new ones, and wandered everyday around to see what had changed in the 9 years since I’d last lived in Boston.

Summer was in full swing and everything was fun. Best friends came to visit! <3

Pride!

Sports!

Sunset picnics on the docks by the Charles River was beautiful.

Sunset from my rooftop deck.

Celebrated my birthday with Boston best friend and good friends. This is aptly named the Happy Spoon.

I went to visit parts of southern Maine a few times as well.

Trains to NYC. I think I’ll head down at least every other month going forward.

Flights to DC.

A wedding and hiking in New Hampshire.

And the Big Island of Hawaii for 10 epic days.

That will be another post haha.

YAY! At work, I was granted responsibility over the main US account within 3 months instead of the planned 6 months. I had proven myself worthy!

As fall came and the foliage changed colors, I made another trip up to the White Mountains. East Coast camping is definitely different from West Coast camping.

My first Late Nite at the Museum of Fine Arts was fun!

My first opera in years was Tosca, which was great.

I bought the Broadway in Boston season subscription essentially so I would be guaranteed tickets to Hamilton. The Boston Opera House is one of my favorite buildings in Boston. The pictures don’t do it justice. I recommend everyone to catch a show here at least once!

Philadelphia for two nights on my first business trip! I’ll be back again in December!

Halloween in Beacon Hill was so festive!

I’m trying to pick up the violin again after a good 15 years of not playing. I play predominantly Disney songs haha.

I also started hosting monthly-ish Disney/Pixar-themed potluck dinners, where we pick a movie (such as Ratatouille) and prepare a menu inspired by the movie, and then we watch the chosen Disney movie.

Went to Connecticut to visit a new friend I made over the summer!

I learned some basic crochet from a teammate. I’ve made a few scarves (everyone’s getting scarves for the holidays! ;) but blanket was my biggest project yet!

And now we’re caught up on the new Boston life. :) I think I’m going to try learning ice skating next!

I plan on blogging about past trips so when people ask me for information/recommendations, it’ll be a lot easier to remember. :D

Cheers!
V

The 14th Month!

The past month is the longest I’ve stayed still in over two years. It’s a bit strange, not being in a different place every week/end.

In late January, I accepted a hostel job in the north island of New Zealand. Paid with free private accommodation in a town where there’s not anything worthy to spend money on. That sounded like ideal conditions to save up travel funds but continue to meet fun, interesting people. Win-win! So, after 13 months of being on the road, I unpacked my backpack and had my own personal space. Life slowed down to routine and ordinary (read: boring). To occupy my extraneous free time, I took on a second job for a week before deciding the company was run by monkeys and quit.

I work seven days a week for about 30-35 hours, predominantly on the weekends, doing reception and cleaning. On the first night, concluding a 10-11 hour shift after a year of blissful unemployment, I poured myself a glass of wine and immediately thought, Well, this seems familiar… I resolved to save my bootleg vineyard red wine for “emergencies” only haha.

Since my hours are evenings from 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and essentially 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, I have daytime on weekdays free, which is the opposite of my former job. It’s nice being able to enjoy sunlight in the summer! But there’s not much going on in town so I bounce between the hostel, the library (Wifi, computers, books!), and the grocery store. There is the occasional volcanic-black-sand beach day but I don’t go into the water because I’m a wuss and it’s cold hahaha.

The positive and negative of working at a hostel is the constant flow of travellers. New stories, recounted adventures, shared dinners and drinks, all good! Often I want to leave with them hahaha. You’re going where? You’re doing what? That sounds so cool/fun! :D It’s a slight emotional drain though with the frequent goodbyes. It could be a good metaphor for life. People come and go, enjoy the time you have together. Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy it happened.

I had told the owner of the hostel, that I would stay for 2-3 months. After the usual three weeks of rest, I got itchy feet again and started to plan my next moves. Last year, I had a sort-of plan. This year, even less so, other than Where is summer and the music festivals? Ultra Europe in Croatia mid-July. A European summer sounds nice… I should learn French in France or Spanish in Spain… Right now the plan is forming to be fly to southern Spain in May (two months in Malaga and Barcelona?) then Croatia and the rest of the Balkans starting in July. We’ll see how it goes. :)

Until then, this thing called “work.”