September Check-In

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Oh, moving. We’re almost done (just need to get all of the artwork up!), but it is so exhausting. I forget sometimes how much harder it is to settle in than it is to pick everything up and go. That is no excuse, though, for how late this "We're in Boston!" blog post is. It would have come out sooner, but it (among other things) were put on pause in mid-September when my grandfather passed away. Ben and I flew back to Minnesota for several days in order to attend my grandpa's funeral and support my family as best we could. Needless to say, things have been a little shaken up, and only now are we settling down into a semi-regular Boston routine.

Just to wrap up a storyline from before: Remember those tick bites I got? Well, the results came in negative for all of the three major tick-borne illnesses. But the itching really didn't improve, and I started to get a rash on my ears, my hands, and my arms. This is why, when UPACK dropped off our belongings on September 2nd, I was off at Emerson's health services office confounding the nurse practitioner instead of helping unload our boxes. Luckily, our wonderful roommates were willing to help. (Apparently, many of our spices (and popcorn) decided to escape their confines and perfume the whole UPACK. What popcorn remained in it's container was also heavily flavored.) It turns out that I was allergic to one of the medications I was given, and I just needed to stop walking and let my feet heal.

So, Boston. It is a geographically small city, but it draws people from all over the world. Where we live in East Somerville, there is a large Latin@ presence, and once you get on the T (the subway), you are surrounded by languages—Haitian Creole, Chinese, Portuguese, German, something eastern European…And even in English, the dialects and accents are from everywhere. I love to people-watch here, and try to glean what everyone is saying based on their expressions.

One of the funny things that’s starting to happen, though, is that strangers will come up to me and ask for directions. I think this may be because of the crazy street plan, and nobody really knows where they’re going. It also might be because of the number of tourists. In any case, displaced tourists and drivers seem to trust me an awful lot, which is terrifying considering I can only barely get from A to B myself.

I think I have the T down now, but woe to those who suggest I might take a bus. And a giant “Whoa.” if you suggest I might drive Coco. Driving in Boston is terrible because: 1) I know the names of about five streets in all of Boston/Somerville. 2) Every stinking intersection has something crazy, like twelve one-ways sticking out of it. 3) Boston drivers don’t believe in blinkers. Sometimes drivers will use them, but they’re totally superfluous because no one pays attention and lets the poor law-abiding driver in. 4) “What lane do I need to get in? No, seriously, what lane????!?!?!?!? Wait, there are no lanes!!!!! I’m going to be turning left, so I’ll merge left. (Ahh, that’s better.) WAIT! THE RIGHT LANE TURNS LEFT, TOO? WAIT! THAT’S MY EXIT! LET ME OVER LET ME OVER LET ME OVER LETMEOVER…Well, I guess I’m going this way.”

So, I tend to depend on the T to get places, and it is very comprehensive. There’s a lot to see here, and most of it is accessible via the T. Everyone brings up the historical importance of Boston, but I’ve actually found myself trying to avoid those things. Perhaps I just don’t want to look “touristy.” In any case, there is one exception to the rule: Ben and I have a goal of visiting Danvers (formerly Salem Village) sometime soon. One of Ben’s ancestors was accused and executed during the Salem Witch Trials, and we both agree it is worth the crowds to get in touch with that family history. Plus, it’s nearly Halloween…Stay tuned for more about that soon-to-be adventure.

Although we haven’t checked out a lot of the historical things, we certainly haven’t been bumps on a log this past month. Around starting work and school, we’ve done quite a bit of exploring. We’re discovering how much we and our roommates don’t know about sports at local trivia nights. We went to the Museum of Science recently for College Night and learned about humpback whale identification. We sat just behind home plate at a Red Sox game at Fenway Park (one foul ball landed one row in front of us). One of our roommates, Stacy, and I accidentally walked into a Weed Festival on Boston Common (lots of food stands…). I’ve found a great little farmer’s market near Haymarket (or, “Haymahket,” if you’re the T driver). And, let's just say that our multiple trips to the Registry of Motor Vehicles have been eventful.

Sorry that this post is very haphazard. In future posts, I anticipate talking specifically about classes, work, Midsummer Night's Dream, talking to strangers, and my discoveries about being a Midwesterner in New England.

Love to you all!

Lynn

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Photos

Spices and Boxes
Very little was broken, but some things just didn't look the same as we unpacked...

Our Closet
Did I mention that our closet rod collapsed? And that a bag of bubble wrap is the straw that broke the camel's back? Needless to say, we're not hanging everything now.

Fenway Park
So close to the action!

The Weed Fest
Stacy and I accidentally stumbled upon the Weed Fest on Boston Common. Not what we were expecting to find, to say the least.

Trivia Night
Katti and Ben at trivia night. We got fourth place!

Comments

[Susan Mullin]

Visiting the historical sites
We'll have to come visit sometime and give you an excuse to do the touristy things!