Advertisement
Published: August 18th 2011
Edit Blog Post
So, I moved in with Chris and Christine during the month of July. They live in a great little house which is located in the North End of Burlington. I must admit, that I was a bit nervous about the location...I held my breath the first few mornings as I walked out to my car, wondering if it would still be in one piece or if I'd have a broken window or two that I'd need to deal with. Once I got through the first week, I realized that I had completely let my guard down and really enjoyed living in the North End. Although it is known for being a bit sketchy, I also found that there was a great sense of community. When walking/driving up and down the street the first thing I noticed was that people hung out on their front porch. Some of them would greet you as you walked by, making eye contact, a slight nod of the head, or even saying hello.
I loved my new room...They had painted the walls an olive green (which is my favorite color), giving it a really cozy feeling. I unpacked most of my stuff and by the
end of my first day there I felt right at home. It wasn't until bed time that I had dawned on something...I worked with both Chris and Christine. Yes they were also friends that I'd get together with and enjoy a tasty beverage, but they had never seen me in my pajamas. I wasn't sure how I felt about the fact that my co-workers were going to see me without a bra on, or sporting a good case of bed head...I decided to just suck it up and deal with it...there are more important things in life to worry about then my appearance in the morning.
I didn't sleep much the first night that I was there...The bed was really comfortable, but the city noises kept me awake most of the evening. It was very different from Di and Hillary's place. They lived on a dead end street where you only heard the sounds of the occasional train passing buy along with the night music from katydids and crickets. In the North End, you hear car doors slamming shut, people talking on their cellphones as they walk home from the bars or the second sift. Sometimes you were even
Liza
Liza is a great dog. I often was the first one to get home from work in the afternoon. She was always excited and greeted me with dancing feet.
privy to the conversations that the neighbors where having within their houses. And then...on the third day of my stay, I was blessed with the constant sound of a smoke detector that was chirping due to a low battery. We initially thought that it was inside the house, but then realized that it was coming from one of the neighbors. I thought for sure that the constant sound of the chirping would eventually drive me crazy. It didn't...I realized how quickly we adapt to the various sounds around us. By the end of the week I was sleeping like a baby. BTW, the chirping of the smoke detector lasted all month!
One of the things that I really like about Chris and Christine, was how social they are as individuals. They often had friends over for dinner or just to hang out. They always included me in on the gatherings, even if it was a 'welcome back' party for someone I'd never met before. It gave me the opportunity to become more comfortable being surround by folks that I didn't know. In the past I have always shied away from larger gathering if I didn't really know those who
were attending. I decided that I was going to take advantage of every opportunity so that when I am in Thailand, I am a bit more comfortable within large groups. Although I have not completely mastered this social challenge that I have, I certainly do feel a bit more comfortable and confident that I'll be okay.
I was surprised by how quickly the month had passed; by the fourth week of my stay there, I realized that I wasn't ready to move out and I truly did think of their place as my home. I know longer feared having a run in with a 'sketchy' person walking down the street; no longer feared that my car or the house would be broken into; and the noises of the night had become soothing to me...I was on to my 3rd couch surfing adventure...
Advertisement
Tot: 0.088s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 9; qc: 52; dbt: 0.0544s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 2;
; mem: 1.1mb