Leaving Chicago has been difficult, as expected. I miss my friends. I miss my apartment. I miss the way Chicago feels and smells and sounds. The water here tastes funny.
Coming back to Boston has been a little strange for me - I was here briefly last November, but other than that I haven't really been in the area since graduation. I used to think that I could live here forever, but now I don't think I could live here at all. It's hard to explain, beyond a general sense that Boston doesn't fit right - something about being here feels itchy to my brain. Mostly, I think it's the constant refrain of "not Chicago, not Chicago," running through my head, but I also think it's the realization that I don't actually know that much about this city.
Staying with Jen has been really great, if a little awkward. She just moved into her apartment, and it was a little strange to be around for the first few days of her meeting her roommates - I think it's good that I'll be away for a few days, so that they can spend some time together. They have a lot of conversations ahead of them!
Yesterday was Brandeis day - Jen and I dropped by Student Activities and Hillel to say hello to our old bosses\advisers. I miss talking to those people every day - both of those organizations had a huge impact on my Brandeis life, and it's weird to me that I don't see them all of the time the way I used to. Last night we hung out in Waltham at the Floyd St. House - I got to see some old friends, and we watched a creepy movie called The Mist, which totally freaked me out. Giant insects are scary!!
Plans for the afternoon include hanging out with Miriam, and then dinner at with my aunt and uncle. Anne has graciously offered to drive me to New Jersey and back, for which I am incredibly grateful. Not having to take the bus and the train there and back will certainly make the trip less stressful.
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I wish I could have been in Boston when you came back. It really would have been great to see you again. After Brandeis I didn't think so much that I could stay in Boston forever, however a year out of school, I could have said that. I made friends, I did things, I was having fun, and then I picked up my life and moved to Missouri where I don't know anyone.
ReplyDeleteOn one hand I hope that I will have such experiences and the like that will make me less interested in returning, but on the other, many of my favorite people are there and home is where my friends are. We will see.
Oh, and this ID is Josh Nudell. And since you are going to blog, I am going to comment. =)
ReplyDeleteJosh! This says that your name is Paul... You should definitely comment!
ReplyDeleteAs for the rest, I think my connection to Boston was always about people, and now that I don't know that many people there, my connection is fading.
Agreed. It does say that my name is Paul...it is my middle name, and once upon a time google wouldn't give out another account to a Joshua Nudell. Little did I remember that I had the first account, too, so I just registered it under my middle name and got to using it, and then found the old one. Google has updated it, but Blogger won't, for some reason.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I think my connection is about people, and while I was there for another year I made some new awesome friends, and even if some of them will not be there when I return, that experience assures me that there are people with whom I will connect there. I started making friends at and from places like Harvard, MIT and Northeastern.
I do understand where you are coming from, though.