The Seven-Month Itch

August 20, 2009...
It was a sticky summer day. After dropping off the last of my boxes at Fed-Ex, my mother and I dragged four suitcases to the airport. Destination: Chicago. No return ticket for me.

I cried in the middle of Terminal C of Logan Airport when I said good-bye to my sister and father and thought how far off Thanksgiving seemed at the time. Three months! I had never gone without seeing my parents for more than three weeks in my entire life. Four days later, I would nearly attempt to leave Chicago with my mom when she boarded her flight back to Boston.

(Photo: I wish I had some of this good-bye cake leftover to eat...)

Seven months later... thanks to the family and friends who convinced me I was doing the right thing and that I just had to stick it out, I am happily living it up in the Windy City.

However, it hasn't been all flowers and fun during this time. There have been some hiccups along the way, sprinkled with some major homesickness and a longing for many things back home.

Like when I see a Corolla driving along the street, I think of my Silver Bullet and miss it. Especially on nice days like the ones we had this week, where you can cruise along with the windows down and the radio blasting. I've traded it all in for walking, stuffy El trains and crowded buses while listening to my iPod.

I miss my Somerville apartment: a two floor place with a spacious bedroom. And a grocery store at the foot of the street.

I long for my old job. Maybe not the place I worked, but I miss waking up and having a purpose every day, a routine to follow (work, gym, dinner, relax). I also miss that paycheck too I guess!

Most of all, I miss the ability to follow the Mass Pike home to my family and friends. Like on weekends like this one--when I have nothing to do because all my friends and roommates are tied up or out of town--I could pack up the Silver Bullet and surround myself with friendly faces in an hour's time. Or on a special day, like a birthday, I could drive home for dinner. Now, unless I have $240 and a ticket booked weeks in advance, that just isn't happening.

There are plenty of great things about my life here--all things I wanted. Like a break from the real, stressful, working world so I could enjoy being a student one more time. Virtually all flat surfaces and cute neighborhoods and side-streets to run around and along. No worries when it comes to finding a parking spot or if someone has scratched up my car.

Seven months to the day after I stood in that airport bidding adieu to my old life, I realize that there are positives and negatives to every situation, ups and downs to endure, and sometimes the grass always seems greener on the other side. I miss a lot of things--family, friends, my comfort zone--but wouldn't trade my current situation for anything (well, except for maybe for a few more visits home).

March 20, 2010...

A snowy, chilly day. While my time zone has changed, I still feel like I'm in New England--I spent the week enjoying 60-degree weather but woke up to snow on the ground and 30-degree temps. I guess Mother Nature is helping me celebrate my seven-month itch here in Chicago by reminding me that no matter how much some things may change, there are some things that will always remain the same.