Boston!
After a long break from blogging, I'm finally moved into my apartment in Boston and have been exploring the city for the last week. My parents and I got to the city Tuesday AM (after staying over with my grandparents near West Point on Monday), and after a crash course (too close to literal) in driving in Boston, we made it to my apartment building in Cambridge. While it's not ULC and I miss 207, the apartment and my roommates are great. We have a 3 bedroom apartment with a kitchen and living room and 1.5 baths. Here are some shots of my room:
It was unfurnished, so we brought IKEA furniture up, and I really like it. One of my favorite parts is that I actually have room for a double bed, so it doesn't feel quite like a dorm anymore. My parents were amazing this week (like always, of course), and stayed through Saturday morning to help me with the move and getting settled. I have a lot to learn from them about giving time and energy so lovingly and willingly.
While my parents were here, we checked out the Quincy Market area and the North End (the Italian sector). It just happened that there was an Italian Fesitval in the North End, so it was entertaining to be a part of the spirit of the area, not to mention the great food, pastries, and gelato.
We also took a walk through MIT and took the obligatory pictures at the MIT dome.
In other events since I had nothing better to do other than update my blog, I went bikeriding along the Charles River (which is about a block from my apartment), then Lucy and I hit up the free Jesse McCartney (who is actually pretty talented) concert, and we were by far the oldest people there other than parents. But, hey, it was free and fun. Then today we went to the Cambridge International Carnival and saw the crazy parade along with the numerous clothing, art, jewelry, and food vendors. I'll get some pictures up of that later.
So far I really like Boston. The weather has been gorgeous (I know that story will change), the people are a little quirky and rough but still helpful and interesting, the apartment and location are great, and there is just so much to do. Here's to a great 5 (or so) years!
Pack Rat
In my week off between La Romana and moving (next Monday, the 22nd), I've been busy packing, organizing, doing errands, and hanging out with friends as much as possible. But oh man, I'm such a pack rat. Some things I'm okay to get rid of - simple things like movie tickets, stained or ripped clothing, and well, that's about it. I've gotten better over the years, but every time I come home, I'm determined to get rid of more things. However, I maybe donate a bagfull to Goodwill, and then I think that's enough. Anything that I can remember where it came from or if it was from a special event, I don't want to get rid of it.
As I was talking to Rebekah earlier this week, I realized, though, that I'm not the only one. We both realized that we have papers going back 8 years or so that we've kept just in case we need the resource. But, hello!, what is the Internet for? I've used Wikipedia, yet not put 2 and 2 together to realize that I don't need all those papers any more. I am proud to say they are in the trash. Or at least most of them.
Next comes clothing, knick knacks, and stuffed animals. Oy. I think this will all be a little easier when I finally move everything out of my room here, but that could be 5 years from now, once I'm done with MIT. Here's to learning it's OK to throw away!
Dominican Republic
Lindsay and I got back yesterday from the gorgeous region of Bayahibe, near La Romana, in The Dominican Republic. We got to the Sunscape Casa Del Mar around 7 pm last Saturday and were welcomed with a tropical drink and cookies. We chose to go to an all-inclusive resort, so the first thing we did was go to the bar and get our first real drink. We toured the grounds some, getting a good look at the huge pool
the relaxing hammocks next to the water
and the gorgeous sunsets.
While the water wasn't as clear as that in Cancun, the bright colors and the varied skyscapes made up for it.
We enjoyed drinking and reading while getting some sun and lots of watersports: paddleboating, snorkeling, kayaking, catamaraning, volleyball, and aerobics. We also went to Santo Domingo to get a better feel for the real country, where we saw the first Cathedral in the Americas, Diego Columbus' house, the President's Palace, and the new Columbus Lighthouse.
Of course we got some shopping in, and the most popular items were painting (in the indigenous Taino style), Larimar (a gorgeous light blue stone with white flecks), and rum. Lindsay and I bought some of all of it, and the rum especially was very cheap ($14 for 2.1 liters). So we left happy, tan, and much more relaxed (if that's possible!).
My first prize from the radio
So Tuesday was a crappy day, but I was listening to Z104 on the even more crappy drive home. They advertised a concert at the 9:30 Club for Friday for Pat McGee Band and Vertical Horizon, both of which I like but wouldn't pay that much to see. They said the 14th caller would get 2 free tickets, so I was like, "What the heck, I'll try." I kept getting a busy signal of course, but on the 6th (yes, 6th!) try, I got through. They guy asked me where I was, and I was driving, so he told me not to freak out, and then he said I was the 14th caller and had won tickets! He got his little dorky sound clip of me freaking out like any other girl on the radio (except the ones that win Backstreet Boy tix; those girls are crazy), and I did hear myself on the radio a few minutes later.
The concert was last night, and Lindsay and I had a lot of fun. Both lead singers are pretty hot, so we were content with good music sung by good looking men that somehow get hotter when they sing. Interesting phenomenon.
In even more exciting news, Lindsay and I head for the Dominican Republic today!!
We'll be home late on the 12th, so everyone have a great week!
