Anniversary.

First of all, I really do have a post that I was working on and intend to finish and post soon (I guess it was a bit misleading to say that I'd post something as often as once a week. Whoops.), but in the meantime, I have something else to share.

According to Timehop, today is the one year anniversary of my arrival in Minnesota! (For anyone who doesn't know, Timehop is an app that you link up with your facebook and twitter and it tells you what you've posted on that day of every year that you've had those social media accounts.) For the past several weeks, I've been seeing my posts from a year ago. I've watched myself travel from Sorrento to the UK, Norway, and Minneapolis, and then head back to Maine for two final weeks of residency. A year ago today (and yesterday) I was driving across the country with Liam. At about 6pm I'd arrived safely at Liam's parents' (Dan and Nan) house where I ended up living for the next nine months. I didn't realize at the time that I'd be there for so long, but am eternally grateful for their welcoming hearts and kindness for the duration.

Here's a picture from exactly one year ago of me on my new bed, resting for a minute after hauling all of my possessions inside.

Anyway. It's been kind of a crazy year. When I first moved here, I didn't really know what I was going to do or how things would work out, but I'd say I'm pretty satisfied with the progress I've made growing up this year. I've had to navigate parts of being an adult that I hadn't ever before. It has been at times overwhelming but it's also been really rewarding.

I'm looking forward to all that the next year in the land of 10,000 lakes will bring me.

To Whom It May Concern,

At this very moment I am sitting in my bedroom in Minneapolis. It is August 14th. Most years, late summer in the twin cities is so hot that it borders on gruesome--over 100° and nauseatingly humid. But this summer has been gloriously, graciously mild. Most days have maxed out in the low 80s, and I've even been using my quilt at night. I am nervous, however, that cooler temperatures now will mean that the coming winter will get even colder than the last. Yikes! All winter long, Minnesotans told me it was the coldest winter they'd had in at least ten years. Lucky me.

All in all though, the past year has been pretty swell. I still miss Maine most days. Being so far from the ocean this summer has been especially challenging. I haven't even put on my bathing suit yet this year!

Instead, I've been working my butt off at my two jobs. I still work as a PCA with the Johnson family and in June I got a job as a baker at SiP Coffeebar in Northeast Minneapolis. I get up at about 4:15 every weekday and start baking muffins, scones, cinnamon twists, cream cheese filled pastries, cookies, brownies, and coffee cake at 5 am! I also brew coffee and make the occasional latte. I love it, but on the days where I work both jobs I am completely exhausted by the time I get home at about 8 pm.

Last week I finally got my computer fixed after it broke in January. Which means that I can start writing blog posts with relative convenience again (as you can see). I'm hoping to get back into the habit of posting about my life-- not that I do much worth reading about, but it seems like a nice way to keep those of you on the East coast updated about my life. Here's hoping I can start a weekly posting routine!

Back again soon,
Aleena

Post-college.

This fall I am not a full-time student for the first time in my life. And it's a little bit traumatic. A few weeks ago, after traveling to different corners of the world for over a month, I was home for about ten days before packing up my car and moving halfway across the country to Minnesota. I didn't anticipate how hard it would be to move across the country until after I'd done it. And to be honest, if I had realized how emotionally exhausting it would be I probably wouldn't have. But after making a fairly abrupt decision and naively thinking I could do anything I wanted and succeed, I applied for a job out here and made my first solid plans for my post-college life.

Minnesota is beautiful, but it isn't Maine. I miss home, familiar places, the general comfort of small town life. I've learned that the suburbs are not the same as towns. Not at all. As much as I don't really like cities, I actually kind of hate the suburbs. Praise the Lord Maine doesn't have them.

And it might get better. I know that it probably will get better. In fact, it has already gotten better than it was during the first week. But I still just feel so out of place here. Every once in a while I realize that I'm not in college, that right now is my "real life" and I'm spending it coasting along, staying in my friend's parents' basement and working at a job that in no way counts as a grown-up job. The fact that this is my real life terrifies me.