September, Seattle, So Far

Seattle: driving, So far

I drove into Seattle on the Second of September

Started Screaming

haven’t Stopped.

In Short:

Small hometown roots meet Sleepless Skyscraper Seattle

Steeply Sloped Side Streets in Slick rain

Skidding Screaming Sliding Swearing

(Staunchly against driving on james Street again.)

Six lane interState

Swerving merging praying Screaming

no turn Signals

(why don’t Seattle drivers use turn Signals?)

Sudden Stops

Shaking Screaming Sweating

Seventeen-minute delay

SIXTY-minute delay

(at 4 pm on a friday… makes Sense.)

Seattle: everything else, so far

I love the Pacific Northwest. I have never experienced such lush, abundant greenery before; I cannot stop gawking at each moss-covered tree towering over me as I pass by. And the ocean! I swam in the bioluminescence for the first time in Bellingham Bay. My friends and I floated in the cold, dark ocean, watching the moon rise above the trees, and the water around us glowed green and glittered like thousands of stars.

I’m finally back to playing hockey again, which has dramatically improved my quality of life. The Kraken facility is extremely fancy. There are three rinks, 14 huge locker rooms, a giant outdoor lawn space, and their very own in-rink Kraken Starbucks (of course). I’m one of only a handful of women and younger than everyone else by at least a decade and nobody can resist asking me about my BU gear. No matter how expensive an ice rink is, it’s good to know that adult league hockey never changes.

My housemates are three boys, all mechanical engineers. We have eight bikes in the garage, sticky note labels for every kitchen drawer, rent was decided via Excel spreadsheet, and any time I complain about driving up or down a hill that feels VERTICAL one of them pipes up and says, “The steepest hill in Seattle is 26 degrees, I had to calculate it for class last year.” They like playing cards and board games, and I like living with them.

        Work is good, and enjoyable. I like my coworkers and I like the environment and it's nice to be known again.

I had a bout of homesickness a week ago (at the peak of getting lost every day on my commute) but I’m feeling much more comfortable and settled now. I've started thinking about grad school… I’m not even close to being ready yet, but I’ve solidified that I want to go back.

I’m also twenty-two, now. I celebrated by visiting Vancouver, BC for the first time and loved it. We sat on a rocky beach under a soft, mellow sun, ate sushi, and watched barges drift across the horizon. I feel no different being twenty-two than I did twenty-one, although it is fun to be a double number, and divisible by eleven.

Lots of fun things on the horizon that I’m looking forward to, and will share!

        With peace, teeth, and love,

        Hanna