Boston

A VISIT to a new city AND some BIG DECISIONS

So I went to Boston

Actually, one of the first trips I don’t look forward too. Because of this, I don’t. think I enjoyed it as much as I probably would have otherwise.

I told myself I needed to see the city. To walk around. To imagine what my life might look here.

But really, I think I went to see if I would choose to completely change my life to go after something I thought could make me happy.

For some context

I got a job offer. It was a dream job. Something I did not know I wanted and did not know I could do. Until I saw the job posting. Environmental Justice. It was perfect, taking my academic background in science and blending it with helping the community and specifically, people who most need it. I applied. Quickly got an interview and only days later had a job offer.

I didn’t expect an interview much less to get a job offer.

All I had to do now, was agree to take it.

It didn’t feel real.

Coming here wasn’t just an idea anymore. It was a life I could step into. I just had to decide to take the opportunity and try to make the most of it.

The problem

Probably the only issue, which may not have been a big issue for most people, was that it was in Boston. Miles away from friends and family. Starting, on my own without my people.. Other than that, I would have jumped at the opportunity. I mean I still jumped at the opportunity, but with hesitation.

First, no friends and family. It was far enough away, that even consistent visits were impractical. Pay was slightly less than what I was making, but it had the potential to make way more after only a couple of years. But also, Boston is expensive AF. I just had to be very frugal and even then there was a good chance that at least that year, I would be living beyond my means.

Anyway, all this and I was still very serious about trying to find a way to make it happen.

This was also a city I had never been to, and was not familiar with. A visit here was an attempt to help me find the answer I was looking for. Was this the kind of place I that would be worth uprooting my whole life for.

kept thinking about what it would mean to build something from nothing again. To be uncomfortable. To grow. To trust that I could find my place the same way I always have, by following what feels meaningful, even when it’s uncertain.

A Very last minute trip

At the time, deciding to go somewhere, booking the tickets and hotel and going was something that took some serious planning. Not this time. Coming up to the time I had to make a decision, we saw that the only viable time to visit was only a couple weeks away, (Thanksgiving week). The goal was to go, explore the city, look at apartments and come back in time to spend Thanksgiving with family. I got the job offer mid-October, and by the second week in November we had our trip planned.

I did not know what I was expecting

I heard from almost everyone that had lived in or visited the city that they loved it and that I would enjoy living there. It made me feel better about it. I honestly tried to be open minded, but… because the decision was so stressful, I don’t think I felt the same way. At least during my visit.

There were moments where it felt exciting. Moments where I could see it clearly. And there were moments where I felt the weight of everything I would be leaving behind. It made me realize that this decision isn't really about the job or the place.

It’s about who I would become.

It’s about whether growth means staying and continuing to build on the life I’ve created, or leaving and trusting myself to build a new one somewhere else.

What surprised me most is that the trip didn’t give me an answer. Not in the way I expected.

Instead, it gave me more to think about.

It showed me each path put in front of me was a real possibility. Either life could happen, and whichever one I choose would just be the start.

For the first time, the future didn’t feel like something distant.

But something waiting for me, just behind the door I choose to step through.

A city full of history

Ok, so let’s get to t he actual trip. I visited a lot of apartments. but made time to explore different areas of the city. In my head, Boston was a small city, at least compared to Chicago. It definitely was different, but it was not small.