For most of my life, I've lived in a 100-mile radius on the East Coast between the northern Philadelphia suburbs and central Maryland. Given that I only have one year left in college, when it came time to choose a summer job for this year, I knew I needed to get away from my normal environment and explore someplace completely new. I am convinced that the key to learning about one's self is external displacement; when you go somewhere completely foreign, you are forced to rely more heavily on your own instincts. You need to be lost to get found.
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| My new home for the next 58 days... |
I'll talk more about my job in future posts, but for now I want to talk about my new summer residence. I opted to apply for a job in San Francisco, which I had visited once before over spring break in my sophomore year at Penn. During the two short days I spent in the city last time, I fell madly in love with it and I promised myself upon leaving that I would return. I never guessed it would happen so soon.
Flash forward to 6:15 AM EST on June 9, 2015. The disgustingly familiar wail of my iPhone alarm goes off. I snooze it once, twice... and then get up on the third, remembering that my stepdad had threatened to throw a ferret in my bed if I didn't. In my sleepy haze, I forgot he doesn't have a ferret. At least, not that my mom and I are aware of...
After stopping by my aunt's house to pick up my grandpa (our navigation assistant for the ridiculously confusing Philadelphia Airport), we hit the road in my clunky but reliable 1998 Mountaineer. It was at this point that the panic really started to set in. I was hours away from being completely on my own for two months thousands of miles from home. These thoughts began eating away at me, so I decided to nap in the car to silence them.
I woke up just before we reached the parking garage. My mom had checked me in already online, so all I had to do was check my luggage and go through security (which made life much easier for me). I said goodbye to my stepdad and grandpa and embarked officially on my adventure. After a quick stop at Starbucks for some delicious iced caffeine and a visit to the bookstore where I got myself a bottle of water, a bag of cookies and two magazines for the plane, I walked over to my terminal.
Then the boring part. I boarded the plane. It took off. I slept a little, read all of one magazine and did some crosswords in the other, slept some more, and BAM! I arrived in the Bay Area. Unfortunately for me, I chose the window seat for this flight, and the people next to me were an older couple who seemed a little grumpy. Thus, I decided not to bother them when I had to use the restroom and subsequently spent the last hour of my flight in agony as my bladder cried out for mercy while being drowned alive by urine inside my lower abdomen.
Upon landing, the next few minutes were a blur. I peed a lot. Like... a concerning amount. I'm pretty sure my fluid output was significantly greater than my intake from the morning. Anyways, with my pee-pee pains assuaged, I got my luggage, called myself a Lyft and headed into the city. I could have taken public transportation, but (as my mother's son) I did not trust my directional skills enough. Also, important PSA: the San Francisco airport is RIDICULOUSLY far away from the city. Like, about 20 miles away. They should honestly just call it the rural California airport because that's what it is.
My Lyft driver was nice. He was excited when I gave him my address because he had already ordered two extra-large pizzas from Papa John's which is only three miles from where I'm staying. That did not seem very close to me, but it seriously made his day, so I wasn't about to be a spoilsport. We drove through Golden Gate Park, which curiously enough is nowhere near the actual bridge, but is beautiful nonetheless. I got to see some of the poorer areas of the city to which I had not been exposed on my previous visit here.
I checked into my dorm a little earlier than I was told I could (2:30 PST instead of 3:00). I felt like such a rebel, until I was told that three people had already checked in before me. The young women working in the office were very nice and gave me good advice about places to visit in the area. They then guided me toward the elevator but ominously warned me that it would be a "bumpy ride", two words that should never be used in the same paragraph as the word "elevator".
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| My room. Decorations TBD. |
Tower of Terror is one of the few rides at Disney World that I outright refuse to go on, but true to my hostesses' advice, my elevator ride was less than pleasant. The thing is made entirely of wood and creaks with every inch it ascends. The worst part is when it reaches the top it jolts twice in a row, causing all of its contents (myself included) to be thrown into the air for a split second. Needless to say, I will be taking the stairs from now on.
After unpacking and settling in, I decided to go for a walk to see where the school at which I will be working is located. The walk was nice, though a tad chilly, but I found the school with no problems. I then debated turning back around, but realized that I had no responsibilities all afternoon and was in a brand new place... so I went exploring instead. I walked and walked and walked. I walked until my feet started to burn, my spine ached and my knees wobbled from exhaustion. I hiked until I thought I could not take one more step, and then I kept on stepping.
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| Fisherman's Wharf sign, featuring mascot Eugene Krabs |
I don't know how accurate my iPhone's pedometer is, but it says I walked 28,859 steps (17.67 miles) today. Granted, part of that was through the airport, but the vast majority of it happened between the hours of 4 and 7 PM as I trekked through the hills and valleys of this fine city. I walked through the Presidio, saw Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge, climbed a stairway which (from the bottom) appeared to go all the way to heaven, walked along the Wharf and got dinner at my favorite fast food joint, In N' Out Burger. (I even got a paper hat!) Through it all, I surprised myself. There were several times on my walk when I wanted to give up and hail a cab back to my dorm, and I was by myself so no one would have even known, but no. I kept walking one step at a time through a city unfamiliar to me, and in exploring my new surroundings, I explored my inner self too.
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| Was this the inspiration for "Stairway to Heaven"? The world may never know... |
Those three unexpected hours, that spontaneous adventure with nothing but some background music from a single earbud and my thoughts... That is what I have been craving for so long. That is what I wanted but could not find these past few weeks, sitting in my bedroom at home doing work and watching Netflix all day. I can be by myself anywhere, but to truly be alone, far from home with no one else to rely on, is the best way to center myself. I start work bright and early tomorrow, and I know I will be incredibly busy for all 58 of my days in this wonderful place, but I promise myself that I will make time to be alone with my thoughts, breathe in the cool salty breeze off the Bay, listen to the harmonies of the wind and the seagulls, and find peace inside my soul.
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| ...aptly named, as whatever you eat goes right through you. |
San Francisco is a city full of hills. From the bottom, some look too steep to climb, but if you close your eyes and start walking, you will reach the top. Left, right, left, right... It will hurt sometimes... left... your mind and body may disagree... right... but if you let go of your thoughts... left... and live in that one moment... right... you will make it up the hill. And once you do, when you catch your breath and turn around, the view from above is breathtaking. It's so worth it.
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| The view from the top of the Presidio. I know there are trees in the way, but trust me. It was stunning. |
Until next time,
Nate
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