It's been a little over six months since I moved here to Seattle. I'm a transplant from Happy Valley, Utah (ie Provo). Like many graduate students, I had shining hopes of finding my dreams in the Emerald City. I can only speak for myself, but it's been less than dreamy.
Who knew how hard it would be to move to a new place? No wait. Who knew how hard graduate school would really be? I feel like it's a mission. You know it's gonna be hard, but you don't know how hard until you're on one.
Even though I'm in my mid-twenties, I still have this yearning to belong somewhere and to be a part of something. It's been half a year, and I find myself still searching. Sometimes I want to give up, and just isolate myself. It's easy to do that here in Seattle. I find people are independent in this unique "Seattle-ite" way. You know what I mean by that? Anyways, though it seems simple to mainstream myself to soloing it out here, shying from conjugal laughter and merriment, something won't let me completely hide myself.
I need people in my life. People who encourage me, who ask me how I am (and actually are waiting for an answer). I need that hug and definitely that smile. I need someone to make me laugh and remind me that I'm helpful.
I don't think I'm alone in this feeling. I decided that I needed to stop waiting for people to reach out to me. Surprisingly, when I reached out, I found that many have echoed a similar sentiment of loneliness. Especially for so many who are trying to find their niche out here. It surprises me as I discover how many incredible people there are out here. Why are we hiding from each other? So let's make one together. Let's be there for each other.
Great post, Angela! I'm really glad you moved to Seattle!
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