Day 11

Day 11 in this new chapter of my life. New chapter being “The Move to San Francisco”. After talking about it for 2 years (I’m going to SF, I’m staying in Seattle, I’m going, I’m staying…), I finally up and went to SF. The reason was always family. Oh and the sun. SF isn’t as sunny and warm as San Diego but it definitely beats Seattle’s overcast days. Family and nicer weather. And maybe a need for a change, to shake things up a bit in my life. (To find myself?) For most people, SF itself is reason enough with the culture, arts, food, the hip-ness/hippie-ness, the urban-ness. But those were just bonus for me.

I really didn’t have a “plan” per se' with the big move. I just made the decision to go, then quit my job without having any job prospects and moved into my grandfather’s house… without much in savings and without my boyfriend. I’m such a rebel. Such a risk taker. NOT. More like, such a retard. I guess I’m hoping things will just sorta fall into place. I’m lazy like that.

My main goal is to spend time with my 91 year old grandfather “Tata”. He’s not dying or anything. He’s just really, really old. Despite the aches, pains, arthritis, and bad hearing, he can still get around and tries to remain active. His mind is still pretty sharp too. He can remember details from his childhood when I can barely remember what I did last week.

I’ve been in vacay mode this whole time. Just chillaxin and stuff. Oh, yeah, I’ve been job hunting… in between my daytime tv programs. Heh. Not having a plan and all made me feel a little lost. (Theme of my life!) But in the short time I’ve been here, I now realize that I may have other purposes for moving to SF. One is to declutter my grandfather’s house and remove all things that haven’t been used since 1973. Another is to possibly revamp and update the bedrooms. Another is to organize my mom’s stuff which may involve getting rid of half her clothes. And last but not least, strengthen my relationship with my mom and really get to know her. Wow, I went from no plan to my hands full in one paragraph! Wish me luck!

Not a Bart virgin anymore

I think I pulled it off. I don’t think anyone suspected a thing. I seamlessly blended in among the SF morning commuters today, even though it was all new to me. I had a meeting with a staffing recruiter at 9:30am so I got a taste of what it’s like to commute to work in downtown SF, complete with public transportation.

Per Google Maps the agency was 6.7 miles from my grandpa’s house… er, I mean, my house,… oh idk. I considered driving my car but I heard parking rates are outrageous. So forget that. SF has a pretty good public transportation system so there were many other options. I considered the bus since there was a stop right by the house, but I decided to go with the BART. That’s the SF subway. There isn’t a BART station near the house but fortunately there was a station only a couple blocks away from the agency AND it only takes 12 mins to get there. Super convenient. Riding the subway for the first time in your life can be a little nerve-racking from buying the fare to standing on the correct side of the platform to exiting the station. Luckily, I wasn’t a virgin. I’m not highly experienced but I’ve been around… NY, DC, LA.

My first BART experience today was surprisingly a breeze. Thank god. I must admit, I didn’t figure it all out by myself. I got a mental cheat sheet of directions and landmarks from my aunt, which made my trip a lot smoother. After my super short meeting with the recruiter, I didn’t have the urge to go home yet. I was feeling a little brave and felt like exploring downtown, maybe do some shopping. But I didn’t. I followed my bread crumbs back to the BART station and headed for home. Errands with mom and grandpa awaited me. (This whole post makes me sound like I’m a little kid. Ugh.)

Can’t wait to do Bart again!