Becoming a City Girl
I always thought I could adapt well. I grew up in suburbia/rural Milford, Michigan. I had a fairytale childhood, complete with a lake, a plot of woods in the backyard, a swamp with fallen logs, all four seasons, and a trail leading from our property to my best friend's yard - a recipe for magic and curiosity. My mother and grandfather taught me how to garden and cook. My aunt taught me how to clean the house. My dad taught me how to fix things, including my car. I was set, like I had a built-in almanac.
When the time came for me to move from home, I was 23 years old. That's right. I loved my family so much I couldn't leave them through college. Honestly, a great decision in today's economy. My first job was in Miami, Florida. I brought my whole inner survival toolkit with me, and realized I knew nothing, Jon Snow. Moving to the city was a culture shock, especially living in Miami where it didn't even feel like America anymore. Everyone was half-naked, speaking Spanish, and it was like living in a tropical resort surrounded by the most beautiful people, day after day. It was wonderful. I could be a wild child, work on my physique, and become the independent person I craved to be, to prove to myself I could master this adult life. Grab it by the huevos, and such...
I started off making $30k/year as a Research Associate studying Spinal Cord Injury through a Nonprofit. I was over $70k in debt from college and lookin' to change the world through science. I was the most frugal person, probably in Miami. I had a gorgeous 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment, that I shared with a roommate...in Dadeland South, the most southern part of Miami, the metro train's last stop. And I started off walking to the station, which was 0.5 miles from my apartment. Then I bought a slick bike from Craigslist for $50, which eventually got stolen at the metro station. Life can be cruel: Lesson #1.
My mom is famously known in my family for saving money via coupons, "I got a coupon fo' dat!" she'd say, even when we went to go chop down our annual Christmas tree. So I picked up on a few things. I scrounged through neighbors' recycling for their Newspaper coupon section. I could save $7 a trip on groceries this way. I eventually learned about grocery store apps where I could do my savings online: Lesson #2. It wasn't as rough and exciting as pickin' out of the trash. "One man's trash is another's treasure," as they say (and I told myself this over and over when I searched). But the app was efficient, and I could adapt. I remember there'd be days after work where I wore my big backpack, stuffed full of groceries. It was pouring down rain, so I had an umbrella in one hand and the other was gripping my bicycle handlebar as I navigated around puddles to get home. I had grocery bags swinging from both arms and the rain was coming at me sideways so the umbrella had to be a shield for my face, so I'd be peeking under it every now and then to make sure I was still on the road. All of that, to save money. I was a WARRIOR.
More Miami stories to come, but then my boyfriend and I moved to San Francisco, CA, which was a whole other beast. I thought I had city life down, but let's be real, I was living in the outskirts. I moved to Dogpatch San Francisco, which is industry in the midst of gentrification. My boyfriend and I lived in a cubicle, jk, but it was like being in a dorm room (that I never experienced) with shared bathrooms and cockroaches and everything. We had a single window that looked out into this odd void of space connected to other apartments. It did have a cute prisoner gate covering, so I could interlace fairy lights. We had a hotel bar counter and sink, a minifridge, a micro microwave, and a tall cabinet. That's it, that's everything.
Despite the many flaws of this place, it's where I learned the most. I learned how to save money, how to cook gourmet meals on an electric burner, how to patch a broken car window, and how to find the glorious gems of the city that make it worth the move.
This may sound like a rough start, but please root for the underdog! Life started looking up, and I promise I will be there for you too. I just want you to know you aren't alone. Life in the city can be a little more grand, despite your lil bit o' time, money, and space. There are so many blogs out there for city gals who need to learn how to live in the country, but when I moved to the city there was no such thing vice versa. So here we are, baby, I gotcha! Now let's adapt and take on the world, as intended.
When the time came for me to move from home, I was 23 years old. That's right. I loved my family so much I couldn't leave them through college. Honestly, a great decision in today's economy. My first job was in Miami, Florida. I brought my whole inner survival toolkit with me, and realized I knew nothing, Jon Snow. Moving to the city was a culture shock, especially living in Miami where it didn't even feel like America anymore. Everyone was half-naked, speaking Spanish, and it was like living in a tropical resort surrounded by the most beautiful people, day after day. It was wonderful. I could be a wild child, work on my physique, and become the independent person I craved to be, to prove to myself I could master this adult life. Grab it by the huevos, and such...
I started off making $30k/year as a Research Associate studying Spinal Cord Injury through a Nonprofit. I was over $70k in debt from college and lookin' to change the world through science. I was the most frugal person, probably in Miami. I had a gorgeous 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment, that I shared with a roommate...in Dadeland South, the most southern part of Miami, the metro train's last stop. And I started off walking to the station, which was 0.5 miles from my apartment. Then I bought a slick bike from Craigslist for $50, which eventually got stolen at the metro station. Life can be cruel: Lesson #1.
My mom is famously known in my family for saving money via coupons, "I got a coupon fo' dat!" she'd say, even when we went to go chop down our annual Christmas tree. So I picked up on a few things. I scrounged through neighbors' recycling for their Newspaper coupon section. I could save $7 a trip on groceries this way. I eventually learned about grocery store apps where I could do my savings online: Lesson #2. It wasn't as rough and exciting as pickin' out of the trash. "One man's trash is another's treasure," as they say (and I told myself this over and over when I searched). But the app was efficient, and I could adapt. I remember there'd be days after work where I wore my big backpack, stuffed full of groceries. It was pouring down rain, so I had an umbrella in one hand and the other was gripping my bicycle handlebar as I navigated around puddles to get home. I had grocery bags swinging from both arms and the rain was coming at me sideways so the umbrella had to be a shield for my face, so I'd be peeking under it every now and then to make sure I was still on the road. All of that, to save money. I was a WARRIOR.
More Miami stories to come, but then my boyfriend and I moved to San Francisco, CA, which was a whole other beast. I thought I had city life down, but let's be real, I was living in the outskirts. I moved to Dogpatch San Francisco, which is industry in the midst of gentrification. My boyfriend and I lived in a cubicle, jk, but it was like being in a dorm room (that I never experienced) with shared bathrooms and cockroaches and everything. We had a single window that looked out into this odd void of space connected to other apartments. It did have a cute prisoner gate covering, so I could interlace fairy lights. We had a hotel bar counter and sink, a minifridge, a micro microwave, and a tall cabinet. That's it, that's everything.
Despite the many flaws of this place, it's where I learned the most. I learned how to save money, how to cook gourmet meals on an electric burner, how to patch a broken car window, and how to find the glorious gems of the city that make it worth the move.
This may sound like a rough start, but please root for the underdog! Life started looking up, and I promise I will be there for you too. I just want you to know you aren't alone. Life in the city can be a little more grand, despite your lil bit o' time, money, and space. There are so many blogs out there for city gals who need to learn how to live in the country, but when I moved to the city there was no such thing vice versa. So here we are, baby, I gotcha! Now let's adapt and take on the world, as intended.
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