"So do you think you'll be staying in Boston for a while?"
It’s a question I’m often asked when I tell someone how long I’ve lived in the greater Boston area (6 ½ years if you include college.) I wonder why, when I give my answer --“yeah, I think so” -- do I often feel inferior? Or not so well-traveled? Or unworldly, or unaccomplished? Well, aren’t 20-somethings *supposed* to move about the country, free-spirited and drunk with adventure? Shouldn’t they be pursuing unattainable dreams before settling down with a family? Feeling melodramatically lost, alone and broke in order to build character, expand horizons and build a repertoire of good stories??
I've lived in Massachusetts my entire life, aside from a 3-month semester abroad in the Netherlands. Shortly after graduating, many of my close college friends moved to various cities across the country, far from their hometowns and far from me. I honestly hadn't even considered searching for job opportunities in other cities; perhaps more out of laziness than anything else. My friends bravely dispersed to LA, NYC, Atlanta, Dallas, DC while I moved a comfortable 2.5-miles north to Somerville. I’d admittedly feel pangs of jealousy upon hearing of another friend moving to a dazzling new city, job offer or grad school admission letter in hand.
It’s a question I’m often asked when I tell someone how long I’ve lived in the greater Boston area (6 ½ years if you include college.) I wonder why, when I give my answer --“yeah, I think so” -- do I often feel inferior? Or not so well-traveled? Or unworldly, or unaccomplished? Well, aren’t 20-somethings *supposed* to move about the country, free-spirited and drunk with adventure? Shouldn’t they be pursuing unattainable dreams before settling down with a family? Feeling melodramatically lost, alone and broke in order to build character, expand horizons and build a repertoire of good stories??
I've lived in Massachusetts my entire life, aside from a 3-month semester abroad in the Netherlands. Shortly after graduating, many of my close college friends moved to various cities across the country, far from their hometowns and far from me. I honestly hadn't even considered searching for job opportunities in other cities; perhaps more out of laziness than anything else. My friends bravely dispersed to LA, NYC, Atlanta, Dallas, DC while I moved a comfortable 2.5-miles north to Somerville. I’d admittedly feel pangs of jealousy upon hearing of another friend moving to a dazzling new city, job offer or grad school admission letter in hand.
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