I am now an official employee at Texas Hillel and I got my Texas car insurance, so I figured it was time to write an update email to all of my favorite people. This email is LONG overdue, as I have already been here for almost 2 weeks. But as I am sure you can understand, getting settled has been hectic, crazy and at times overwhelming. And, in addition to this being long overdue, it is also LONG, so if you can't finish it, I understand.
My good friend Derek and I left on Wednesday, July 20th and started our big drive. The car was stuffed to capacity with all of my stuff, though we did make a little peep hole our the rear windshield to keep an eye out for cops. After we got out of San Diego, the radio was no longer an option, so we decided to switch over to my trusty CD player. To make a long story short, it is not trusty, and was broken (and still is!). Luckily we stopped at the last strip mall between San Diego and Texas and found a Best Buy. Shout out to Annie's parents for the Best Buy gift card; it came in really handy when we bought the device to hook up our iPods to the stereo! Thank goodness we didnt have to endure the 22 hour drive with no noise!
The first day was easy, we almost wanted to drive the other half and just get in REALLY late to our destination. But, we had already booked a hotel room at some random hotel in Los Cruces, NM. We arrived there at around 6pm, went for a swim and then out to a "nice" dinner at Applebee's. The food and service were good and the "Perfect Margarita" was even better. Los Cruces was a good spot for the overnight--just a tip for when you make the trip out to Austin to visit!
We got an early start the next morning and made our way to San Antonio--we stayed at my cousins house on Thursday night. The day dragged on a bit because driving in Texas just isn't that interesting! But we made it and then spent the evening at Agi and Roger's house.
On Friday morning it was off to Austin. The drive seemed to go by in a second in comparison to our 2 previous days of driving. We met up with a realtor and looked at apartments. We settled on 2 good options but signing the lease would have to wait until the next day. Then it was over to 6th street for happy hour and then dinner with Agi and Roger and a couple of their friends (they drove out to Austin for the evening). But, before we could go out for a nice evening, Derek and I had to get ready, of course. That was more difficult than you wouldthink, since we didnt have a place to stay. The car was our "home" and the sidewalk was apparently our dressing room. We looked really goofy--derek changing his shirt and putting on deodorant while I fixed my makeup. The evening was really fun; my first official taste of Austin night life.
After a few mix-ups and changes of plans, I settled on an apartment in southwest austin. It's in a great location (not ideal, but great) and we got a great deal. Before I ever even left for Austin, I found a roommate on roommates.com. Her name is Jackie, she's from Philadelphia, just graduated from Vanderbuilt and will be arriving this Friday. I know finding a roommate on a website seems wierd, but I am pretty sure it is going to work out perfectly! The apartment is 2 bedrooms/2 bathrooms and dog-friendly, which is crucial, since she is bringing her little doggy. It should be nice: I don't have to take car of the dog, but I can play with it whenever I want!
Is started work on Monday the 25th after dropping Derek off at the airport. It was a little overwhelming at first, since I was still trying to get settled in, but now things are running pretty smoothly. Once the students get here at the end of August, it's going to be even better!
I have already made some friends and done a lot of random, fun things: bowling at $1 mondays (two hours of fun for only $3!), dinner out at pei-wei (the best asian/wok restaurant ever!), movie at Alamo Draft House (a movie theatre and restaurant in one--they serve a full menu during the movie!), walking at Town Lake (so beautiful), swimming at the pool (and getting a tan!), meeting new people at a young jewish professionals event, dinner out at Gueros (but then my friend Adam told me he got food poisoning there once, so I dont think I will be going back there!), happy hour at some bar with the biggest patio in all of austin, dinner & the Real World at my house (3 friends over for spagetti; we ate on the floor...).
On Friday morning it was off to Austin. The drive seemed to go by in a second in comparison to our 2 previous days of driving. We met up with a realtor and looked at apartments. We settled on 2 good options but signing the lease would have to wait until the next day. Then it was over to 6th street for happy hour and then dinner with Agi and Roger and a couple of their friends (they drove out to Austin for the evening). But, before we could go out for a nice evening, Derek and I had to get ready, of course. That was more difficult than you wouldthink, since we didnt have a place to stay. The car was our home and the sidewalk was apparently our dressing room. We looked really goofy--derek changing his shirt and putting on deodorant while I fixed my makeup. The evening was really fun; my first official taste of Austin night life.
After a few mix-ups and changes of plans, I settled on an apartment in southwest austin. It's in a great location (not ideal, but great) and we got a great deal. Before I ever even left for Austin, I nfound a roommate on roommate matching website. Her name is Jackie, she's from Philadelphia, just graduated from Vanderbuilt and will be arriving this Friday. I know finding a roommate on a website seems wierd, but I am pretty sure it is going to work out perfectly! The apartment is 2 bedrooms/2 bathrooms and dog-friendly, which is crucial, since she is bringing her little doggy. It should be nice: I don't have to take car of the dog, but I can play with it whenever I want!
Is started work on Monday the 25th after dropping Derek off at the airport. It was a little overwhelming at first, since I was still trying to get settled in, but now things are running pretty smoothly. Once the students get here at the end of August, it's going to be even better!
I have already made some friends and done a lot of random, fun things bowling at $1 mondays (two hours of fun for only $3!), dinner out at pei-wei (the best asian/wok restaurant ever!), movie at Alamo Draft House (a movie theatre and restaurant in one--they serve a full menu during the movie!), walking at Town Lake (so beautiful), swimming at the pool (and getting a tan!), meeting new people at a young jewish professionals event, dinner out at Gueros (but then my friend Adam told me he got food poisoning there once, so I dont think I will be going back there!), happy hour at some bar with the biggest patio in all of austin, dinner & the Real World at my house (3 friends over for spagetti; we ate on the floor...).
I paid rent yesterday. I guess that mean's I'm a grownup now. :-)
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