BOISE to SALT LAKE CITY
Moving to a new place comes with a lot unknowns. Maybe you move knowing where you are going to work, live, or maybe you even have some friends in this new place. Or maybe, you move where you don't know what you will be doing at all.
For me, I moved knowing what one of my jobs would be, where I would live, and a few of the people I would be living with. However, most of what my life would look like in this new city were unknowns. I knew I had to get a second job somewhere, I knew I needed to find a new community, a new church, a new friend group, a new favorite coffee shop, a new everything essentially.
At the beginning of August I took a bold step by moving to Salt Lake City after living in Boise, Idaho for my entire life. In Boise I had friends that have been in my life anywhere from 5 years to 10 years. I had all my favorites locked down such as where to get the best coffee, the best drinks and beers, the best place to relax by the river, the best place to watch the stars, the best places to camp and the best places to adventure. Life was honestly really great. I loved my life, my friends, my family, and didn't really want any of it to change. At this point you might be asking...why I left if I had such a great life.
Well...you see...all through college I was apart of a campus ministry called InterVarsity. InterVarsity is the reason some of my best friends are in my life. I was in this community for 5 years, traveled to Catalina Island with them 5 times, gone on various road trips with them, and even went to Asia one summer. As I got closer to the end of my college career I made the tough decision to say yes to a year long internship with InterVarsity. Saying yes to this meant that I would be moving to an unknown state from August to May working at a new college campus. Eventually, I found out that I would be moving to Salt Lake City, Utah and had to come to terms with leaving everything in Boise behind.
The last year of college was really hard as I kept feeling sad each time an event would end knowing that I wouldn't get to be a part of it next year. The end of the school year was bittersweet because it was super exciting to graduate but I was also very sad to be leaving the incredible community I had at Boise State.
When August finally approached I had to prepare to say my goodbyes. The last few days in Boise were hard but also some of the best days I have had. My last day in Boise was by far the most fun. I went and got coffee with some friends earlier in the day and had a great time having strange conversations as per usual. I then picked up a friend to go to my favorite brewery in Boise (Payette Brewing). We walked in admiring all of the adorable dogs and surprisingly found myself next to a table of people I used to work with. I love these people so it was really fun to stop, catch up, give some hugs and say goodbye. After sitting and talking outside for a while (and watching more dogs), a random head appeared next to me...and it was another one of my friends I didn't think I was going to get to say goodbye to! If that all wasn't enough...a group of my friends whom I spent most of my time with was at a bar across town. So we went to join them and had so much fun laughing, dancing and enjoying each other. Saying goodbye at the end of the night was extremely hard but I left that night with a big smile on my face and a heart filled with joy.
So far my time in Salt Lake has been filled with mixed emotions. I have loved getting to know my roommates and all of the wonderful people a part of the community here. I have also realized how hard it is to make friends in a new place when your not a college student. I am working on getting connected to a church but can't help but miss my church back home. I have also been mourning the fact that I don't get to hangout with my best friends. It is a lot of strong mixed emotions.
I am nearing 20 days in Salt Lake which means I still have a lot of adjusting to do. I am hopeful for friendships and curious to see where this year takes me. I also know that nothing will be able to replace what I have back home and that it is just going to be different and new here in SLC.
For me, I moved knowing what one of my jobs would be, where I would live, and a few of the people I would be living with. However, most of what my life would look like in this new city were unknowns. I knew I had to get a second job somewhere, I knew I needed to find a new community, a new church, a new friend group, a new favorite coffee shop, a new everything essentially.
At the beginning of August I took a bold step by moving to Salt Lake City after living in Boise, Idaho for my entire life. In Boise I had friends that have been in my life anywhere from 5 years to 10 years. I had all my favorites locked down such as where to get the best coffee, the best drinks and beers, the best place to relax by the river, the best place to watch the stars, the best places to camp and the best places to adventure. Life was honestly really great. I loved my life, my friends, my family, and didn't really want any of it to change. At this point you might be asking...why I left if I had such a great life.
The last year of college was really hard as I kept feeling sad each time an event would end knowing that I wouldn't get to be a part of it next year. The end of the school year was bittersweet because it was super exciting to graduate but I was also very sad to be leaving the incredible community I had at Boise State.
I am nearing 20 days in Salt Lake which means I still have a lot of adjusting to do. I am hopeful for friendships and curious to see where this year takes me. I also know that nothing will be able to replace what I have back home and that it is just going to be different and new here in SLC.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" - Jeremiah 29:11
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