Moving On (In)

    After a few months back at home for the summer, my long-awaited return to Tallahassee has finally arrived. Though a lot has changed for me back home, having experienced countless runs, laughs, and home-cooked meals, coming back to Tallahassee feels right. I had a lot of fun this summer (see my previous blog for more info on that) but it's time to get back to work, back to school, and back to partying every weekend!

    However, before I get to any of that, I had to undergo the process of upending nearly all of my earthly possessions from my house, cram them into the back of our car like a game of Tetris, and survive the 7 hour drive over to Tally- and this doesn't even touch on what happens once we get there. For context, my buddy and recurring roommate Wade had moved in a week early, on account of his film school orientation, and when he sent me a video of the state of the apartment, it left a lot to be desired. Evidently, the previous tenants hadn't bothered to move any of their stuff out of their apartment once their lease ended, resulting in an apartment that stank of weed, had a kitchen piled high with dirty dishes and rotting food, and maybe the worst roach infestation I've ever seen (and with any luck, I'll never see one worse). Needless to say, the job had a long way to go.

    When we finally arrived at Tallahassee, I made a quick stop by our apartment complex's front office to pick up my keys. Despite my effort to ask admin to do something about the mess we were left with, they essentially shrugged and said they couldn't do anything since it was an active lease, thanks to one of my roommates being a renewal lease from last year. Armed with nothing but pent-up frustration and some rudimentary cleaning supplies, we all went into move-in mode, with my parents cleaning both my bedroom and our shared bathroom while Wade and I brought everything from the car up to our (third floor) apartment. It was a tense cleaning period, with several roach sightings and a thick fog of heat and humidity in the room.

    But eventually, it was done (-ish). While we had set up everything we had packed in the car and retrieved from the storage unit by Wade, we were still missing a few things, most notably pillows (that we had forgotten to pack) and a mini fridge for us to use while the communal fridge was still packed with rotten food from the prior inhabitants. So after a productive trip to the Walmart and a nice lunch at a poke bowl restaurant nearby, we had finally set everything up!

    To round off the move-in weekend, the four of us got a nice dinner at BJ's, which has seemingly become a tradition every time my family has visited. We discussed future living plans, shared a few laughs and stories, and finally, I said goodbye to my parents for the time being. I couldn't do anything I do without them, and I'll miss them a lot (and my sister Sofia too). Now, having completed the move to a new apartment, the future holds endless potential for my semester- and I welcome the challenge of a new year!