My first day was spent exploring Boston, trying to get to
know my surroundings. I decided the best way was getting on a T (the Boston
transport system which is a train, tram and subway all in one!) and getting off
at any random stop and exploring. I sorted my bank account and my mobile phone
the first day, and went to see Northeastern University for a quick chat with my
boss. By the end of my first day I was very proud of myself! That night I went back to
Ketty’s to dinner sitting on the table and the three other foreign students round
the table. It was nice to meet others from different cultures who were in the same situation as me
having jetted off to a foreign country by theirselves also. The next day was
an exploring one too then that evening I headed for the airport to pick up
Diane. Even though Ketty’s family were making me feel right at home it as so
good seeing a friendly face, Although it she was tired and jet lagged she still
had a massive smile on her face coming through the gate!
The next few days were spent getting Diane sorted with a
bank account etc. and the two of us sorting our Visa, SSN and exploring Boston
together. As well as finally meeting the three Scottish interns in person;
Katie, Nicole and Molly and dining out A LOT ! Chinese, Thai, Boston Burger
Company and Cheesecake factory, with the girls which meant getting to know
their friends too! As well as Ketty’s family and tasting her husbands delicious hamburgers.
I experienced my first: froyo, dipped cone (an ice cream
cone dipped in chocolate, phenomenal!), Dunkin Doughnut, Gay marriage and
Ketty’s Zumba … the BEST Zumba you will ever go to!
Throughout these weeks living with Ketty and her family was
one of the best decisions I’ve made, they were so welcoming, kind and really
treated me like part of the family. Going to the beach with Tanya and having
long chats with John made me feel so at home here in Boston and I couldn’t be
more grateful to them for that. I would have happily stayed for the year, the
only down side being the 40 minute walk
to the nearest T stop, which I had to do many times!
Ketty's motivational door -
My first day on the job… I travelled my long journey into Northeastern
feeling a little nervous, but once I got there everyone was so friendly and I
had Nicole to show me the ropes for the first week, the hardest part was trying
to remember everyones names! The first week flew by quickly trying to
learning as much as I could from Nicole whilst she was still there. Trying to learn everything about Northeastern so I am able to answer any question a student may ask me, proved to be quite a difficult task but I'm learning something new everyday and finding out what an amazing university I am getting to work for.
The next two weeks were filled with food, food and more
food! As well as exploring Boston, seeing Faniuel Hall, Quincy Market, Harvard,
the harbour, the Institute of Contemporary Art and much more! Going to a
leaving party for Nicole at what would soon by my apartment, and going for dinner
to The Haven (a Scottish Restaurant) with work colleagues for Nicole and
experiencing my first deep fried battered mars bar – amazing! I am aiming to try as many new things over here as possible to make the most of my time here (even if a deep fried mars bar is a Scottish thing!)
These first three weeks flew by and it was time for Nicole
to head back to Scotland, and time for me to move to my new apartment. It was
bitter sweet, as excited as I was for moving to my new home for the next two months, but it was really hard leaving Ketty’s home, having become like a
little family to me over such a short space of time. After hugging it out Ketty
drove me to Kinross road, my new AMERICAN home!
