I moved to the Seattle area the first week of June. It was a tough decision for myself and my wife. We argued over it the months leading up to the move. Our undergraduate years at the University of Arkansas were coming quickly to an end and neither of us had job offers, but she was dead intent of moving. Luckily she found work, I on the other hand pushed out applications in fist fulls each week and still have not found lasting work.
The search for work doesn't deter me. Part-time opportunities have come, and I have been afforded the luxury of being able to explore the cities that make up the metropolitan region. Writing has been my fallback and escape. Seattle is a treasure trove of inspiration.
As it is with all college students, I am no stranger to writing. But, I didn't always write for my classes. Stories came and went from hand to pin, though in my last year or so in Arkansas ideas faltered and my muse had moved on. In Seattle, anything can move a person. The buildings, the parks, the spectacular hill top views all have something to offer.
Food is one of Seattle's best offers. The multicultural landslide here makes it easy to find almost anything I want to eat. Kaiten sushi, better known conveyor belt sushi has been a wonderful experience that I had actually passed up while visiting Tokyo. The smells of the Indian restaurants entice me. The freshness of the seafood invigorates me. Alki Crab Fish Co. is a welcome drive all the way from Renton, where I currently live, to west Seattle.
Still, there are things I miss from Arkansas. I have yet to find a decent Mexican restaurant but with time I hope that will change.
Driving here has been one of the harder things for me. Not because of the traffic but because how slow things can be while traveling. Traffic jams come at a spur of the moment. HOV lanes are your savior when traveling a few cities down the interstate but can quickly became a mess when you really need to be somewhere. I have had to learn not to judge distance in miles but in the time I have learned it will take to get there.
The bright side of Seattle is the people. The many people I have been afforded a chance to speak with have been kind. Conversation is just a few short introductions away. From a conversation about employment opportunities at Jiffy Lube to talking about must eats on bus route 13, I have never met nicer strangers. Everyone has advice for those that have just entered into the fray, and it always seems great. I have been told Dick's is a great place to get a hamburger. Arkansas Alumni Association members have told me Red Mill is better. Whom should I trust?
Seattle is one of the best and one of the worst opportunities I have taken. Bright sides to it are the sights, the sounds, and my new dog. Down sides have been the lack of people to socialize with, the bad weather when we first moved here, and getting lost easily, but that will change. I look forward to seeing what will happen here. Until then I will keep writing. Maybe this time next year I'll have a book deal? It is all up in the air.
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