Saturday, June 27, 2009

Goodbye, Boston!

Today I will be loading up the moving truck and cleaning up the last remnants of my life in Boston. While I'm very excited about returning to what really feels like home (the Rio Grande Valley), there were so many great things about Boston that I will absolutely miss. Here are my goodbyes and thanks:

To the students who were willing to fight for me to stay and protest on my behalf: I sincerely appreciate the thought and I will miss you. I'll do my best to get back to see so many of you graduate next year!

To the Boston Public Library system: I never thought I would actually love the library. Your collections, services and great people were amazing. Thank you especially to everyone at the Main Branch at Copley and the Honan-Allston Branch. The library was one of the first parts of the city where I really felt at home.

To everyone at the Dunkin' Donuts on Washington Ave & Sagamore Ave in Chelsea: Thank you for keeping me caffeinated and well fed! I enjoyed stopping by frequently (sometimes twice a day), and I know my students feel the same way.

To whomever made Boston so walkable, you've made me healthier, less stressed and more active.

To the guy who stands outside Haymarket Station at the Congress St. entrance every morning: Thank you for brightening my day. Maybe I'm crazy, but there's something to be said for somebody wishing you a good day and singing show tunes to themselves.

To the MBTA: Even with all the limitations and problems of the T, I never felt like I needed a car in Boston. I appreciated not having to drive, and being able to sit back and relax on my way to and from work (with the occasional hoping off one train and onto another, of course). I read as many books in my first few months of commuting on mass transit as I had read over the last couple of years in south Texas! I just hope you can get the Green Line moving a little bit more efficiently in the future.

To everyone and everything responsible for Boston's exorbitant cost of living: Thank you for making me appreciate everything I have a little better. I was forced to think about what was really important in life, and "stuff" was not on the list. I have simplified my life in so many ways out of necessity, but it's made me a better person as well. I will carry these lessons with me for a long time.

Thank you, Boston. And goodbye.