Welcome to Lauren's blog!

So, I've been in Seattle for about 3 1/2 weeks. Some days it feels shorter, some days longer but I will for sure be home March 21-29. I already have my plane tickets.

Everyone is always asking me "How's Seattle?!" or "How's the weather in Seattle?!" or "How's school in Seattle?" It's not that I'm sick of these questions, because I enjoy knowing that people care about me and are wondering how I'm doing, it's just a bit exhausting explaining all the good and bad things about being in Seattle 17 times a day to everyone who asks. I feel bad just saying "ohh Seattle is good....school is good..." so I figured I would write some things in this blog for everyone to read.

THE GOOD:
1. I really am enjoying my new college. I like the classes I'm taking, it's a newer school (I believe) so a lot of the buildings are really nice and are much less ghetto than some previous colleges I have attended...hahaha. So far I really like the quarter schedule, and it will be cool coming back from spring break with completely new classes.

2. I've made some friends in my classes, and I have some friends up here from before I moved, so that's been cool.

3. GREEN GREEN GREEN EVERYWHERE! I love the Pacific Northwest. It's beautiful. It has the most beautiful trees, and it's hard to just say "ahhh it's gorgeous" unless you've been here.

4. The Seattle atmosphere is awesome. I'm about 15 minutes (driving) away from downtown which is the home of the Seattle Art Museum (went there last weekend) and the world famous Pike Place Market, as well as many "first" stores (first starbucks, first sur la table, etc.). Restaurants, boutiques, stores, it has everything. I'd love to live in the smack dab of downtown.

THE BAD:
1. Okaaayyy so around where I live is not that exciting. The main street I live off of has a ton of construction going on 24/7 because there are no sidewalks, and the roads are really really crappy with the most massive potholes I have ever seen. The other main street I live off of is basically a much much more run down version of San Carlos (in San Jose). There are a bunch of run down video stores and tiny casinos and restaurants and laundromats and motels and prostitutes. As long as you don't walk around outside at night you are fine! :)

2. It is freaking cold. I like cold weather, but to Californians cold weather is between 50 and 60 degrees. It is 30-40 degrees here on average and though it hasn't rained that much, if it does start a downpour, in these frigid temperatures it turns to snow. You need about 3478927453953 layers of clothing on to go outside or you will FREEZE. So no, it hasn't rained too much, but yes it is freezing and you go days and days at a time without even seeing the sun. The sun is nice to see but even if it is out, the air is still very cold. Someday I'll be able to go outside and not see my breath....someday.

3. The bus system is beyond unreliable. I am constantly late to my first class (9:30am) because the buses run SO LATE in the morning. The bus drivers are very nice, but their cheerful "good morning" as I get on the bus each morning does not help my situation of losing partipation points in french. grrrrr. There are also some very odd characters that ride the bus. Hahahaha. To San Jose people reading this, it may seem like a petty grievance I am complaining about, but when you are waiting outside in the FREEZING COLD with your hands and feet and face completely numb AND you are late to school because the bus is running 30 minutes behind...it's quite annoying. If only I had a car up here. Sigh.

Well, if anyone has any specific questions feel free to ask me, just know that if it's a general "How's Seattle?" question, I will probably be pointing you towards this blog. I really will try and update more frequentley.

Now time for some ANTM, leftover sushi, and getting a library card.

Ciao<3