Moving to a new city…in a pandemic…

As of this week – I’ve lived in Rochester for a whole month!

Moving is stressful enough. Moving in the middle of a pandemic? Something I thought I’d never have to do.

But here we are. And I did it. Here’s how it went –

First, I got a job. I am incredibly blessed and lucky to be employed right now. It’s really nice to be working in a position that I love, and continue to learn more about it every time I walk into the building.

Next – I had to find a place to live. Now, this proved to be the most difficult because so many places were not allowing in-person tours. (Obviously, because lockdowns and stopping the spread and blah blah blah.)

I finally found a nice place and was able to move in just as Rochester moved to Phase 3 of reopening the region. It was all super exciting to be in my own place and start living on my own.

I gave a teary goodbye to my brothers in New Jersey and drove back to western New York. After some heavy lifting, my family and I started digging into all my boxes spread throughout my new little place.

There were the mandatory Walmart runs and grocery run. Masked up, we tried to make it as efficient as possible so we wouldn’t spend too much time in crowded public places. ‘Cause you know, we’re trying to stop the spread!

We all split off to tackle different parts of my apartment – I took the bedroom, and my parents split the bathroom and kitchen.

By the time we were done, I was…comfortable! I liked how my table and couch looked, and it felt nice to take a few moments to relax.

Then that first night alone came. My family had left, my friends weren’t around and I had no roommates to talk to. My little room suddenly grew three sizes and I felt small and alone.

It’s a scary feeling, to move out of your home with your family and friends and move on to the next stage of adulthood. Yes, I went to college far from home, I had lived on my own in a foreign country; I really already moved out of my home.

I thought I prepped myself well for that moment, but I don’t think anyone’s truly prepared for leaving home. Or maybe I’m just special.

Being that I am living in the middle of the Coronavirus Pandemic, there aren’t too many opportunities to go out and see what my new home has to offer. A lot of places are still closed, and you can forget about leaving your house without a mask. It can make a girl really nervous when she moves to a city far from home.

However, I’m incredibly lucky that so many of my friends from SBU live so close! I have a handful of friends that have kept me company while adjusting to living on my own – at a safe distance. I can’t thank them enough – it’s made the transition so much easier.

I even have my own tour guide! Shoutout to my boyfriend and his family for educating me on the ins and outs of the 585!

Plus, my job has been better than I expected! I’ve had a lot of co-workers give such great advice about producing and broadcast news. They also have been so kind and offered great tips about the area. What better way to learn about the new city you live in than to report on it every day.

Me chillin’ in the 585.

I can’t express how excited I am to start my career as a producer. It’s so exciting to focus on something I’ve been passionate about for the past few years, and a great work environment only inspires me more.

So overall – moving sucks. Especially during a pandemic. But I didn’t have to tell you that for you to guess it.

For now I’m going to keep exploring to get familiar with my surroundings in Rochester. Have any ideas of places I should go? Leave a comment and let me know!

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