Boston

Boston (or close to it). I was glad to be in Boston. Walking out of the airport, at the opening of the outside door I was greeted by a blast of the familiar sea air that tastes so sweet. It's like a breath of life and summer joy.

I was met at the airport by a dear friend of mine. A guy that has helped me fit in throughout my first experiences in a foreign world. A guy that has appreciated who I am and what I do and has remained a friend of mine over the years besides distance and time. It was good meeting an old pal.

I was treated with a fantastic basketball game as a welcome gift. It is crazy how good people are at sports around here at all levels. Although I may in general not sympathize with the reckless waste of time and body with sports, it's hard not to admire the dedication and deserved achievements some people get to.

By 10 at night I was at my new home. I can't even begin to describe the beauty and serenity of the view from the bay. Duxbury, my new address, is on the south shore of Boston. Famous for it's wealthy residents and endless party life, it sounds like the perfect place to be during the summer. I didn't have much time to enjoy the view as it was already getting late and after travelling for close to 20 hours I was ready for a rest.

The morning came with another pleasant surprise. The people in the main house were so naturally warm and helping that I felt very welcome and comfortable. It was just a natural reaction for them to get on with their day by joking around and having a laugh, truely enjoying life. Even though I knew them from before, I was amazed that our relationship was back to what it was 7 years ago, without skipping a beat.

Even more so was I surprised when the same shiny personality greeted me everywhere I went. My new work place, the shopping centre, the gas station. Wherever I entered, I was greeted by warmth and good heartedness. I really like this because that warmth is all I need to allow me to get out of my shell and return the good intentions. It's nice and easy to live a life of joy all the time :) I had memories of people here being very warm from my school years and ever since I wondered if that was just a glorified memory and if it wasn't just a college experience. To my surprise I get the impression now that my experiences weren't a rarity but rather the norm around these parts. I guess it only makes sense - life is so much easier when instead of sizing the people around you as potential criminals you take them as your family and try to have as much fun with everyone as possible, regardless of the situation.

In that spirit, the weekend was a fantastic experience. It was a constant party, where the house was filled with kids and adults from all our neighbours and the good times rolled from the early morning, way into the late night around a fire. Add to that a swimming pool, a gorgeous weather and a few beers and you have the makings of one of these moments of life you remember for the peaceful comfort only higher planes of existence promise.

On the Saturday, like some sort of sign, there was a wonder of nature to enjoy. The sky was torn by tens if not hundreds of meteorites, the biggest of which leaving a bright trail, measuring at least a quarter of the sky. It was an amazing display of lights under the clear, summer sky, which I'm sure to remember as one of those wonders that happen once in a hundred years and you can't help but feel lucky to add to your memories of beautiful things in life.

On the tedious side of things, I had to rebuild my life here. I've been shopping every day after work since I came here. Food, kitchenware, furnishing, bathroom things, etc, etc, etc. There is always more things I can't live without :). It's a good surprise to see that most things here are actually cheaper (sometimes by little, sometimes by lots) than in Australia - it only makes shopping easier. Another bonus is that most shops are opened pretty much any time I've tried to get to them. This never ending shopping spree seems to finally be quieting down. Both because I probably have everything a shop can offer as well as having spent all the money I had. I'm down to my last dollar now. At least food shopping was one of the first things on my list so I won't die of starvation. I'll have to be patient until my first cheque now.

I also had to do all the official things - organize my social security number, open a bank account, get a sim card for my phone here and so on. I think I've handled most of the services that make you a human here by now.

Ok, ok. There is also work here. Going from 9 to 5 (and later), building a new site from scratch pretty much on my own (I had no idea that's what it will turn out to be), working with 5 other people working on all the websites here (at least three of them). Still trying to get a handle of everything, especially when it seems like there has never been a clear direction of where things are going and no real management of how projects progress.

The project I'm working on seems quite interesting and with all my previous experience I should have an initial prototype knocked up pretty quickly. If all goes to plan, it may become one of the biggest online databases of its kind on the Internet. The existing site already has the visitors to be a good launching pad.

Ok, so that's it for now. I'm alright and happy and I hope so are you :)