Week 4
Sunday marked my third full week in San Francisco. I’m pretty sure that means that I’m a local. I have a few spots that I’m starting to become a regular at and I only sometimes take the wrong bus when I’m trying to get somewhere. I’ve learned to keep a jacket in my backpack so I’m ready for when the temperature drops and the wind starts blowing after 4pm. I’ve still got a lot to learn about this bizarre city, but I’m starting to find familiarity in the oddities.
In my few weeks, I’ve met with a lot of people, from my super nice coworkers to strangers at design events and random people I know from the internet and school. With each of these meetings, I realize that this city doesn’t feel as huge as I thought it would. It’s a sharp contrast to New York City, where it was hard not to feel alone, even when you were constantly surrounded by people. Despite my attempts to socialize all the time, NYC was a place where I never felt fully connected to anyone. I came to this city feeling like I wouldn’t know a lot of people and that I would end up feeling similar. However, in my short few weeks here, I feel like I’m starting to find a circle of people that I feel comfortable with.
Part of that stemmed from this past weekend, when I had the incredible opportunity to spend a few days in North Bay, doing everything from kayaking and hiking to lazing around a beautiful beach and going to a county fair. I was invited on the trip by Lily, my closest friend in the city, and I met a bunch of incredible people who made the whole weekend felt like the teen movies that I’d always dreamed of experiencing. Even though I badly sprained my ankle and was barely able to walk, I had the best time and figured out why there are so many songs written about California. The natural beauty of the state is unmatched, and I just feel so lucky that I was able to experience it all so soon after moving out here. It felt even more special because I was essentially a stranger to most of the group, but they still took me in. I value the moments of seeing the incredible views from Mount Tam just as much as when we were searching frantically through our Airbnb host’s house for butter or eating ice cream at 2am.
I feel like I’m happier than I expected I would be this early on. I really expected a huge adjustment period where I would fall into a deep depression, feeling afraid of the uncertainty and drowning in inadequacy. Instead, I’m overwhelmed with how welcoming everyone has been and excited by the amount of responsibility I’ve been given at work. Hopefully, things will continue you like this because I’m really living my best life.
Drops of the Week
where I *drop* recommendations of cool things this week
Article
“On John Wayne, Cancel Culture, and the Art of Problematic Artists” by Tyler Malone - this is an issue I’ve thought a lot about and never really had a good answer to. This article is a great meditation on the author’s relationship with a problematic artist.
Film
Taxi Driver - super weird and eerie film starring some unknown actor named Robert De Niro? I think this guy could have a pretty good career.
Playlist
june 19 - this playlist is kind of wacky with how diverse it is, which I say about every playlist. I love this one in particular, and have returned to it a lot when I don’t know what else to listen to.
Thanks so much for reading! If you have any comments/concerns or fan/hate mail for me, you know how to reach me (links below).
Love,
Nikhil