for a few reasons.
after making the big decision to move to a new state from my home in Dallas Texas, for all of the reasons that we discussed quite often (we both had jobs, despite the 10% tax rate, we wanted to go to school eventually, Ani had a band opportunity, we wished to live without an automobile, to have kittens for children, and find a decent apartment.) we were sure that this new state would be good for our new life together.
we were there for less than two months.
ani and i are not cave-dwellers, but we love to be home. reading together, working on crafts, cooking... and it is not as if we dislike being around people- but. there are a lot of people in chicago.
a lot.
so many, that we felt unsafe leaving our home. the bus and trains were packed every night on the way home from work. the city never sleeps! we could hear the train from our apartment. yes, we were six blocks west of lake michigan, and two blocks west of the train station, one block from our bank and fresh market... but we, were not made to survive in that kind of environment. we were constantly fatigued, stressed out from always watching our backs, and wearing ear phones and sunglasses for our own safety just so we could blend in.
my starbucks transfer did not go through. the district manager... as well as the manager back in dallas... did not correspond. i was deleted from the system in dallas before i could find a home store in chicago, and once the termination went through, it was done. i was working the day it happened, and had found a store that day. but it was too late. i worked hard to figure out what i could do at that point. but the only option the DM left me was to be re-hired.
now, i really did enjoy working for starbucks. there were some good things about it. like the tea! and my favourite regulars. but the company side? after three years, working at (quite literally) fast-food drive thru's to make my managers / districts good numbers, by fatiguing my fingers and hands through caughing up lattes and cappuccinos in 19 seconds, and having the beverages (almost literally) thrown out by the window by the drive-thru window employee...
i was not willing to simply be "re-hired" and started at less than i had earned from my three years worth of raises.
that's all they could offer me.
our apartment was 500 sq. feet. we were paying $685 for rent. with gas, and electricity on top of that. we don't have a car, so that was wonderful no longer having to worry about those expenses, but we still payed for public transportation passes. ($23 each a week. not too shabby, right?) i can say, without a doubt in my mind, that ani and i are thrifty people. it is our way of life. we have always opted out of buying new for used, both raised on taking care of the things we have and buying from salvation army and thrift stores. i sincerely believe that one factor in our adolescence has changed the way we view dollars and cents and our A-typical Consumer Society.
i was having coffee one afternoon, a saturday afternoon, researching living in a new state. nebraska. cost of living, apartments, homes, jobs, counting with my fingers the amount of friends i had here, (and family, too!) and wondering why did we not consider this before.
when andrew's 17" macbook pro, with his entire photographic portfolio, was stolen out of my hands by two large african american men who staged a squabble between themselves in front of me over their phone.
it was traumatic.
THAT was when we knew it was over. i was incredibly emotionally instable. my heart and my mind was sore to the extent that i felt my life was in danger if i left our apartment, just to get groceries. i did not have a job anymore. so i stayed at home. for three weeks. we adopted two kittens, and planned for our great escape. as we so called it.
the plan was to apply for Whole Foods Market in Omaha. My brother and sister in law live here and have grown quite accustomed to the city and its environment, (i had visited two years ago and was convinced i had to live here; right before re-meeting my best friend and later marrying him ;) so i rode back to Omaha when they came for a visit in chicago.
i got the job, i found A GEM of a home for us, we bought incredible bicycles off of craigslist, and we have six good-neighbor-friends that live in the same 1920's mansion as us (one who owns/manages it) in the other split up apartments. we have our two "children" Arthur and Amelie. we have a garden patio, and a vegetable garden on the property, free wifi, laundry, and a 900 sq. foot apartment for less altogether than what we paid in chicago. did i mention the tax rate is 7%?
so we commute to work on our bicycles. my commute is 7.5 miles one way, while ani's is 4.2 miles. a lot of the people we have met (who were not our friends before, mainly acquaintances at work) think us crazy to move to Nebraska! over chicago. i don't think we're crazy.
we are actually very, very, happy to be in a comfortable home. in a comfortable nice neighborhood. with nice jobs. and really, really nice friends... :)
peace,
ky
