misadventures and time wasting

It's the little things that matter when you're several hundred miles from "home" (which in this case includes both New Kent and Harrisonburg, VA) and are spending your days and nights alone in hotel rooms while waiting for news of your car repairs. I got into this situation when I drove up to Philadelphia last Tuesday for one more attempt at apartment shopping. I had met with several people already but was still searching for the right combination of good location, affordable rent, and likeable roommates. I've been spoiled in the past by these qualities and kept up my high standards by visiting Philly 3 times in as many weeks to lock down a decent place for the next year. In retrospect of this experience, I certainly would have started earlier had I known my Americorps position at La Salle was a definite, but this wasn't confirmed until late in July. I've done what I can in the time allotted, but it definitely hurt my car.

Greta, my 10-year-old manual Volkswagen Jetta broke down on me last Tuesday afternoon around 4PM while in the left lane of I-95 around Chester, PA just a little bit outside of the city. Yep, left lane, rush hour, I-95, the whole shebang. I was sitting in stop-and-go traffic as it was, and when I put my left foot down on the clutch to start going again, it sank to the floor and stayed there. Much cursing ensued. After I made the requisite phone calls to AAA and the highway police, some nice construction workers from Georgia pushed me out of the road and onto the median.

After getting towed to a local car repair place, I got a rental car from Enterprise (a Dodge Charger, the only one left at the end of the day) and still made it to my roommate meeting appointments on time. I then made it to my hostel (which I had already booked), watched the Olympics and went to bed in my all-girls dorm. I went on a 5-hour walking tour with hostel people the next day, and effectively traversed all of Center City. I saw City Hall (and the naughty-at-certain-angles statue of William Penn), ran up the Rocky steps, viewed some Mural Arts Program visual treats and made friends with various Europeans, Kiwis, a South Korean and a Canadian. The guide referred to me as 'Virginia' and I had to answer tough questions about American politics, history and pop culture. The whole hostel experience reminded me of my travels in Europe, but with English as the lingua franca for once.

I eventually switched out cars, drove to Harrisonburg, Richmond, back to Harrisonburg, then up here on Saturday with my parents to move stuff into my chosen new apartment. I've been up in Philadelphia staying in hotels and at my friend's house ever since, as the news about my car keeps getting worse. Crack in the transmission, difficult repairs, etc. No matter what happens, I'll be up here for good by Monday, September 1st when my lease starts. My position (or Philadelphia Healthcorps training, really) begins September 8th, so I'll have a full week up here with nothing to do and my own place to stay. I plan on researching the best routes to work, as well as figuring out where to buy groceries and such.

So, back to the little things. Mainly, I just had a moment of zen the other day when purchasing my lunch at 3PM from Trader Joe's after making the decision to stay in a hotel. I was ravenous but having so many delicious options kept me sane. Also, I perused the wine & spirits store next door and settled on a 4-pack of Pinot Noir. And having so many lovely friends check in on me via the internet has been lovely as well. I'll attempt to write more background later on how I decided upon this route, but I'm going to follow my Dad's advice and read a book here instead.