A week to myself

It's been a week since I've left home and settled in a new home closer to the Equator. It's been a week unlike the upcoming weeks because I do not start school until Tuesday, therefore I had a lot of time to myself in this beautiful environment. On Friday I took about four hours of my day and used it up with my legs, my bike, my D-SLR and my i-pod shuffle. It was quite the experience! I biked to Sarasota's downtown area which was super cute.

There are lots of high-end cafes, restaurants, antique shops and galleries all with very nice architecture. I can assure you that using color on the outside is not risk-taking in Florida. Houses, shops, theaters, buildings, apartments, they are all so colorful and pretty. I wanted to stop at every single one and take a picture, but that was kind of annoying and I didn't want to seem like such a tourist - I am here for five months. I also knew that I probably would not do this that much once school starts and I might not get around to taking pictures of the lovely sights.

I took a good load of photos. I kept pedaling and pedaling and got to the John Ringling crossway that was over the water. It was quite elevated and worked my legs a lot but it definitely ain't nothing like Toronto. I used to bike a few times a week in the summer from my house at Finch and Bathurst to my workplace downtown at King and University and that was very tiring because of all the up-hills. If I had gone a little bit further I would have reached Lido Beach. However, I really didn't know where I was, so I took some more photos and went back before it got too dark.

I would like to congratulate myself on being such a good cook! Khodamo daste kam gerefte boodam! That means, I underestimated myself in Farsi. I did all my groceries on my own and I cooked all on my own and did a damn well job of it. Please understand that I come from a family that likes to cook and I have always had food ready for me. I never had to worry about cooking. Which is part of the reason why I was afraid but I think being surrounded by food-making can just miraculously make you a good cook. Maybe I absorbed all that technical information without even realizing it. Or, maybe it's just not rocket science and pretty easy stuff if you have time on your hands. Students, we all know that time is an issue when it comes to everything when school is down our throat. So, I do believe this past week's experience is drastically different than the weeks ahead. However, I think I enjoy cooking! It's part of creating something and I love creating things. No wonder culinary is part of the art category.

I've always been a healthy eater and I'm picky with what I eat especially when I have the complete freedom to choose it and make it based on what I want to put in my body. I love seafood so I bought a lot of shrimp and fish. I also bought a lot of salad vegetables along with some rice, pasta, tofu, a big jug of Arizona green tea (at a very good price), fruits, whole wheat breads, some low-sugar jam spreads plus sauces along with other goods.

Overall it's been interesting to live on my own. I've always been really absorbed and to myself when I'm at home so it really wasn't a whole new feeling. Even biking for a long time isn't new for me and I enjoy it very much. I've talked to my parents everyday. I think it'll take a little bit more time for me to miss home. I know in the future I'll be away from home a lot more because I plan to travel. Of course family is the first empty hole, but it's always rewarding to challenge and depend on only yourself and start new chapters in the book of life. I'm glad my family has started to realize this and I hope it will give them more assurance on my responsibility and lower their worry and fear that resides in the loving hearts of caring parents.

I think for a lot of people this experience might be quite scary and risky. First of all, I found my apartment through Craigslist without knowing my roommate or having met her in person. I refused to live on campus because the living costs were too high. Walking to school will take about half an hour so I had to resolve by getting a bike and not rely on the poor bus service. I do not know anybody down here and I live next to the ghetto area of Sarasota, which to me, isn't very ghetto, but to other people, it might be. So, am I scared of being alone? No, because I've always been risk-taking throughout my whole life. I don't live in fear and I stopped worrying. Worrying solves nothing and gives you absolutely no gain. It's kind of like sugar - it has no nutritional value, but it's just so sweet and hard to resist that you're bound to consume it at some point in the day. I am not naive either. I do my research, observe, absorb, adapt, and I stay away from trouble. Furthermore, I trust my instincts and make good judgments.

This is just the first step of experiencing a new environment.
I am almost certain that I will invest the majority of my life doing just that - opening more doors.

Next week shall be interesting! I'm excited!