02 Sep A record in first-time experiences

It’s been a little more than two weeks since I arrived in San Francisco with only one suitcase and a lot of expectations. In these two weeks I’ve definitely been challenged on those pre-expectations, and I have probably set a record in having the most first-time experiences in such a short time.

For instance, I’ve learned that whatever you do, do not leave the house without a jacket. It may look nice and warm, the sun might be shining in the moment you’re looking out the window, but believe me, it is cold. Warm weather was one of the expectations that I had before coming here. Even though I’ve been told that San Francisco isn’t that warm, I still didn’t think it was going to be freezing. OK, it’s not freezing all of the time, it actually changes from cold to warm and opposite in seconds. I usually end up taking my jacket on and off again 20 times during a day. Nevertheless, do bring a jacket. You will regret it if you don’t. And this is coming from a Norwegian.

I’ve also had to go house hunting for the very first time. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent on Craigslist looking for rooms to rent, sending out e-mails and mostly getting no response. Luckily, I did eventually get some responses and was able to go to a couple of showings. I ended up in a shared room in a big house full of students from all over the world which is pretty cool. Having a roommate is also a first for me. I was a bit skeptical about not having my private space, but so far, it’s actually been pretty great to have a roommate. There is always someone there to ask about things, get some tips from and talk to if you need.

As this is the first time I’ve moved out of my parents’ house, you can imagine that there are a lot of things that are new to me. Having to go buy bed sheets and pillows and comforters and towels isn’t something I have needed to do before. Now all of a sudden, I had to do it all on my own in a foreign country with another language and a different culture. All things considered, I think it went pretty well. If you don’t count the fact that I spent about two hours getting four items…

Even though I’ve had some challenging new experiences like arriving in a new city and not having a place to live or being truly lost in the supermarket, I’ve also experienced a bunch of wonderful and exciting things. For example, I just went to my first ever stand-up comedy show, I tried In-N-Out for the first time, I’ve hung out in both the Golden Gate and Dolores Park, eaten a burrito in Mission and I’m getting to know San Francisco and the American culture. I could not be more grateful for having the opportunity to live and study in one of the most interesting cities in the world.

Katrine