The City of Firsts

    For the past five days, I've been exploring my new home, meeting new people, doing new activities, eating new foods, and adjusting to my new life as a college kid. It's been a bit of an adjustment trying to live on my own. I've really noticed how much money goes toward food and laundry and all these other little expenses. And while I'm not exactly excited about spending more money, I am excited to see how I'll grow and change and learn while having to adjust to this new life.
    I've had the opportunity to do some volunteer work this week during my Pre-orientation for Habitat for Humanity. We've been working in a neighborhood called Sandtown. It's an older part of Baltimore made up of old row houses with marble steps and gorgeous brick fronts. The area has become run down, though. Habitat buys groups of houses and reconstructs the interiors, cleans up the yards, and makes the houses habitable and presentable.

    We were working on some framing in one of the Sandtown houses yesterday after we got back from lunch. My friends, Dylan and Jasper, and I were perched on some joists of the second floor, trying to actually make a floor, when the earthquake hit. The joists wobbled and some small rocks and rubble tumbled down from the ceiling. Dylan and I were kind of shocked, but Jasper (he's from North Cali) just laughed at us. It only lasted five seconds, but it was pretty cool to get to experience my first earthquake.
    And with that anecdote, I'll segue into the explanation of my title. One of Baltimore's nicknames is "The City Of Firsts." I feel like coming to this town for this next chapter of my life is so appropriate. And so, to take advantage of this happenstance, I have decided to make a freshman year bucket list.

 • Get my picture taken in front of Charm City Cakes
 • Find out exactly what lacrosse is, then play it
 • Visit New York City
 • Check out Artscape
 • Eat a Baltimore crab
 • Watch Hairspray (I know, I know, I'm uncultured)
 • Learn to play the banjo
 • Visit PostSecret mailbox
 • See Ke$ha in concert
 • Take a taxi
 • Hit up a Wawa

I know this list is pretty small so far, but I'm sure it will grow as I further explore this city and adjust to college life.