My first week in PA

I made it safely! The plane ride was a breeze, I took some Dramamine to help with my recent nausea and it worked wonders. I was able to enjoy the plane ride and watch guilty pleasure reality TV. I tried not to sleep on the plane so when I finally arrived at my hotel I was exhausted. I feel asleep around 9pm and woke up before my alarm at 7:30am. Thankfully, the time change has been an easy adjustment.

My first week of class:

I left early for class and remembered that during my visit back in April that you need an ID card to get into each building. I decided to wait outside the main building in hopes that someone would walk by with a card to unlock the door. I met a fellow student and we chatted about the program and what to expect. As we were talking, another student walked up to the door and just opened it - no ID card necessary. I still went to get one during my lunch break, just in case.
My class consisted of 16 students, 2 of which are also in the dual program with me. For the duration of class, we were placed in small groups where we worked on group exercises. The class itself is very diverse, with each of us coming from a completely different background. I was also surprised at how many of us do not have a strong background in social work. It was nice having large group discussion since many people have worked in the social work field and were able to share their experiences with us. The class was extremely helpful and I already feel like I have created a strong base for the social work program. We learned a lot about social work practices in the 5 classes we had. It was also nice being able to meet people right away that I will be working with during the next three years.

While I was taking this class, I was staying at a hotel. My mom didn't get in until Wednesday night, so on Tuesday I planned on using my day off to search for apartments. Unfortunately, I woke up to this alert:

Since I did not have a car, public transportation became an issue (I was also without rain boots and and an umbrella). I stayed at the hotel and did a Craigslist search for apartments. I was having a hard time finding anything, and was pretty stressed about the lack of results. I did manage to set up two viewings - one studio apartment in Media (the town I originally wanted to live in) and Wilmington, DE.
During class on Wednesday, I received a call from a realtor at Media Real Estate saying that an apartment that had been on hold had become available and asked if I wanted to check it out. I left her a message confirming that I would love to see it, and I waited to hear back from her.
Mom got in late Wednesday night, and Thursday we set out to try and get a lot done. At noon we went to Media to see a studio apartment. When we walked in, we were in a studio that was slightly bigger than the closet at my moms house. It was so tiny and the fridge was smaller than the one at our hotel! Oh, and they were asking for $725 a month! Absolutely ridiculous. We then threw our apartment eggs into the Delaware basket and drove to check it out. Once again, I was immediately disappointed. We left an hour early to check out the surrounding area, and the apartment was clearly in the "wrong" side of town. There was no street parking, the houses were run down, and the only stores were the liquor stores on each block. I was so disheartened, and I hadn't heard back from the realtor about the other studio apartment.
On Friday, I had class all day, so my mom went out to look at apartments for me. She managed to get a hold of the realtor that called on Wednesday and at 10:30am I had an apartment! Even though I didn't get to see it, I trusted my moms judgement and had her set up the lease. We even got the keys that night so we were able to check out of the hotel on Saturday and start moving things in!
I absolutely love my apartment. It is in the town I wanted to live in, and only 2 blocks away from the main street. Some pictures of the town:

                                                                                                         

The middle picture was taking downtown - its one long street that has a ton of shops and restaurants. On Wednesdays from May-Sept, the shut down the street for an event called Dine with the Stars - restaurants expand out into the street and you eat outside. I plan on attending next Wednesday and I will be sure to post about it.

Since I was able to move in over the weekend, Mom and I were able to start furnishing. We took down the dimensions of the apartment and went on an Ikea run. First we had to exchange our small car for a much bigger on. Once we had the bigger car, we went on our mission.

We still ended up with two carts filled with furniture even though I am only living in a studio apartment. Even with the bigger car, we still had to make two trips. Luckily, the kitchen pantry I picked out had to be picked out by the staff and the wait time was over an hour. This gave us enough time to drop off the rest of the furniture and head back to Ikea. Packing the car took some extra skills, but we managed to do it :)

The weekend consisted of furniture building and a lot of shopping. Mom was such a great help and there is no way I would have been able to do much without her help. On her last day, Monday, she went and locked down a car for me. Toyota was having a clearance on the 2013 Corollas so we got one for a great deal! Its much easier having a car to get around, and I am so grateful my mom was able to help me figure out the best deal budget wise for me. Here's my new car (since my other cars were named after I Love Lucy characters, it was only appropriate that I name this one Fred)

Getting the keys!

Even though I had the apartment, my furniture, and a new car there was one more thing I needed......

I know that living in a new place was going to cause some loneliness, so I decided to rescue a cat from the local shelter. This little guy stole my heart! His name is Mushu and he is too cute for words. Even though he wakes me up early in the morning, I love having him in my home. There is nothing happier than coming home after a long day and having him bound toward me the second I open the door.
Now that my apartment is fully furnished here are some pictures!

My building - I am on the "second floor" (I am only up one small flight of stairs but there is a floor below me, which is sort of in the basement - their windows are at ground level)

My kitchen doorway, which is separated from the main room

Kitchen window and pantry that I built

My apartment, from the kitchen doorway

My apartment, from the front door

Study area and small hallway that leads to the bathroom (on the left) and two closets

The view from my window

I can't wait to get my boxes so that I can start decorating and making it feel more like home here. So far I am adjusting well and love where I'm living. I have this week off so I can run a lot of errands and work on my paper for the class I just had. My semester starts next week, and I will try and update weekly on my classes and adventures that I have. 

Miss and love you all!

Sam