On Monday I will be taking a final exam which is 50% of my overall grade, meaning this one test will determine the grade I get in Organic Chemistry. That one class determines if I graduate in December. No pressure, right? As I approach this inevitably stressful week I'm also thinking about what happens after I graduate. We are now headed to Washington D.C. after I graduate since it's the best place for Erik to get more flying and the odds of us getting Houston are slim. Charleston WV is unbearable so that's not an option either. I'm very nervous about this move and it's still 9 months away. I haven't been to D.C and all I've heard is how expensive and dangerous it is. The more people I ask or talk to seem to suggest not going through with it, saying that a good cardboard box can be found at the same price of a nice apartment in other areas. I try to stay positive and say that they don't know us and that maybe it'll be better for us since we can make sacrifices now. I read reviews on some apartments that were "affordable" and read about drug dealing on the premise, a "body on the ground in the parking lot" there was no indication as to dead or alive, and teens fighting all the time. I gave up looking because since this move is inevitable I don't want to further scare myself out of it. As I sit here starting to feel the anxious nerves coming back just thinking about it I take a deep breath and go back to my homework. I have faith in my relationship and I have faith that Erik knows what he is talking about and would not make this move unless he knew we'd be able to make it work. I can honestly say this is the first time that the prospect of him being away makes me feel uneasy. I still have that image in my head of me living in the ghetto of some run down neighborhood with gangs running the streets as I sit alone most of the week with Cali and the cats. I know my mind is just running wild on the stereotype, I just hope and pray that my blind faith and hopeful optimism is rewarded when everyone else is telling me it won't.
April, I wanted to tell you that your perception of "DC" seems skewed. If you guys choose to live out near Dulles you will be almost an hour drive from downtown DC in the suburbs, not in the middle of downtown urban DC, so it will not be very ghetto. That's not something you should spend a ton of time worrying about if you guys are living near Dulles. Northern Virginia is very residential and "upper class". That's why a lot of people are warning you that it will be expensive. That said, I am sure you guys can make it work, a lot of people do. I lived there right out of college making in the low 30's and got an apartment and afforded it fine. I think people just want you to know that cost of living can be expensive there for a couple starting out compared to other areas. Contact me if you have more questions or concerns :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above comment. Dulles/ NVA is very residential/ suburbia. However the expense is what is out of control. Also depending on what kind of job you have, expect a 60 plus minute commute each way. We lived there when my DH was a first year f/o. To be honest, it was tough to afford and saving for a family was impossible, but I wouldn't worry about the "ghetto."
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