November 24 2014

Booking it to the Bay Area

Hey friends!

I’ve been kicking it in the San Francisco bay area for the past 2 weeks starting my new job at…Facebook!

facebook_starting_job

What an experience the move has been. Thankfully, I love my work, but my outside life has been less than perfect.

A lot of people admire those who move. I’m told I’m one of those fearless movers and shakers. The truth is, the process is terrifying.

I don’t have family out here. I’m starting everything new with just a carry-on suitcase.

I’m constantly spinning around trying to locate a familiar street to figure out how to get “home”.

To say I’ve had moving pains would be an understatement:

I’ve forgotten my credit card while shopping at Target.
I’ve locked myself out and had to call a locksmith.
I’ve had tech troubles with my blog (ok, unrelated to the move).
I haven’t had enough outfit pairings for work. #firstworldLikeCray
I’ve gotten off at the wrong bus stop, 20 miles from my apartment.
I’ve had to call Uber after Uber to help me get around.
I’m constantly booking it with my backpack to the Fb shuttle so not to miss my ride. #nerd

I guess these are learning experiences, but boy are they rough.

Tears surface. Frustration floods. Supposedly, this is growing. Sharing certainly helps. Well, here’s hoping.

So for those of you nestled in your safety net, know that letting go of fear is no easy update, and is actually sometimes best left undone.

A manifestation of chaos as spectators watch me ride the largest wave in the ocean. Take my comment for what it’s worth, tick tock.

Troubled times allow room for perspective. I like.

I’m so fortunate to have a great support system in my family and friends, even if they’re miles and miles away.

To say I’m vastly learning is a wild understatement of a status.

No matter your relationship with your safety net, you too can learn from logging in to the unknown.

“Become friends with people who aren’t your age. hang out with people whose first language isn’t the same as yours. Get to know someone who doesn’t come from your social class.This is how you see the world. This is how you grow.”

Challenge your beliefs. Shed the degree of “failure.” It’s not failure if you’re connecting with growth.

Through these experience, I’m taking my dad’s mantra: measure twice, cut once. Let common sense prevail.

Influential Ted Talk: Why We Need To Slow Down Our Lives Ted Talk

My dad wrote me an email (he really should write a book and my mom needs to go into counseling because they both rock):

“The greatest difficulty we all have is keeping emotionally stable. Exercise helps a whole bunch but doesn’t completely eliminate it. Try to avoid the highs and the lows, remembering that the highs won’t last and the lows are typically caused by a temporary problem or frustration. I’ve learned the hard way that appealing to common sense and understanding the consequences of our actions keep us from doing things we later regret. It’s kind of like not saving that leftover pizza for tomorrow since you overate it today. Doing what feels right in the moment is often not right over the short run. In that light, since you are taking the redeye on Wednesday, which means you’ll be tired and have a brief few days to recover before heading back, I would be careful not to extend yourself. It’s your life, of course.”

hopeful Facebooker

So with that said, I’ve finally gotten myself a little room in the Bay Area with a mattress, lamp and mirror. Slow and steady winnings.

My humble abode. Not so California king bed style, huh?

Working at Facebook is hella sweet (I’m a NorCal girl now, so I’m trying to adopt the lingo).

There are micro kitchens in every building, several restaurants on campus (that’s what they call the head quarters), a dessert shop, shutle transportation, bicycles for play, standup desks, trails to walk, inspiring posters, faces to see, people to meet, and creative energy for DAYS.