By the Letter

Eight: A Big No From Me

I took a trip to the supermarket today… Not the end of the world yet, more like the end of the year or something. Places are somewhat empty, shelves were ransacked of the most random things. I could barely make my usual purchases, it was so empty. I swear I could hear the echo of my footsteps.

I’m hoping this is more of a panic shopping spree than actual resources dwindling away, every man for himself.

I’ve been meaning to ask: what are you studying? What brought you to Boston in the first place? Me: I graduated a couple of years ago with a major in business administration. There really isn’t much work, or at least fun work in my area, and rather than depend too heavily on my parents, I found the first job I could as an office administrator (supposedly) and am currently working towards affording a master’s degree. In what? I can’t say. I’m still not entirely sure what I’d like to properly work in.

When you’re little, your twenties seem so far away, so far into the future that dreaming the impossible is still a possibility in and of itself. With each passing year I wanted to do something different: a firefighter, a doctor, a veterinarian (but I quickly learned animals in pain make me cry so it was easy to scratch that one off the list.) Who would’ve thought I’d be bending over backwards in an office space, scrambling to keep everything afloat with simple errands to run or by keeping people happy. Maybe you are right, maybe my job shouldn’t matter so much, especially if I keep thinking about it as a stepping stone towards some future goal I’m still not entirely certain of.

Everything seems uncertain now, however, so how much is there to plan ahead for?

P.S. Can I say I blushed when you wrote you had a crush on me?

office administration? I would’ve thought you don’t need a degree to manage an office, especially if the most you do is check in early with coffee in hand. i guess there are degrees for everything these days.

i had started a career path in hospitality management but soon learned i was not cut out for caring after other people (i’m selfish by nature) so after my first year i switched over to a bachelor of arts in sociology (because how better to understand the people i can’t stand than from afar). i had the privilege of changing my mind with one year already under my belt; my dad wasn’t very enthusiastic though. he wasn’t mad either, he simply nodded when i proposed my plan to him and gave a semi-condescending “it’s your choice” speech that to this day i still cannot figure out. you know how parents are: once they relinquish responsibility, all of a sudden you’re freefalling without a safety net.

i’m glad he was supportive, though, especially with my wanting to live abroad for some time.

i cannot even fathom a master’s degree at the moment. much like you, i have no idea what i’d like to specialize in, and i’m not ready to go back to work at the moment. homework has taken on a new meaning and i feel like i’m on a perpetual vacation, no matter the coursework i have to tackle.

i wonder if i’ll ever truly recover from the coffee shop.

as much as i missed my dad and my hometown, i think i’d like to travel more. it does wonders for my complexion, and there’s always so much more to learn from other countries than what a classroom can give you.

when i was little, i wanted to play sports for a living. even though i had no idea that wasn’t in the cards for me, being a woman or the fact that training exhausts me; i remember always wanting to play something. i guess i believed deep down that, if i played a sport, then i would always be having fun when i grew up. and there wasn’t a particular sport i wanted, it was just that: a sport.

but life changes you. i know i wanted to follow in my grandmother’s footsteps and do something hospitable and charitable towards others but that scene was definitely not for me. it was easier to go with what counselors suggested and apply for sociology, since apparently it branches into other areas like politics or journalism.

it was either that or human resources, a big no from me.

take care, Jon, and watch out for “the thing,” I believe it’s more than an epidemic now if it’s present in more than one country. i don’t know for sure, but whatever it is seems to be spreading. our university is debating whether the safest measure would be to shut down and go virtual but no one really wants to make a decision.

wash your hands and drink plenty of water,