It’s officially been over a month since my departure from Hattiesburg, Mississippi to Boston, Massachusetts. I’d be lying if I said the unfamiliar hasn’t been quite daunting at times. Tall buildings. Different cuisine. Walking— lots and lots of walking.
If I can’t tell anything else about being here, I can tell you this: you’re going to walk. Don’t like it? You don’t have to, but you won’t experience much if you’re unwilling to do so.
One of my classmates and I went on a stroll. We were collecting sound bites for an audio project in one of our classes. I didn’t expect such a long walk, but I managed. We got the footage at one of the train stations (that I inadvertently deleted) and walked back out. She looked at me with a grin and shining blue eyes and asked, “want to walk to Fenway? It’s a short walk.” In between my sharp breathing (I’d just walked up what seemed like 100 stairs to exit the train station) I responded like any person would, “sure!” Why not, right? Why not, indeed.
Now, I am unfamiliar with how far apart things are. I am working on exploring more of the city. If you’re looking to visit, please know this: in Boston, if anyone tells you “it’s a short walk,” it is not. It is not. We journeyed downtown Boston chatting about our project, Dunkin’ Donuts, family, pumpkin spice— girl talk.
In short, I enjoyed our walk to Fenway. It’s beautiful. And had I not been asked to walk a while, it more than likely would have been a few months before I trekked into that area.
Moral of the story? Make sure you stretch and wear comfortable shoes before heading out for the day. You never know when you’ll be asked to embark on a fun, nearly 10,000-step side quest. And while Boston is teaching me the art of “short walks” that turn into long adventures, I carry a little piece of Mississippi with me on every trek—whether it’s the slow Southern pace that makes me stop and notice the details, or the familiar comfort of knowing that no matter how far I wander, my steps will always trace back home.
