It’s hard to believe that just half a year ago I was in such a completely different place- literally. When I decided to move to a new city there was no way I could have known what was going to happen as soon I my feet hit the ground. It feels like it was just yesterday, but also like it was 10 years ago. Does anyone else feel that way?
I moved to Minneapolis in March. March of 2020. 😛 When I think about how I made this move happen, it’s kind of crazy in itself. No one was pushing me or asking me to move, I created that result all on my own. I did the legwork, I went to the interviews, I asked about the apartments, I gained and lost roommates. In the end it worked out so much better than I could have anticipated.
If you want to know how I moved to a new city all by my lonesome; and how you can do the same, check out this post:
How To Move To A New City By Yourself
I wanted to do a little recap on what the last several months of my life has looked like because (and please don’t hate me for saying this) 2020 has been my best year yet. It feels a little wrong with everything going on in the world, but it’s true! I’d like for you to believe it can be true for you as well. It’s entirely possible to have a great year when you like what the inside of your head looks like instead of the outside world.
Why Did I Find A New City?
There are several reasons I moved to Minneapolis (I’ve never loved living in a small town) but the biggest reason would definitely be THEATRE. I graduated with my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Acting in the Spring of 2019 (GOSH, that seems so long ago!) After several odd jobs and a cute quarter-life crisis, I knew it was time to move to a bigger city. Minneapolis/St. Paul seemed like the obvious choice. It’s closer to home, has a bustling arts scene, and I had several friends and classmates already located there.
Minneapolis isn’t like New York though, at least not for theatre actors. You can go to several auditions a month, but not several a week. It takes a while to get your foot in the door. I knew I had to get a “survival job” to support myself while I was there. I was lucky enough to land a full time gig at a fast-growing company in the construction and residential painting industry. I’m so blessed to have gotten this job literally moments before Covid came to the US.
My plan was always to work my full time gig, pay off some loans, and try to get my foot in the door of the theatre scene. I was more than willing to work evenings and weekends to build up theatre credits, like many people do. I was hoping over the course of many months or a couple years to make a name for myself.
That de-railed within 10 days of moving here.
When The World Shut Down
I remember asking my grandma once if she remembered where she was when she heard Kennedy was assassinated. She immediately responded with the specific classroom she was teaching in at the time. I know it’s a little dramatic, but that’s kind of how I feel about the pandemic! I remember sitting in a half-set up office trying to get trained in on my brand new job when my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. First it was notifications of events being postponed, then it was cancelation notifications. Every post on social media was another cancelation message.
I watched my plans go down the drain. Friends I had been looking forward to seeing now that I finally lived in the city I wouldn’t see for months. My first city audition never happened. Though I was assured my position was essential, I watch my company let people go who had been working there much longer than the few days I had been. Friends were getting sent home from their jobs left and right. I felt a little bit of survivor’s guilt for my stable position while so many artists jobs were pulled out from under them.
Do you remember how dirty the world felt in those first few weeks? We all thought we were going to get a deadly disease at any second! The anxiety in touching a freezer door handle and the grocery store was ridiculous! And let’s not start on the toilet paper scarcity…
The Riots and Racial Tension
I think I was getting into a relatively normal life rhythm by the end of May, and starting to look forward to the end of the pandemic- whenever that would be. Suddenly, the whole world was looking at Minneapolis. I remember barely being able to look at the footage of George Floyd’s arrest. I was coming home from work in shock and disbelief that something like this could have happened so close to home.
There is a clear view of the Minneapolis skyline at one stoplight on my commute to work. Suddenly one day there was black smoke billowing over that skyline view, it was surreal.
You already know this, but things got weird fast. My coworkers had to leave work to pick up loved ones in dangerous areas of the city. Friends were evacuating to the suburbs or up north to their cabins. The shops and businesses all around the city were boarding up their doors and windows. I thought I would be too far North to be effected, but the coffee shop at the end of my street was boarded up as well. They never reopened after that.
I went to help clean up some areas of the city with my church. Seeing some of the riot sights with my own eyes is something I will never forget. People were giving out food, speaking, preaching, hugging. People were so hurt and in so much shock. Then came the curfew.
My roommate and I made sure to get home before the curfew, but we watched the news as the curfew set in that first night. So many protestors stayed out, and we just watched as chaos descended. I couldn’t believe or understand what I was seeing night after night as the curfew set in.
So Now What?
It seems like I just moved here yesterday, but it also feels like the last 6-7 months have lasted for years. On top of all this drama, I’ve been adjusting to my first adult job. There has been so much good mixed in with so much crazy. I consider myself among the very fortunate considering all that’s gone on.
2020 may be the most ridiculous year I’ve lived in, and I truly picked a crazy time to call Minneapolis home. But since I’ve moved to this city I’ve learned so much. I’ve started this blog, I learned how to cook, I’ve been raising a little delinquent cat. 😀 2020 has been the year I’ve gotten into personal development, it’s the year I got a life coach, the year I learned the most about business and the corporate world. I’ve also had clarity on what my true goals and passions in life are.
I’m looking forward to the next 6 months, the next year, and (mostly excitedly) the end of the pandemic. But this has been a pivotal season of my life in a crucial new city. Feel free to come along for the rest of the ride 🙂
