After five days of traveling, I finally made it to San Francisco. The first place I visited was the ever famous Haight-Ashbury district. And I wasn’t disappointed. It lived up to everything I had read about. It was now a tourist attraction, rather than a free place to crash… unless you wanted to live on the street. I took a bunch of pictures, but due to limited bandwidth, I won’t be able to share them, until I can find better WiFi. (Starbucks seems to be blocking access to my site.)
After that, I decided to see if I can get checked into a homeless shelter. The homeless people were generally friendly, but the staff of this place was very rude. I quickly left, because, it just wasn’t the place for me.
I took refuge in a suburb of San Francisco called Richmond. It seems like a pretty nice place… about the size of Greenwood or Columbus, for you Indiana readers. The demographics are a bit different than I’m accustomed to… I’d say it’s about an even split of Caucasian, African American, Asian, and Mexican. And everyone seems laid back and eager to help. Part of the the town is kind of upscale, sort of like Carmel, (for you Indiana folks) while other parts are like perhaps living in a Mexican village… though nothing really seems ghetto. I haven’t run into any trouble here, besides the higher prices.
I’ve been touring Richmond and attempting to network. There’s a few places I’m attempting to gain employment… a photography studio in the mall, seems like it could be my best chance, if they’re hiring. I got my first job just by walking in and charming the owner, I can do it again.
After five days of travel, with no shower, using only wetwipes, I got a gym membership, and am able to shower daily now. Thank God. You have no idea how much you miss showering, until you can’t do it anymore.
I also found that it’s easier to get on the public assistance programs, than I originally thought. Hopefully I’ll find a job out here, real quick, so I won’t have to be on them for a long time.
So far, I’m really enjoying myself out here. It’s a big change from the midwest. Different mindset, people are more laid back and accepting. And the weather is much better. I heard you all had snow back in Indiana, a couple days ago… I’ve been living it up in 70° weather. Though, as I knew going in, the nights are really chilly… double-hoodie weather.
Nine months, I will spend out here. As long as I can find work, I think I can handle it. So far so good.
Love you all.