I too was torn between Emerson in Boston and a school in the Northwest. Having come from Richmond, VA, I had little experience with the northwest other than visits and a brief stint as a resident of Beaverton, OR in early childhood. But somehow I knew that Washington just felt right. Chose Tacoma over Boston because I knew a big school would overwhelm me and I’d never make it through those winters. I had to trade Journalism for English Lit and without that journalism degree, I’ve struggled a bit in my writing career. But the world is a big scary place to a 17-year-old, even if they think they know everything. Your first year at Emerson was probably identical to my parallel universe freshman year there. Reading this, I am further affirmed in my decision to convert to Washingtonianism.

The East Coast is a hard nut to crack if you are a slightly sheltered hippie kid. I showed up and thought it was as easy as “where do the offbeat hippie types hang out? What’s the scene?” To crickets. After 9 years, I’d sort of figured it out, but I still feel overwhelming relief now that I ‘m back home (finally) and I see someone with dreads, or a musician from Renaissance Faire with a hat out on the sidewalk, or any number of other things. I want to hug them all.

Wow. You brought up some emotions I didn’t fully know I had! Good post.