Week Three

Being an adult is hard. I am currently writing this blog, a day late mind you, from an apartment filled with the smokey remnants of a charred, microwaved hot-pocket. After waving a damp towel around in the shrill beeping air for a while (because I think that’s what you’re supposed to do?), I can finally breath without coughing again. For me, this week had become about personal development and growth, and in some ways I feel like the city around me can empathize.

As an Ann-Arborite born and raised, being in Detroit is a very new experience for me. While I have only just begin to scratch the surface of the deeply nuanced and historied place that is Detroit, its spirit of resilience and progress has resonated with me. After accidentally spending to much on groceries and realizing that I had less money than I thought I did, I sat down and logged my finances into Excel and made myself a budget (which we have yet to see if I will actually use). Feeling sick of sitting and staring at screens for most of my waking hours I decided to start a 30 day yoga challenge. The workouts aren’t particularly difficult or long and I’m only on day four, but as someone who usually makes a point to exercise as little as possible, this is an accomplishment worth noting. I have also consistently made myself three good, healthy meals a day. Its awesome for me to feel like I can do this, because I’ve always thought of myself as a bad cook and relied heavily on dining halls, restaurants, and my mom to keep me fed.

The surrounding city is in a Renaissance of its own. All around are remnants not only of a difficult past, but a glorious one. Intricately architectured buildings reminiscent of Chicago or New York stand next to old abandoned factories, interlaced with people in blue and orange for yet another Tiger’s game. Last week I got to hear the poems and songs of people born and raised in Detroit and how for them is wasn’t always an easy place to grow up in, but it was a place they were proud to call home. Today I worked from home in a new hipster-vegan coffee shop/brewery combo sort of place, pictured below. They had the most deliciously overpriced latte I’ve had in a long time. The longer I spend in Detroit, the more I realize how little I know or understand about it, but what I do know is it is a place that I’m very excited to continue to discover over the next few weeks.