I have been so incredibly lucky to have lived in this apartment for the past two years. Never thought I could live in the middle of a city and yet have an apartment by the woods and the middle of the river. Never thought I would live in a place where I would wake up to the chittering of birds or go to bed listen to the hooting of owls or the howling of coyotes. Also never thought I would be woken up every morning by the sounds of UT rowing team practicing on the river at the crack of dawn. The wind always rattled the windows, so did the helicopters flying overhead. I could hear every bird and every squirrel on the rooftop. I could hear all the music my neighbors played, although fortunately that was it from them. I could hear music from people chilling on the river or from concerts on the other side of the river. During ACL, the entire complex would be vibrating from the beats.
Living on the forest line also meant I was visited by raccoons running around outside my door at night. And I was overrun with cockroaches and ants. Fortunately, growing up in Dhaka, this didn’t bother me too much. Because at the end of the day, I have loved having lived here. I moved here when I couldn’t bear living in the middle of a concrete jungle during the Covid lockdown anymore. Having natural sunlight, being able to look out into the woods (and during the winter, at the river) really improved my mental health. This is the first apartment that I will dearly miss.
I moved out last week and will soon be moving into a new place in a new state. Here’s to a new beginning!
Tushmit's Stream of Consciousness 