Making Nashville Home

I know, I know, I’ve been MIA again for the past month or so, but that’s because I’ve been spending this past month making Nashville home. There are no words to describe my experience so far, or the fact that I fall in love with this city and where I am in life more and more each day. Every day is a new adventure in one way or another and while there are days where I wish I could lay in bed all day and forget about the piles of homework and hours of studying I have ahead of me, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

I’ve spent this past month getting settled into my apartment, which finally has that “homey” feel and learning how to navigate this huge city and the massive amounts of traffic that come along with it. I can finally get to places like school, church, and the grocery store without a GPS, and am starting to gain a general sense of direction for most other places, though I’d be lying if I said I don’t get turned around every once in awhile.

I’ve found a church home, Crosspoint, and couldn’t be happier. I had visited there once before a few years ago and enjoyed it then, and so when I returned a few weeks ago, I knew I wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. The church has such a passion for serving others and teaching God’s word, and I’m looking forward to continuing to make Crosspoint my church home. Within the next couple weeks I plan on joining a small group and serving in children’s church, which is a big deal for me, as I’ve never really settled into a church in that way before.

School, well with school I have a love-hate relationship. There are days where I can’t wait to get to class and learn more about occupational therapy and how to become an occupational therapist and there are other days where I wish I never had to set foot in a classroom again. These past couple weeks have been the most stressful as we prepared for an exam last week and three this coming up week and I feel like I haven’t even had time to breathe, but I also feel I’m finally settling into the routine of school again. And after taking our first exam on Thursday, I realize how much the education I received at Houghton, as well as my own ambition, have prepared me for this chapter in my life, and I couldn’t be more thankful. My professors are also great and are clearly so invested in teaching and growing us into future practitioners.

And my classmates- I honestly don’t know what I would do without them. They make the craziness and frustration of graduate school more than worth it. When the professors and upperclassman told us that we would become each other’s family over the next three years, I didn’t believe them, but I was definitely wrong, and I’m glad I was. All thirty-two of us bring something unique to the group and are more than willing to help each other out and make each other laugh when we need it most. It’s been a blast getting to know them over the past six weeks and I’m looking forward to seeing the relationships that have already formed grow over the next three years.

Nashville itself is great. There is so much to do and I wish I had time to do it all. There is always something going on, someplace new to go eat, or a new place to explore, all of which provide perfect study breaks, and more often than not, distractions. It hasn’t been hard to make this place home, it’s the perfect mix of everything I love. I am in the land of country music, sweet tea, Chickfila, southern hospitality, football, and the Bible Belt, but most importantly I am exactly where God wants me to be.