I've completed my first week at SOU and living in Medford. I am really going to enjoy my work and we love being in Medford. A lot of our belongings are still in boxes, so I have yet to find my camera, but I promise pictures will arrive eventually. In the meantime here are ten things that are great about our life in Medford (and Ashland too) so far.
1. Riding the bus.
As a staff member at SOU I get free bus passes. Every morning Bryce zips me over to the front street station (it takes about 5 minutes to get there), then I hop on the 7:00am bus to Ashland. Yes, it is about a 40 minute ride, but it is also 40 minutes of peace and tranquility. Being a graduate student while working full-time I take advantage of every opportunity to read. Plus, we save a lot of money on gas, and I'm not a big fan of driving.
2. My job.
It's all about customer service to students and parents. I thrive on learning, and there is A LOT to learn from varying information databases, to phones, emails, and of course federal regulations concerning student confidentiality, financial aid,etc. It's not the kind of career I imagined as a college student, but it fits both my skills and values perfectly.
3. Food 4 Less.
Having come from little old Monmouth, Food 4 Less is like a wonderland of grocery shopping. It's like Costco and Winco had a baby, a low cost, good quality baby. :)
4. Central heating and air.
Bryce calls it climate control. We had electric wall heaters in our old apartment, and no air conditioning. It gets pretty hot in the summers here, so we are looking forward to our air conditioning in particular.
5. Our location.
We are five minutes or less away from the Rogue Valley Mall, Costco, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Petco, Trader Joe's, REI, Ulta, and a lot more. And of course we are no more than fifteen minutes away from all of our family too. There is also lots of camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities nearby.
6. Walk-in closets.
We have one, enough said.
7. SOU.
In many ways it feels like WOU which is comforting, but at the same time has its own unique qualities and cultural aspects. SOU is a hidden gem in many ways, sitting in the heart of Ashland, and I don't even need to explain how cool Ashland is.
8. Hockey.
We're going to a Spartans game tonight; I haven't been to a hockey game in years. There's nothing like watching people beat the crap out of each other, while ice skating, and call it a game. :)
9. Having a washer/dryer in my bathroom closet.
It sounds weird, but it really kind of works. I love "fluffing" my work clothes in the dryer on cold mornings.
10. Knowing and seeing you made the right decision.
We are so very happy here.
