Even though I technically moved to Dallas in the beginning of June, I haven’t really had time to form my first impressions of this new city until this week.  And I have less than 6 weeks left of my summer internship so I better form those impressions fast.

1.  The Texan sky is gorgeous.

I can see why country singers might sing about it.  The land is so flat and you can see so far.  There’s also a quality to the light and the clouds that just makes every morning and evening beautiful.2. I am not a fan of the bus system here.

DART is not like BART back home.  It’s not even like MUNI.  Buses come 20 minutes to half an hour apart.  They smell so bad and every seat inside is off kilter.  Yuck.  And a monthly pass is $65.  Highway robbery!3.  The plethora of bugs and birds and other critters is shocking.

There are literally enormous piles of dead black crickets inches thick in the corners where buildings meet.  And every time I pass a bush or a stand of trees, I swear something in there rustles at me.  My roommate Caitlyn also found a dead baby bird in the crack between her windshield and her car hood this morning.  She said that she thought something in her car smelled bad.  Gross.  I’m not used to this much wildlife.4.  The heat.

Everyone says Texas is hot and it is.  But it’s not unbearable.  Although I found out today that if you want to walk 3 blocks in the heat around 5:30 p.m., it does start feeling quite toasty.  Especially because blocks here are like Las Vegas blocks – neverending.

5.  People are so nice.

They really are.  From that nice lady who gave me a ride from the grocery store back home to all my coworkers who are so sweet.  Everyone I’ve met here is awesome.  And all the women have style.

This Prudential summer internship has been wonderful so far.  Not only am I learning so much about insurance, mortgages and loans, I’ve been having a great time exploring Dallas through the people I meet.

xoxo,

Jenn