Out of the basement, onto the couch!

Yes, that’s right.  I have moved out of my parents’ basement!  I now live on my friend’s couch in their Boston sublet.  The three of us will move into our three bedroom apartment Sept. 1st.

I am now living in Boston because I got a job!  I will be working for a secular Jewish non-profit in Brookline.  Today is my first day, and I got up a little earlier than I needed to due mostly to nerves but also to early-rising roommates.

Yesterday I gave myself a little walking tour of Brookline and Coolidge Corner.  I am so thrilled to be working in that area.  It is overwhelmingly nice.  There is a Trader Joe’s on my commute to work.  I will be taking the C line to work instead of the B line I usually travel.  Since the B line goes through Boston University and Allston Village, the clientele is mostly students and low-income folks.  The C line, however, goes through affluent Brookline, and seems to transport a much more affluent crowd.  I know it’s not PC of me, but I am looking forward to feeling classy on my way to work.

As I was walking around Coolidge Corner yesterday, I was not prepared for how intensely happy all the Jewish stuff would make me.  I passed Kosher delis and restaurants, synagogues, and Judaica shops.  I wandered into one shop, and saw everything a Jew could ever possibly want: shabbat candles, chamsa charms, books, seder plates, tzedakah boxes, talit, yarmulkes, siddurs, Jew-bling, and a whole room of Jewish/Israeli music.  Wandering around that store almost brought tears to my eyes.

Last year, in England, it was almost impossible to find anything Jewish.  I couldn’t find Hannukkah candles or a menorah, I couldn’t find matzoh.  The only way to get such things was to request them from the University chaplain and his wife.

Perhaps it was just the juxtaposition of the two worlds, but it really got me.  I may not be religious in the least, but there is something so incredibly comforting about being around Jewish institutions and a Jewish community.

When I was applying for this job, the fact that it was a Jewish organization was not the main selling factor for me.  Now, though, I am so grateful for it.  It is an amazing feeling to know that I will not have to worry about using sick and personal days for Jewish holidays.  And, as I realized yesterday, this job is a great opportunity for me to learn more about Judaism.

Judaism has always been important to me as an identity, and I feel like this job may make it an even bigger part of my life.  And I’m feeling good about that.