Seattle was the place that opened my mind to more in the world. Short time after college , I packed up a large suitcase got on a plane with my cousin and moved to Tacoma Washington. I had aspirations of breaking into a radio industry , after multiple failed attempts in Boston. A new city with a new vibe would be exceptional. My cousin Stephanie and I had dreamed of living on the same coast since we were little girls. Finally in adulthood we were going to have our dream come true. I remember waiting outside my three decker with my mother and Grandmother for the Hotel shuttle to pick my cousin and I up. She had come for a visit , not only would she be bringing back a suitcase full of Yankee candles she'd have me. I was at a very sad point in my life where I came to the realization that my childhood dreams of adulthood might not happen. There was this dark aching hole inside of me that was filled with sadness , disappointment and regret. Even though I was brave on the outside , I was a shell of who I was . Most of my life Id been bubbly and optimistic for the most part. During our flight there we made friends with a handsome young guy who worked at a trendy eatery on Capitol Hill in Seattle. He had chiseled good looks , sandy blonde hair . He looked like a guy who would go on trips to exotic places. He wore this band t shirt with cargo shorts Vans. His name was Jason ( I think it was don't remember ) we instantly were crushing on him. He seemed to enjoy the attention while making silly faces at us looking over Jack_Kerouac novel. I thought to myself well things are looking up. Sadly Jason was just to be an air plane friend for he dumped both of us at the baggage claim for a earthy crunchy girl , with a main of brown hair , legs for miles. We both looked at each other said " Of course a girl like that meets him at the airport." We instantly hated her and made plains to workout allot , then go to his trendy eatery show him what he was missing. We never did though I often wonder what happened to him.
We arrived at my cousins parents house in Tacoma. She made me a corner in her room , that was cozy and perfect. We giggled and unpacked planning our life together. After first couple of weeks , I realized that Id have to get a "real" job while looking for a radio job. I finally got a job at a nursing home kitchen. I walked in the upscale nursing home that had a robust smell that was similar to turnips and roses. They had array of animals cats, dogs, parrots, for therapy. I had interviewed with this cheery blonde women. You could tell she worked herself up the ranks to the office position she had now. She introduced me to the crew and in a couple days time , I would join them in the kitchen. This boot camp type set up amongst hair nets would change me forever. The real world had arrive and was bound and determined to break me in. I had horrific previous year of my life. I really needed this experience even though I didnt know it at the time. I learned the true meaning of hard work. pain and caring for my elders. The process began from stripping away my depressed college party girl facade to hatch the real grown women , I truly needed to beacome. Friendships in this kitchen had to be earned by proving yourself as a hard worker. No one was going to be nice to you unless you earned it. Now that I am older I realize how very lucky I was to be worked to the bone. When the crew built me back up there was this sense of acomplishment that made me grow exceedly. It was the 90s in Seattle , I was learning truly what I was made of.
Nursing Home Kitchens in Tacoma ( Breaking Sad ) Part One by Tracey J Whitney is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at poptrashbeauty.blogspot.com.
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