“But for a few small changes, our lives could be profoundly different” one of my favourite quotes by Brian Klass and something that resonates with every one of us.
What if Covid had not forced us to stay indoors? What if I had not been bored out of my mind after work? What if a well wisher had not suggested the MITx Micro Masters Course to me (“to kill my boredom”)? What if I had not taken up a chance internship opportunity during my undergraduate years, which eventually sparked my passion for Supply Chain in the first place? What if indeed.
Well, all the above happened – by chance I might add, and here I am halfway across the world from everything I knew and grew up around, for a roller coaster ride.
On the 2nd of January at 2 am (very late into the night or very early into the morning, whichever you would) I started my time travel to Boston. After a tedious 24-hour travel, I landed in Boston on the 2nd of January. After almost a month of being here, I am still getting used to Boston’s unforgiving weather. Thankfully it was just a 15-minute ride from the airport to my dorm – Ashdown House. As someone who has been living away from home and with roommates since the age of 13, I am not just accustomed to, but I also enjoy living with different people from different walks of life and learning about new cultures. I wanted shared housing (my opinion probably differs from most others here).
During my search for the “right” room during my time at MIT, thanks to the residential cohort’s previous blog post about MIT graduate housing, I was able to narrow down my housing options. And then I came across some very interesting facts. Ashdown house is supposed to be the second oldest graduate housing in the United States and the first in MIT. As many of you (or a few of you) may know, Ashdown House was relocated from W1 to NW35 in the year 2008. So, the building is new, but the legacy is old. I felt it would be interesting to be associated with a dorm that has such a rich history and so that became my choice of stay. And not to forget – tons of free food with the Coffee Hours and Sunday Brunches!!
So by chance, now here I am in my new “home” with two wonderful roommates – one of them is an amazing baker I might add (to the benefit of someone that has a particularly sweet tooth), still getting accustomed to the Boston weather. SCALE has been hectic but extremely rewarding.
And so far, it’s been real, it’s been fun. It’s been real fun. Looking forward to what else MIT and Ashdown has in store for me.