Studdog

Fargo

I live in Fargo, ND. I have been here since August 2008.

When I first arrived I had never been to Fargo, had never
seen the campus I would attend, and hadn't even seen the
apartment I was living in. My dad helped me find it on
Craigslist.

It turned out to be a steal. One bedroom with kitchen and
bath for only $420/month. Heat, cable and water are all
paid for. That's especially important in Fargo, to have
paid heat.

Despite the great deal and wonderful location, Fargo started
out insanely depressing. My apartment was empty except for
two suitcases and a book bag full of stuff. The former
occupants left me a full-size mattress and a few glasses but
I had just nothing to work with and knew no one.

My friends and family back home were very supportive as I
wept and talked about how lonely I was. They listened
whenever I needed to talk to someone, especially my parents.
My girlfriend at the time was wonderful as well and really
helped me settle in.

The summer's in Fargo are gorgeous, just the most pleasant
weather you could ask for. I could do without the
mosquitoes but otherwise it is very nice here. The winters,
well, I'll admit they can be rough. Lots of snow, lots of
cold, lots of wind. This year hasn't been as bad, but I
remember last winter it stayed in the negative teens for
quite a while. Then the whole place flooded, but that's
another story for another day.

The people here are very kind, but I never really connected
with anyone. I made a lot of friends at the Lutheran Center
but they all moved on. I still hang out there and still
have a relationship with some of the new folks, but I'm not
really that close. My friends in Chi Alpha were all much
younger than me, all lived on campus, and all were just
going different places in their lives. I would have been
invited anywhere or to anything if I had just asked, but I
didn't want to ask.

The only group of people I never had to ask were Mike and
Casinda. Those are Dokia's best friends and even after
Dokia and I broke up and weren't really talking, they were
amazing friends to me. Their whole circle of people were
pretty amazing and really got me through a lot of rough
patches in Fargo. They are one reason I don't want to leave
Fargo. Mike is quickly becoming my best guy friend, which
is something I've never really had. Casinda and Dokia are
best friends, and now that Dokia and I are kind of an item
again, it works out nicely. The only thing is Mike and
Casinda are getting ready to have a baby, so they are at a
much different place right now than Dokia and I are. I
guess I should delve into the whole Dokia story, but I think
I will save that for the next entry.