As a senior in college, I was always expecting change to come. I was going to graduate, get a job, make new friends, move and get my own place.Â
Something that I didn’t have on my docket, however, was accepting a job in a different state.Â
I’ve grown up in Colorado my entire life, specifically in Greeley. Up until a year ago, I wanted to live anywhere but Colorado. Whether that be Berlin, Singapore or Seattle, I was ready to get out and explore something new for a long-term period of time. Then, I was able to go on a plethora of travel experiences during my time at the University of Colorado, Boulder: a semester in Italy, a month in China and even a couple weeks in Dubai. Through all this travel, I discovered a newfound love for a home base that was close to friends and family. Exploring the world was great, but I needed something familiar to come back to. After this discovery, I planned on living in Colorado for the long-term.Â
Now, that plan has gone a bit haywire. I spent last summer in Austin, Texas for an internship and was offered a position back at that same company after graduation. After some deliberation, I decided that I couldn’t not take it—this was a great step in the right direction for a marketing career, and it was going to be really nice going through senior year without the worry of needing to find a job.
That being said, I’ve started to feel a little nostalgic for Colorado already. Though I’ve lived here my whole life, I’m starting to realize that there’s still so much that I haven’t explored yet, and now there’s a ticking time bomb until the ultimate move.Â
There were two options from here: wallow in my missed experiences, or go out and explore my home state before next August. While some advise against the tourist mindset, seeing as much in as little time as possible, this is exactly what I aimed to do.Â
I’ve kind of already started—the past month, I’ve been over to Telluride twice to visit a friend and climb the Via Ferrata, a hike known for its cliff exposure. I also visited my sister and took a mountain getaway trip to Manitou Springs and Woodland Park, which was a great place to sit and study for my two midterms that next week (bad planning on my part).
Though winter months might be a little more difficult for Colorado sightseeing, I can always visit new towns that I haven’t been to, or even galavant around Boulder—checking out new restaurants or coffee shops. I don’t want to give myself a certain list of things to complete, since now I know that some plans don’t work out and I don’t want to be disappointed by the end. Instead, I’ll choose to be excited about what I did get to do.Â
All this being said, I still want to live in Colorado long-term. Maybe after a few years in Texas I’ll return back and live somewhere that isn’t Boulder or Greeley. I won’t get ahead of myself just yet, however, there is still so much life to live. It’s better to stay in the present.