February has probably been the hardest of the last 8 months I’ve been in Detroit and I’m wondering if the rose colored glasses I’ve had one since I first traveled here last February are starting to coming off.

First and foremost, it’s the dead of winter, with temperatures hitting the negative teens (without windchill!). Though it’s my third winter in over 20 years, it’s the first one I’ve had to experience from start to finish (unlike grad school, we don’t get a month long winter break at Challenge that would allow us to travel to far-off, warm and exotic places) and the half-year experience starts to weigh down on you eventually! This is nothing against Detroit (although it is a tad colder than NY) – just more of an experiential observation. Now the easier thing about Detroit, as compared with NY, is that I have a car, so even in below freezing temperatures, my time outside is limited to the 50 foot sprint from my house to my car, as opposed to the 10+ minute schlep to the subway in NY. The downside of this is toll this weather and the streets start to take on your car. Within 3 months of getting my car (full disclosure: I got it used), my shocks were destroyed and a few months later, my alignment was completely warped – so there goes another $500!

At the beginning of December, just as winter was starting to rear its icy head, I moved into my own place. It had been almost 3 years since I’ve lived on my own, and with a few big decisions coming up in the next 6 months (do I stay in Detroit? what do I want to do here if I stay? if I don’t, where do I go?), I thought living by myself would allow for some much needed time to reflect and focus on myself. My new place and neighborhood (I’m in West Village now!) are beautiful – I can’t wait until the snow melts and I can take full advantage of the proximity to Belle Isle. But even this has come with challenges, like $350+ heating bills and finding out that I can’t have pets at my new place (which led to me having to give up this beauty!). And as I think about what my job prospects may be outside of my current position, the weight of a bleak job market, and one that’s driven by personal relationships more than pure experience, starts to set in.

Reflecting on these, among other, experiences, I find myself asking whether this may be the end of my honeymoon in Detroit, where the realities of what life in Detroit is like in the long-run are setting in. Looking back, life in Los Angeles was a breeze in comparison. And yet, despite these challenges, I have no interest in going back there but instead find myself looking for ways to make the most of my time in Detroit, to make it work here. It’s not easy, but the true reality is that I have it so much easier than so many living in the city. And that’s what I need to keep reminding myself – that I came here because I wanted to make a difference, to give back and help rebuild the city for the people who have spent their lives living here, and who will remain here, with their families for decades to come.