Why not Boise?

There is an urban legend in Boise that if you want to leave (that is, move away from the town for good), then you have to take a jar of Idaho dirt with you, and you will not come back. I am going to test this hypothesis in 49 days, when I move.

There are a lot of reasons for not staying in Boise, but in the interest of not sounding too whiny, I'd like to state categorically that Boise is a really pleasant town. There is not a *ton* to do, but it's safe, and simple, and I have been here most my life and know my way around. While I would recommend it as a place to live for most anyone, and while it may seem contradictory given the fact that I have spent my formative years here, Boise is just not me. My interests, my values are not reflected here. Furthermore, Boise is definitely a place where one can set down roots and conceivably never leave. I crave experience...quantity over quality, even (in the great words of Albert Camus), so I'm setting off on a journey that may fail, simply to take a journey. I think I ought to be happy in Seattle, but I am sure that even Seattle is not the end-all/be-all for me. Yet I cannot allow Boise to be either, for the following reasons:

1) Low pay

2) Blue girl, red state

3) Religious homogeneity=yawn

4) Public transportation is abysmal. The buses stop at seven and do not even run on Sundays. It is near impossible to live in this city without a car, everything is spread far out.

5) There is little in this town to do aside from shopping. I'm not much of an outdoorsy girl, so that leaves infrequent culture stops that are ... decent ...

6) Never (okay, rarely) any good concerts

7) Many of the people in Boise (which is strange, since it is a small, sort of "down-home" city) are cranky, rude and short. I know I am not alone in this, people who move to Boise from other cities notice it...one bus driver (from New York) said back home nobody would ever threaten to call your supervisor just because you disagree with them (as I witness constantly here), there is definitely a strong sense of entitlement among people.

8) FEAR. Fear of stagnation, fear of growing more boring than I already am, fear of never changing, fear of calcification, of oxidation, of experiencing eternal recurrence in the same life.

9) Not a ton of interesting, creative jobs.

10) I may never go back to school, but if I do, BSU does not look very serious to potential employers if I choose to edumacate.

Of course I'll miss my friends and my family, but they're only eight hours away, and I tend to see most of them so infrequently anyway, I think I'll survive. Who knows, in a year I may be pining to come back...or I may be headed for Canada!