First Impression-->Marie

If I could condense my first impression of Salt Lake in one phrase it’d be “terrified out of my freaking mind”. So many people. So much traffic. So many buildings. So much pollution. So much….everything. Trying to wrap my mind around living here was like trying to wrap a salami around a Hummer, and I’m not talking about those wimpy slightly smaller Hummers. (The H3 I think they’re called?) We’re talking full sized army vehicle here. Definitely not salami-wrapable.

In order to understand this, you’d have to realize what my background is. All my life I’ve lived in Monroe, UT: Population 1200. Every stereotype of a little town (aka Hickville) that has come into existence fits Monroe exactly, from the overly friendly people (my arm gets tired from all the waving I have to do while driving around) to the acres of farmland to the crazy guy on the corner who’s the only person I’ve ever met who can plow a field in a perfectly straight line while completely drunk. We had a standing joke that if you had to wait more than 30 seconds at a stop sign (there were no stop lights) it was rush minute in Monroe.

Contrast this to Salt Lake and you’ll see where I’m coming from.

I’ve gotten much more used to living here now that I’ve been here for four months. Now when homeless people accost me on the streets I don’t panic so much. I just keep walking. Freeway driving used to cause me to hyperventilate, but over time I’ve done away with the white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel and wide-eyed look of someone whos life is flashing before their eyes as they silently yell fervent prayers to God to please, please, please keep their Geo from smashing into one of the other fifty billion cars on the road. I’m getting used to, and maybe possibly liking, the fact that I rarely see anyone I know and that nobody here has memorized my life story and the life story of all my ancestors to three generations back.

But sometimes I wonder if this is a good thing. The main difference I’ve noticed between here and Monroe is the anonymity. Is it good for me to be able to causally live in the urban background, drifting to and fro through daily life, neither knowing nor caring about those around me? I guess only time will tell.