Settling in Ashland; the first 24 hours

My front door. Home for the next 3 odd months 

I arrived in Ashland yesterday afternoon to begin my endeavors as a travel nurse. The job doesn't start until tomorrow, but I've spent yesterday and today getting acclimated to where I'm going to be spending most of my time for the next 3 odd months. Yesterday was spent unloading my car and getting my new apartment situated, as well as a goodbye dinner with my sister and her boyfriend who accompanied me for the trip. I'm about 2 hours away from Richmond, which is where I've lived for the past year. It's not too bad, and I'm thankful I can get home relatively easily if I need to. I'm also 2 hours away from my parents, which is awesome, and they're planning on coming down for a visit soon! Today was spent getting to know Ashland a little bit; I punched in my work address on my GPS and found the hospital where I'll be working. It's a rather pretty drive there, and the hospital is HUGE! The good news is that the unit where I'll be working (I presume) is right before the main hospital, which is nice. I don't think the hospital has been there for long; it seems really nice and still relatively new looking. After finding the hospital I found the local mall where I squirreled around, found a pair of jeans for $7 and ate lunch. After lunch I attempted to locate a Kroger, took a few wrong turns, as I was determined to find it without my GPS. After all, isn't that part of the experience?! A few wrong turns later, I crossed the bridge and ended up in Ohio. Oops.

Eventually I found the Kroger and discovered already a few things I'm not entirely pleased with. The cost of groceries is far more expensive than in Richmond. The tap water is yuck too, so I'll be drinking bottled for my time here. My mom and my sister want me to buy some pepper spray; at one point this week I'll be seeking some out. Gas is more expensive here too; about 20 cents more. I also got a little paranoid this morning when I was in the shower because there's a smoke detector in my bathroom...ho hum.

Got home at about 2 and I think I'm going to just chill for the rest of the day, unless I get super thirsty...to which I'll have to go somewhere to buy some water. Tomorrow begins the job, so that will be interesting I presume. I don't know how long of a day I'm going to have, since it's just orientation and stuff. Maybe I'll take a nap; I was wide awake at 8:45 this morning. Or maybe I'll hide in my bedroom and watch crap telly. One thing is for sure, I am going to go to bed a bit early tonight. Going to be a good day tomorrow! I'm excited but a little nervous as well. We shall see what happens!