Move to Arizona
I moved to Tucson, Arizona at the end of April 2020. It was my goal to start my life over again. Knowing what I know now, I was just running away from problems instead of facing them. Regardless, I packed everything I owned into my truck and either threw away or donated everything that wouldn’t fit. Before deciding on Arizona, I decided wherever I was going, I wanted to be able to pick up and leave without the struggle of getting a storage unit or renting a moving truck or even a moving company as I had done in the past.
I drove the 18 hours from Medford, Oregon to Tucson, Arizona in one straight shot. I only stopped for gas and bathroom breaks aside from a 30-minute nap on the side of the road in Nevada. Once I got to Tucson, I moved into a small condo where my sister was renting, about three blocks from the University of Arizona.
Covid-19
I made one huge mistake, moving at the start of Covid. Most of Tucson was shut down due to Covid and it was nearly impossible to find a job. Some places I applied at required an Arizona Driver’s License which I had trouble getting as the DMVs were limiting in-person visits by appointment only and they were backlogged. There were businesses that had Help Wanted signs posted but after inquiring inside I was told they were on a hiring hold due to Covid and just didn’t remove the signs.
College
I was running out of money fast and I was very scared to think about what happened when I no longer had the ability to pay my bills. I thought, if I go to school, I can live off of school loans at least, so I applied to the University of Arizona and got accepted into their Geographical Information Systems Technology program. Shortly thereafter, I was also accepted into the VA’s Vocational Rehab program who began to help me with school in a financial capacity.
It is Going to Work Out
I finally thought everything was going to work out. My sister and I had been mortal enemies as kids but we became best friends in our early twenties. We started making it a habit to go to a lake to fish and kayak at least once a week. I convinced my sister to buy a motorcycle and I started teaching her how to ride. We were both in college at the University of Arizona. Life was great!
Motorcycle
Even better, I convinced my best friend back in Oregon to sell me his motorcycle, the one I had been riding for almost two years before taking off to Arizona. My sister and I planned a trip back to Oregon with the intention of spending a little bit of time with family, picking up my motorcycle and making a trip to the coast and then heading back home to Tucson, Arizona with me on my motorcycle and my sister following in her car.
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