Boston, a city to bike by Veronica Bunge

18 Monday May 2015

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Hi! My name is Veronica. I’m from Argentina and I have spent the last year living in Boston with my husband.

Back home we used to ride our bikes quite frequently, mainly because we like to do exercise outdoors, and we decided to continue in that path once we moved to Boston.

One of the very first things we did when we arrived was to buy two nice bikes that would allow us not only to continue exercising but also to move from place to another. I find that Boston is a very friendly city for bikers. Most of the avenues and many of the streets have bike lanes, especially in Cambridge, where students use their bikes a lot to move around campus. It is also very common to see moms and dads taking their little kids for a ride in the bike trailers.

One of my favorite rides is along Charles River. The bike lane seems to never end. I like to start on one side of the river and then cross to the other side in any of the many bridges that cross the river, and go back the other way. I like to feel the company of other bikers and runners and the river view is very relaxing.

Another very nice ride is The Minute Man Trail (http://www.minutemanbikeway.org) which I did a couple of times with my friend Laura. To get there, we took the red line (yes, you can take your bike in the T off peak hours) and got off in Alewife station. From there it is a five minute ride to the trail, which runs from Arlington to Bedford. One of the nicest things of this trail is that since it is surrounded by woods you ride in the shade most of the way, which is very convenient in summer. I recommend to go during the week if possible because it can be pretty crowded in the weekends.

Regarding rules and regulations, I recommend the following website: http://massbike.org/resourcesnew/bike-law/
As you will see, it is not mandatory for adults to wear a helmet. However, I strongly recommend that you do so if you are planning to bike.

Typically it is quite easy to find where to park your bike, for which you will need to have a good lock. I do not recommend the regular ones (chain + lock) because they can be very easily opened or broken. U-Locks (by Kryptonite for example) are a good option.

One last recommendation: Ride safe! Enjoy your ride!

Latin Breakfast around Boston

08 Friday May 2015

Posted by santapau50 in friends

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Living Cambridge

Yesterday morning we enjoyed walking through Boston with the Latin group of partners of SF15.

We took the T in Kendall and get off at downtown crossing. It was a special and fun morning . It has been very difficult to get together for a breakfast because each one has its responsibilities. The breakfast had a farewell taste , Maria (form Mexico) is leaving very soon and the rest will be leaving Boston to go back home while Sloan Fellows 16 and their families are coming to Boston. We talked about how a year has changed our lives with the MIT experience and we laugh with the new iPhone application which tell us we are younger than we are.

Thank you girls!

Weekend Ideas

07 Thursday May 2015

Posted by santapau50 in New information

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With the arrival of the warm weather we feel like going out of the town and enjoying outdoor activities .

On the weekend trips page you will find activities to do in one or two days. To go to the Zoo, Cape Cod or Martha ‘s Vineyard ( to the beach) , Plymouth, Walden Pond, or a water park are a very good options. Check out and enjoy the nice weather. I promise you ‘ll have time to lock yourself at home whe the winter will come.

Many of you will be arriving to Boston the coming weeks. I remember when I came here trying to organize the house in a week and missing a lot of activities just wanting to have everything organised at home. I will recommend you to go slowly , to enjoy every day from your arrival , and like a partner of SF14 told me “leave those things (to do at home) for the cold weather”.

Enjoy!

Are you a driver? Traffic laws in Massachussets by Karen

06 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by santapau50 in Experiences

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Hello everyone !!

This is an important issue to consider, Last weekend I had a problem when I was driving to the school to pick my daughter up.

I recomend you before coming to Boston or in the first days here to spend some time reading the traffic laws of this state. Most of us we do not need to get a driver’s license of MA if we are going to stay here only 1 year, due to our country has an agreement with the state of MA. In this link you can see if you have that benfit.

If you are planning to live more time here, maybe you should plan to take the exam to get the driver’s licence of MA. Otherwise, Police can stop and consider that an infraction that will remain in your background every time you come to the US.

Another important thing is to read the regulations, since each country has different rules. While many are similar to our original country there are some that do not. As it happened to me while driving through Memorial Drive, there was a police car stopped with its blue lights on while the policeman was inside the car. I slowed down and passed by when the policeman started to shout at me “what are you doing?” and made me stop and asked me to show him my license.

The point was that when a police car is stopped with its blue lights on we have to stop and wait there with our hands in the wheel until the policeman authorize us to go ahead.

But my idea is not to scare anybody… hahaha, but if I can help with some advice, it would be nice to know a little traffic law and we will avoid to be in a trouble. It is not very usual to be asked to stop by a policeman here in Boston, but when it does … Better to know !!!

You will find the driver’s full manual here.

Good luck !!!

A transformational experience by Axelle

02 Saturday May 2015

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Living Cambridge

I used to sigh when my grand mother was telling me “make the most of every moment of your life, because time flies”. But now, I know she was rigth. I only need to look at my 2 year old daughter to see how true it is. Time does flye. I can’t believe this year is already coming to an end.

In one year, I’ve met amazing people, I have had unique insights on cultures I didn’t know at all, I’ve learned a lot about a lot of topics, I’ve tasted culinary specialty from all around the world, I’ve enjoyed conversations I’ve never had before about subjects I wouldn’t have thought about before living this experience, I’ve learned to trust people I barely knew. And I’ve achieved something I wouldn’t have dared to dream about one year ago.

One year ago I thought my husband was jumping into a transformative experience. I didn’t know I was going to jump into it as well !

During the summer, thanks to a conversation I had with Arifa, one of the Fellows, I understood that I had to seize the opportunity of living 3 miles away from the Harvard Kennedy School of Public Government. Since the topics this school was dealing with were deeply linked to my previous background and the job I quit in France to move to Boston, she told me I should go and attend classes a a listener. I did so. And I realized that I belonged to this place, that I had to try to get in.

For a French, it is difficult to apply for a program in this kind of prestigious Universities. In my culture, we always have a tendency to think that we’re not good enough. Every fellow and partner who helped me working on my application told me: “stop feeling bad when you say you achieved things”, “be proud of your work”, “don’t think you’re lying as soon as you start a sentence by saying “I” “. In my culture, we say “we”, “my team”, “my colleagues and I”. Because we hate too self confident people.

My friends from SF15 and their partners taught me that being proud of what you’ve achieved is not being arrogant, it is being aware of what is going on, who you are, and who you want to be. They taught me that the hard way: by correcting my essays and resume, by asking me for more, for better, endlessly. Nobody gave me “the right answer”, sometimes I felt like a Kun-Fu apprentice, waiting outside of the temple for the Master to decide whether or not I was “ready”. They were all aware I had to go through this process to feel ready. And I’m so grateful for that.

Few weeks ago, I was accepted at both Harvard Kennedy School and the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

When I told my big news to my friends from SF15’s community, you cannot imagine the kindness of people spontaneous reaction. I was so touched to realize how they cared about me. All of them cheered, remembered me struggling to get a good score at my TOEFL, working on my maths exercises for the GRE, all of them were truly happy for me. Some of my friends who went through the same process were accepted in very prestigious programs as well. And I’m very proud of them, because I have the impression that we “fought” together.

I’ve learned so much this year. Thanks to this amazing community, to true friendship, I’m a changed person, and I know now for sure that “the Sky is the Limit” as my friend Safa says.

Spring in Boston! Finally!

01 Friday May 2015

Posted by santapau50 in Welcome

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Living Cambridge

Hello friends!

It seems the spring is already here. Today we have a sunny day to go out and stay in the street the whole day.

We met for lunch a group of partners after this morning “Choice point class” (is a class where the partners and even the children are allowed to attend).

Our feelings are that this year has gone very fast, maybe 3 or 4 months more here would be fantastic.

Also we talk about our experiences when we first came to live here and we agree it was hard, but in 2 months everybody was intalled.

We talked about this blog, our blog, and we thougth it is a good tool to help each other coming to MIT.

Now we need all of you to share your MIT and Boston experience with us!

Hello world!

23 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by santapau50 in Welcome

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Living Cambridge

I came to live in Cambridge one year ago. My husband came to study the MIT Sloan Fellows program .

During this year I have really enjoyed the experience of living here and I have learned many things I’d like to share with you. It took a long time to me to search a school for my son, also it was hard for me to find the nearest and the best grocery store, where to take my son to play .

Over a year many experiences are collected and this is the idea of this blog, to share everything we have discovered living here and give information about the thousand of options that gives us this lovely city.

With this blog I ‘m sure you can make the most of your time and you will enjoy your stay . I welcome you and I wish that you share everything you know in order to better help those who come after us .