This semester I have embarked on a new (and sometimes daunting) adventure.
I, as a 19-year-old blind female, moved across the country, on my own, to an apartment in Baltimore, Maryland. Even though I am very excited to be living on my own and in a new city, there are some things that I’ve found to be different while living on my own from living at home or on a college campus.
There have been many things that I have experienced while living on my own. Getting my mail from the mailroom, grocery shopping, dealing with maintenance issues, and cleaning an apartment have all been things that I’ve learned to do on my own. The most interesting and exciting part of living on my own is that I’m cooking for myself. As a blind teenager, cooking can seem like a scary prospect, but I’m actually really enjoying cooking for myself.
My culinary skills may not be up to the level of Chef Gordon Ramsey, but I can still make my way around the kitchen. To cook my meals, I have utilized the microwave, stove, oven, and crockpot. The scariest piece of equipment to use has definitely been the stove. I get worried that I have the temperature too high or too low and that I might be burning my food. I have not had any major mishaps in the kitchen yet, but I did leave the oven on at 500 degrees for several hours! I only realized the oven was still on when I walked into the kitchen and it was super hot in there. Now I know that turning the nob left increases the temperature and right turns the oven off.
Before moving to Baltimore, my mom cooked and froze six weeks’ worth of meals for me to be able to cook while living on my own. I have been cooking a variety of meals that my mom prepared for me. I’ve cooked salmon and rice in the microwave, lasagna in the oven, orange chicken in the crockpot, and stir fry on the stove. By far my favorite meal has been the lasagna!
I am so thankful for the opportunities that I have been given while living in an apartment in Baltimore. Having to live on my own off-campus this semester has had its challenges, but not being able to rely on dining halls and campus commodities does have its perks! I look forward to what the future holds and the many adventures that I will encounter on this journey of independence.