Connecticut!

hello! :)

I've been working at the Housing Development Fund here in Stamford, CT for exactly a month now and, though I have to say I never imagined myself living in CT, it has been really awesome so far! Here are just a few of the things that I love:

- The offices of the Housing Development Fund's Stamford branch are located on the ground floor of a luxury apartment complex. The wonderful people at HDF set me up in a beautiful one-bedroom apartment that's in the same building that I work in - which means my commute is just one elevator ride! (Plus, being that HDF champions affordable housing, my rent is less than half of what it should be!) And you should see the rooftop gym and resident lounge...

- Speaking of HDF, my coworkers are all friendly, down-to-earth, admirable people who do such good work, helping low- and moderate- income families work towards purchasing their first homes (or avoid foreclosure) in one of the most expensive housing markets in the U.S. Not only do we provide free one-on-one counseling to these families, we also provide them with loan products and invest in developers who build affordable housing units. So, in a way, HDF is like a nonprofit bank, which is so unique (and makes it a sustainable nonprofit).

As part of the Development and Communications department, I (so far) write press releases, do research for grants and grant reports, design any promotional material, write/design newsletters, help plan events, and my current big project - redesign our website! Compared to being an architecture major at Princeton, my job is definitely low on stress and also 9 to 5 which is just what I need!

- Downtown Stamford is a great place to live - it's a lot livelier than I ever expected, with a ton of people at night populating Restaurant Row (which is just a block from my apartment). I'm also at a walkable distance from a grocery store (on my street), a really fabulous mall, the library, a Target, and even the train station (though I often take a bus there). The Stamford train station can lead you anywhere, but most notably, it is just a 45-50 min train ride to New York City - and I go almost every weekend! Living the relatively quiet suburban life during the weekdays and the busy city life (and nightlife) on the weekends is the perfect balance for me. :)

^There are quirky artist sculptures everywhere in Stamford. This dog lives in front of the town library.

I hope everyone's having a fantastic summer! More details about my organization to come...