To answer your questions in order:

1. Made it shittier

2. YES, GOD YES, YES, 1000 TIMES.

Let it be known that I blame no one but myself for this. Duke accepted me but was too far away, and DU was hella expensive. Boulder seemed like the obvious choice, but I didn't spend enough time getting a feel for the environment. Normally I'm pretty adaptable - I lived in Saudi Arabia for a year. THINK ABOUT THAT. - but living in the Whitest Place in America as my Uncle calls it, has done nothing but effected me negatively.

Almost, at least. It's made me much more aware of racial issues, and the fact that my experiences are unique in the grand scheme of things.

But the way of living itself is something I don't mesh with. I've been trying to get nerds together for a D&D campaign or a Smash Bros meet-up or SOMETHING that fills that nerdy hole in my heart.

Oh, and it's made me extremely appreciative of my family, which is another positive. I mean, I appreciated them before - but, like, I really appreciate them now, and have a fantastic relationship with my sister, and I would say being in Boulder has attributed to that.