From the Mid-West to the Mid-East

My 5 Year Plan

Well, no not really, but at least for the next few months. There is some shocking stuff in here, so make sure you're sitting down...

GOOD BYE HP!
My family is moving! Now that all the kids are safely away (strangely all on to he East coast) my Mom and Dad have decided to leave Highland Park behind for Cleveland. I will regret writing this, but I think I'm going to miss Highland Park. JAPpy, snobbish, unrealistic, and sheltered city that it is, it's also been home for the last 12 years of my life and a place that gave me a great education, both in school and in spotting fake Pradas. I know how very lucky I was to grow up in such a place and although I don't want to raise my future family there, I was hoping to bring my kids on vacation for some Hot Tamales. I hear the area my parents are moving to is the Highland Park of Ohio, which I imagine means lots of rich Jews. I'm just scared to think I'll never feel "at home" again when I'm on school vacations. Still, I'm excited for my Dad to be in a firm where he will feel successful, a bit nervous for my mom to make her place there. Most bizarre is that Shira will still be getting married at NSCI (she made us choose that synagogue because she wanted her wedding there, this was when she was 14!) and we'll all be there, but staying in hotels and not having people over to our house. So those of you in HP, please be around from June 18-July 1 this summer so I can say hello/goodbye while packing up my room!

SUMMER TIME
I'm going today to sign over for my Jerusalem apartment! It's in Nachlaot, a slightly religious area just near the Mahane Yehuda shuk and west of the downtown area. It's a new area I've never lived before (I've covered Emek Refaim down south and Giva HaZarfatit up north) so I'm pretty excited to save on cab rides and see a whole new area. I just need to find an organization that wants me to work for them for free.... hmmm. So I will be in NY for a weekend for orientation (see grad school below) from June 15-18, staying with my sister and getting to know the area. Then on to pack up boxes (see moving above) in Highland Park from June 19-July 1. Then back to Jerusalem to volunteer/ travel around until late August when I head back to NY. I hope I can convince Asher to spend some of the summer time around here...

GRAD SCHOOL
Oh yes, decision has been made. I will be attending Teachers College of Columbia University this fall and working towards my MA in Peace Education. There were a few deciding factors: 1. I decided the education aspect was really important to me and my future career 2. Teachers College was recently ranked 2nd nationally for best education program 3. Their program is structured so that if I choose to work towards my MA it's only a year and a half, and if I decide to work towards a Masters of Education, it's another year and a half on top of that, so there's flexibility in the program and if I decide that I need a total life change, I can do that after only a little over a year commitment. 4. New York scares me beyond all comprehension, and is therefore someplace I should be. As Shira and Brian keep telling me, it's something you should try once in your life so you never have to do it again. 5. Not a deciding factor, but a bonus, is that I will be closer to Shira. I think it will be really good for us to be in the same city (but not the same apartment) and get to bond. I will also get to support her in preparing for her wedding (sampling cake, choosing colors for dresses and flowers), and get to enjoy hanging out with Mike. Having family in the area makes the scariness maybe a little less.

I really enjoy making longterm plans. It makes me feel very goal oriented and successful. SO there's roughly the next year and a half of my life, DONE.

posted by A Mus-Ed Blogger @ 12:14 AM