Wednesday Verena and I spent on the plane: 9:30 am departing Bogota, 3:34 pm arriving in Atlanta, Georgia, 5:40 pm leaving Atlanta, 8:28 pm arriving at JFK airport in New York City. The whole day I had been feeling rather unemotional – I mean I was happy and satisfied with my trip and that I had the opportunity to do this, but I also wasn’t sad that it’s coming to an end. Funny. I was so calm and satisfied, neither very sad (that it’s almost over) nor particularly excited (to be back in New York). Until, well, we were waiting for our backpacks at JFK and I borrowed Verena’s cell phone to call my friend Veronika about when to meet her tomorrow. And that’s when the excitement kicked in – I suddenly felt so happy to be back, to see my friends soon – it’s wonderful to be back in New York 
So on Thursday, I met up with Veronika and her two kids, Maximillian and Katharina, whom I both adore, and we spent the day together – catching up about their time back in Austria and my travels in South America. I felt as if I had never left. That’s what it always feels like with true friends – no matter how often we see each other, once there’s a certain connection it’s always there
Later I met up with Peter, his brother Patrick, and his cousin Frank for a couple of drinks. It’s always fun hanging out with these guys On the way home, I ended up falling (well, more being thrown) into a fountain, but I won’t go into details on this blog 
Just that much: I was soaked and I had a lot of fun that night
On Friday, I went to the GRADUATION of Manhattan Center of Science and Mathematics H.S. (MCSM) - at 10 am at Hunter College (69th Street on the UES), and although I had planned on watching from the back, the principal asked me to come up on stage (where most of the teachers were sitting) when he welcomed everybody at the beginning. Although there were (and still are) issues between the administration and a lot of teachers, and I haven’t forgotten the protests last year after Mr. Thomas was sent to the rubber room, etc., I felt this wasn’t the time for me to make a point, and I simply walked up on stage and watched the ceremony from up there. It was wonderful to see my former students (who had asked me to came back for their graduation when I left MCSM, New York and the U.S. at the end of last school year) graduate. Sitting there made me look forward to teaching again But I still wouldn’t want to stay here. I still feel the same way I felt last year: it’s time for a change, time for me to move on. I’m glad I still feel the same way a year later. It’s time to move back to Europe, back to Vienna and teach there. I know it’s been 7 years since I left (summer 2002) and people keep asking me if I’ll be able to adapt to the Austrian way of life again or whether I have become too American to be happy there. Well, first of all I don’t believe I have become too American to live in Europe. (There’s this saying: “You can take the girl out of Austria, but you can’t take Austria out of the girl.” And I believe this to be true to a certain extent.) Anyway, going back to graduation. Here’s the video from the principal’s introduction – including me walking up on stage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnVyWSsL1Cc
It was wonderful to see my former students graduate and I also have to admit that it was lovely that they gave me such a warm welcome. Afterward the ceremony I got the chance to talk to some of them and their families Memories of the 5 years at Manhattan Center kept coming back… And it was such a great finish – sort of – to my trip, one leading me back to teaching. And the good thing is that within this year of traveling I feel I got myself back, well I mean the person I like. At the end of last year I wasn’t like that. I had somehow over the years in the city and working for the DoE lost some of my positive outlook on life, some of my groundedness, some of my faith in people, etc. Last year around this time I felt I was ready to leave New York, but I wasn’t ready to go back to Europe yet. It’s not that I needed to find myself, I know who I am, what I do and what I stand for. I needed to get – in short – my happiness, my groove, or whatever you want to call it, back. And I consider myself lucky to have found it. I’m back the way I like myself I know I’m not going to change the world, and I’m still saddened at times that I couldn’t do more and by the fact that good teachers like Mr. Thomas (since last year) and Mr. Moshos (since this year) are still in the rubber room and about other things. But this part of my life is over and sometimes no matter how hard you try, how hard you work, and how much energy you invest – sometimes (not often, but it happens), you still don’t win and things don’t work out. So I let go… For those who don’t quite understand what I’m talking about I just want to say one thing: the students at MCSM never really gave me any problems and the joy of teaching the students at MCSM (and teaching Mathematics in English) is one of the reasons why I stayed in New York for all those years. Overall, with all the good and the bad, I wouldn’t want to miss any of these 6 years, though I learnt an awful lot, I truly enjoyed teaching in East Harlem, I made some really good friends and I guess this is why New York has become my home - but not the one where I’ll grow old. That’s more likely going to be Vienna. But then who knows what life brings… Maybe I’ll grow old in Fiji, or in New Zealand, or somewhere else… Or in Vienna
I’ve just been letting my thoughts wander off…
PS: Later that day I bought a cell phone (prepaid) for $20. Funny isn’t it: I have traveled around the world for more than 8 months without a cell phone, but can’t really do New York without one
Recent Comments