From Concrete Jungle to California

Oh hey, friends. Hope you're well and that the sun is shining wherever you are.

I feel like life is moving at 300 mph these days, which, in many ways, makes life really exciting and, in other ways, a tad chaotic. On the bright side, it does give me a lot to post about on this here blog. :)

I just got back from a few days in New York City. It was just what I needed: to get away from my life and responsibilities for awhile to simply be present in the moment. The sights were great and I won't soon forget them, but I think my favorite part was just absorbing and exploring a new place in the most seemingly insignificant ways. For once in my life, I got caught up in the little details. From taking morning runs around the Jackie Onassis Reservoir, stepping with confidence into the busy street before given the signal to walk, people watching in Bryant Park, becoming consumed by book lust in Strand, and eating a spicy peanut butter and chicken sandwich--I love NYC. There's always something to do, someone to see, and somewhere to be. You should visit sometime.

Oh, and this cool kid was there, too. He knows and loves his city.

Out at The Smith

Lee took us to Bryant Park for lunch on our first day in the city. The weather was absolutely beautiful!

So, it was Saturday in NYC. Lindsay, Justin, and I were hanging out at Think Coffee, having good conversation and mediocre coffee alongside the NYU hipsters when I got a phone call from an area code I didn't recognize. The call was from the superintendent of a school that I had had a phone interview with a few days prior. He said that he really enjoyed getting to know me the other day and thought I was a demonstratively gifted and passionate individual in the field of education. He continued on to say that after meeting with his educational committee, they were ready and excited to offer me a position teaching language arts in the middle school at San Jose Christian School.

Whoa. I was shocked. This interview that he referred to was (to be completely honest) an embarrassingly terrible interview. In fact, I almost wanted to give up half-way through because I was so frustrated.

We chatted for a brief time on the phone. He invited me to fly out to the school sometime in the next couple weeks to see if I would consider this school a good fit for me and start imagining my life out in California. And so, this Wednesday night I fly out to San Jose to check out the area. I'll spend a day at the school, a day traveling to a fine arts festival with the kids, and then a day seeing the San Francisco Bay Area. Essentially, they are trying to win me over in whatever ways they can so I agree to work at their school.

Like any good traveler, I decided to do some background research on this foreign place called San Jose. Check out what I've found. Thanks, Wikipedia:

• the third largest city in California and the tenth largest in the US
• it is located in the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region commonly referred to as Silicon Valley
• San Jose, like most of the Bay Area, has a Mediterranean climate.
• January's average high is 59°F and average low is 42°F. July's average high is 84°F and average low is 57°F
• San Jose and its suburbs experience over 300 days a year of full or significant sunshine
• Area schools such as the University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Santa Cruz, San José State University, San Francisco State University, California State University, East Bay, Santa Clara University, and Stanford University
• The cost of living in San Jose and the surrounding areas is among the highest in California and the nation.
• Despite the rising crime, it is still ranked as one of the safest cities in the entire country with a population over 500,000 people and at one point was ranked the "safest big city" in the United States.
• The only two "Big Five" teams to play in San Jose are the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the San Jose Earthquakes of the Major League Soccer (MLS). As of the 2007–08 NHL season, the Sharks have become extremely popular in San Jose and are one of the top draws in the NHL, selling out nearly all of their home games.
• The city is home to many performing arts companies, including Opera San Jose, Symphony Silicon Valley, Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley, Children's Musical Theater of San Jose (recognized as the largest and most talented youth theatre company in the nation), the San Jose Youth Symphony, the San Jose Repertory Theatre, and the now-defunct American Musical Theatre of San Jose. San Jose also is home to the San Jose Museum of Art,^[65] one of the nation's premiere Modern Art museums.

So... the location seems pretty great.

Now, for the more appropriate question: will this school be a good fit for me? If it is, I am ready to pack my bags and move to the West Coast (my life long dream come true!). Again, I'd be so grateful for your prayers as I travel to CA this Wednesday-Sunday and as I get to know San Jose Christian.

Grace and peace,

Cassie