On Monday afternoon I received a phone call from the director of the creative writing program in which I will enroll in the fall. She had some news, she said.
In that instant, my mind started racing as I imagined all the terrible things she might tell me. Had I missed some deadline to accept my appointment? Was there an oversight and they actually don’t want me at all? I held my breath and braced myself for the worst news.
“Have you accepted anywhere else?” she asked. No. Fuck. I want to go to your school! Why, world, why are you taking my dreams away from me? I felt hot as The Redness gripped my neck and chest and my eyes welled with tears just waiting to waterfall down my cheeks.
“Oh good, we wanted to check because you’ve been chosen for a teaching assistantship…”
The rest of the conversation is kind of a blur. I tried to ask the right questions (when will I start? what will I teach? wait, full tuition AND a stipend?) but all I could think about was hanging up the phone and doing a big happy dance in my cubicle. It’s not every day that someone just calls you up and says, Oh by the way, now maybe you can afford to be a writer when you graduate because we’re taking away all your crippling debt! Ta-da!
I’ve been on cloud nine all week. Free grad school! And I get to teach immediately, which is exactly what I wanted. Hello, Fall Writing 101 students. I’m JackieOh, your neurotic, exercise-obsessed, scared-shitless teaching assistant. Now go read Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities and if you don’t love it, get out of my class.
Of course, this changes my entire Pre-Back-to-School Plan, and I think we know how well I deal with change. Instead of lounging at the new FamilyOh beach house for a few weeks at the end of the summer, I have to take a summer prep course on how to be a TA that starts on July 15! That is SO SOON. I maybe had a teensy tiny little meltdown yesterday when I started to think about all the things I have to do between now and then to get ready…find an apartment, get a car, get car insurance, pack up and move out of New York City…aaand commence hyperventilation!
Slightly calmer today, I’m harnessing my nervous energy to more immediate plans. My Macro life is a little more than I can deal with right now, so I’m focusing on the Micro. And that means a Things I Need to Do Before Leaving New York List. This has to be the ultimate, super-duper, mother of all lists because I’m going out with a bang. Six years and I’ve never even been to the Statue of Liberty! So please, lovers, offer suggestions and join me in the fun!
To Do Before Leaving New York City:
Imbibe at the Brooklyn Brewery
See the Mermaid Parade, ride the Cyclone and eat Nathan’s hot dogs on Coney Island
Rent Kayaks on the Hudson
See the Jeff Koons exhibit on the roof of the Met Museum
Eat at Boat Basin Café
See shows at McCarren Park Pool and Central Park SummerStage
Hike with the girls in Cold Spring
See the Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy exhibit at the Costume Institute
Visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
What else am I forgetting?
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3 comments:
J,
You rock! I really mean it with an open heart, congratulations. It is wonderful to hear that you are going to get to write, teach and also be less stressed about money issues and/or debt. You absolutely deserve it, please keep on writing.
As for Brooklyn Brewery -- come on out! I used to go there every other Friday night, that place rocks. Not as cool as it was 4-5 years ago, but it still holds its own. There is also a new beer garden in Williamsburg of the Bedford stop, so you can do both!
Best of all,
ColesAnon
well, not really ColesAnon anymore, as i was logged on the gmail... doh.
Oh! We can just pretend I never saw that...I thoroughly enjoy having a mystery commenter who left me kind, uplifting messages :)
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