Saturday morning she got the call, and today we got permission to tell our world: beginning in July, Laura will be the Principal of the Upper School at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City. New York is the place where all the people live, and where they know how to dress. I'm told that in some parts of New York, little girls can walk in heels by the time they're 10 and little boys can tie a tie. The people have learned not to say hello to other people on the street, and it works for them. Saves a lot of time, I guess.
We both have a lot to learn.
Fortunately, the school itself seems quite friendly and down-to-earth. Fieldston is a progressive school --and actually I should put that in caps. Fieldston is a "Progressive School," which is an Actual Thing you can Google. The search committee members were very warm and kind at the meet-the-spouse dinner, and seemed to want things to go as smoothly as I did. They seemed to follow my mind and its wanderings. And most of them ordered the flan, too. I think we will get along well.
Laura and I will get to see what it's like to be together only on weekends, a serious downside to an otherwise fantastic turn of events. I think my blog may become my best friend in her absence, so don't go anywhere. Despite my genuine happiness about the job for Laura, I had several nightmares last night -- testament to my anxiety, I suppose, about all the changes afoot. The bottom half of my face fell off as I tried to ask for help, for example. I hate when that happens.
But overall, we are very happy about this upcoming adventure. It is important to mention, since I ranted in my previous post about the glass ceiling on Laura's career, that the Head of Fieldston wrote in his announcement to our new community: Please join me in welcoming Laura, her wife, Dr. Paula Chu, and their three grown children, Yani, Ting, and T’ai.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you've just got to love evolution.
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Woohoo! Congrats to both of you. (I'm guessing you didn't dribble flan down your chin or anything.) It is nice to know that progressive schools and boards exist.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about the weekday separation, but you could take field trips to the city, right? And selfishly, you turning to the blog for company sounds great.
Ahhh, finally the news! What a great testament to what you bring to your profession, Laura! Congratulations. And, wow. A very different turn your paths have taken. I love how life unfolds in all these mysterious ways. Like a flower whose insides have been hidden away from view and then opens to expose this unimaginable gem. Sometimes makes us sneeze. Sometimes stuns us with it's beauty. Sometimes just makes us think...well, ok...that was nice. Hoping for more of the unimaginable gem than sneezes for you two with the new direction on the journey. Congratulations, again! And, ditto to Lisa's "selfishness".
ReplyDeleteThe head's words are eloquent. How deeply welcoming. They're not called progressive for nothing! Good luck to you and Laura on this grand - Year of the Dragon - adventure.
ReplyDeleteP.S. What is flan?
Re P.S.: Flan is custard that's burned on the top, on purpose. Unlike overdone granola, flan is yummy because it's been burned. I learned about it when I married someone whose family had desserts. Possible that the French are misspelling "flame."
ReplyDeleteAwesome news! Mazeltov to All! Great location. You'll have a blast visiting there, Paula. Lots of great walking in the area. The school's just 3 metro stops or 20+ blocks away from Zabar's, world's greatest kitchen/food store. Go there.
ReplyDeleteChange is exciting and scary at the same time.
And yes, flan is heavenly. Introduce your sister.
Congratulations, Laura!
CONGRATULATIONS! Such fantastic and well-deserved news for the both of you. Seriously, my heart flew a hundred feet when I saw this post....not just because Paula will be updating the blog more often, either ;)
ReplyDeleteYay! Well-deserved, Laura, and well done! The distance part will work - you will work through that adjustment well -though I also hate when the bottom half of my face falls off... I understand, Paula. Everything everyone said above! I am so happy for you both. And I LOVE Flan ;)
ReplyDeleteExcellent news! Fieldston is fortunate to have gotten Laura , and, you, Paula.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to learn all about the NYC adjustment. I am pretty certain in a city with so much going for it, you'll find your favorite spots and cherish them.If all else fails, just slip into Central Park and walk and walk and walk. Always helps.
And, ditto to all who are celebrating the return of the active blogger! Are we awful to want you back?
And Paula, I am just around the corner and will be here for you, too.
xxoooo