Education? California? The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Mover?

[lobelia321]

I continue to be in a state of high agitation about the possibility of moving to California. I spent most of the weekend perusing people's generous comments, googling and image-googling keywords such as 'high schools bay area', 'cafes Palo Alto', 'stanford creative writing', 'houses for sale realtors bay area', and generally driving myself into a headwhirl. I also emailed practically everybody I know who's ever been to the States or worked in the States or once heard about the States on the radio, including (*facepalm*) people I knew for a brief span of time when I lived in Berkeley in 1990-91, and then becoming a member of their weird computer geek networking site in order to comment on their blog...

Today, I wandered into Border's and sat on the carpet, leafing through California travel guides and books with titles such as How to survive in the USA. One of these tomes helpfully informed me that American high schools tend to be two (sic!!) years behind those of 'most other industrialised countries'. This, of course, disturbed me greatly, and I then had to look up things like 'international baccalaureate'.

'tis true, says t'h, that Venerable Universities of Ye Olde Countree don't recognise the American high school diploma (because it doesn't involve final exams like the Abitur, the Baccalauréat or the A-Levels) nor do they much care for the SATS (those tests not administered by schools that US universities use to gauge admission). (Are they called SATs? I took them myself in 1990 but can't remember the acronym. They have SATs in the English school system, too, but they are different.) I am aghast at the possibility that, in a fit of selfishness and the need for sunshine and Pacific surf, we deprive t'sons of the option to return to their country of birth for purposes of study.

And my heart is wrenched every time I think of the terrible loneliness that inevitably comes with moving. I have had 7 major moves in my life, starting with age 5 and ending with age 27 (not counting moves within the same town): 6 of those between countries and 4 of those between continents. Each time (except for the first when I was 5, and the one when I moved to Heidelberg because I loved starting university and I met a kindred spirit and fab girlfriend within my first week there) was absolutely wrenching. I feel terrible inflicting this on t'kids. I'll be inflicting it on myself, too, of course, but I know that it will probably not last longer than 1 - 2 years, and that there will be compensations.

Compensations:

• The sun.
I love the sun.
I have a sort of physical need for the sun. I forget this need when living in the northern hemisphere during winter but as soon as the sun appears and when I go south (Provence! Australia!), my love for the sun hits me and washes over me.

• The light.
There is a special quality of light in latitudes further south than the one I'm living in. Even when the sun comes out in my northern climes, the light is not the same.
Of course, one doesn't move for the sun and the light.
Seasons? Some people love seasons but I don't need them. I grew up with two seasons, and I think I could easily thrive on one, *g* (and guess what? not winter)

• The natural beauty.
Some people love the countryside around where I currently reside, except I do not. I love the countryside of California. When I lived in Berkeley, I was reminded a lot of Sydney. It is a daily privilege and luxury to live in a place with so much natural beauty. It does something for the soul.

• Gut feeling.
A totally irrational good feeling about the place. It's my dream to live in a cantilevered modernist house on the Pacific Ocean, sipping a gin and tonic and listening to the BBC. (For cantilevered house: read house in Hitchcock's film North by Northwest (see below).

• An adventure.
I feel I'm in a cul-de-sac where I am right now. I'm not going anywhere.

• Improved job situation.
Various people said that getting a job in Stanford is like winning the academic lottery. It's not like winning the lottery for t'h because he worked so bloody hard to get where he is and it hasn't got to do with luck -- but for me? Total lottery. We'll only go if we get a spousal deal and they hire me as well, and how fabulous is that? I don't have to do a thing and get handed a job on a platter! Hey, look what a great match I made! And a friend who used to be in an American uni and is now here in t'UK said that it would be possible to negotiate a deal where I don't even have to submit myself to what sounds like a harrowing tenure process but can get a non-tenure-track position as 'visiting associate professor' or somesuch, which position might be permanent.

The mere thought of getting out of my crap institution has already made me feel more enthusiastic about my academic ventures. (I've been taking a mental holiday from my research for the past year.) Mabye the new environment would make me finish my book? Which means I'd have two books to my name and (as far as I can glean from kind commentators' comments), this would be enough for me to be taken seriously as an academic, even at a prestigious uni.

Amazing! Nobody takes me seriously at my own crap university. If I had ten books, they wouldn't take me seriously.

• Stanford has a centre for the novel.
How exciting is that! I could give a paper there tomorrow! That is totally my area!

• The art department at Stanford teaches art, art history and film.
This is totally what I teach now!

• Money.
T'h's salary would go up nicely. Except most of it would be eaten up by a) buying a house, b) flying back to Europe to visit the rels, c) possibly paying for schools?


What counts against a move:

• T'sons.

• My family in Europe.

• T'h has suddenly discovered his deep love of all things English.

• T'h actually loves his job here (although he likes to moan about it), and he is at the best department in the world for his field.

• T'sons.


I am so agitated! I had to read two yaoi manga comics today to distract myself. And now I will go and watch some SGA. (Ack, but that has Americans in it, and that will remind me of the whole decision thing... Ack.) I may have to go away and watch repeats of Friends!!! *acks*

One of these days I may cease to bore my honoured flist with these rl matters...

Fics, oh fics, wherefore are ye?

P.S. Actually, to distract myself I also marked 5 essays today and re-read my November nanowrimo novel, and it was actually not as bad as I remember it. It is totally salvageable!

Maybe America will infect me with its can-do and go-get-'em attitude and I will become a novel-writing, fic-wielding, narratological art historian super hive queen!!!! In a cantilevered house!!!

Comments

[sheafrotherdon.livejournal.com]

My mum works in admissions at the University of Sheffield - and yes, what you're saying about a straight HS diploma not being accepted back in Europe as equivalent to a European 18 year old's education is true. But that's remedied pretty simply by your kids taking Advanced Placement classes or enrolling in IB, like you said. Most high schools worth their weight offer AP in a range of subjects, so it shouldn't be hard to do.

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

Seconding. There are all kinds of ways to get in US high schools what you need and it may be as simple as taking a test.

(I'm working right now on the US/German issues, and they have all kinds of statutes on how to reintegrate students into the German school system)

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

I had a bugger of a time getting back into the German university system (although in retrospect it beats me why I wanted to but that's another story). The stupid Germans wouldn't accept my absolutely excellent Australian Higher School Certificate for very st&%$^**pid reasons. So I had to do this one-year very mindless course in Hamburg and receive a (get this) Reifeprüfung für deutsche Staatsangehörige mit ausländischem Schulabschluss (or somesuch). The teachers were fascist dregs. The level of education was down there with the termites.

I did meet some fun people, though. :-) And partied quite a bit.

But you are totally right in researching this issue now. My parents didn't.

*stares at icon*

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

I've read about these advanced placement things. Interesting.

Hi there, Sheaflet! *waves*

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

SGA: True, and John Sheppard actually went to Stanford, you know. There is even one episode with the word 'Stanford' in it. Better not watch that. On the other hand... you know Friends has Americans in too, right?

What you probably need is a nice dose of Christopher Biggins slash.

Seriously though -- I don't wonder you're in a whirl, 'tis only natural! Fingers crossed for whatever you decide.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Oh. The people in Friends are Americans?

That puts a damper on proceedings.

You know, I only realised that as I scuttled down the stairs to watch it. What does this say about my attitude to Friends? It's so eerily comfort-zone that I don't even notice they're all foreigners???

Biggins... *feels faint*

[mandalaya.livejournal.com]

It is indeed the SAT that we take for colleges, and ACT is also a big one for that (then the GRE for grad school).

Although the high school systems don't match up perfectly, I feel pretty confident that you can find a public school in Palo Alto that has what your sons need. Advanced Placement courses get one college credit during high school - I assume those credits would be accepted as at least advanced high school study by European schools. Also, I have friends who are going to college in Europe right now, and they didn't tell me about any problems. Why not ask admissions at your university what their policy is and how one works around it?

BTW, I'm American, despite living in Holland currently. I'm from the Southeast, but I have been to CA before and may be able to answer some of your questions.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Aha! You're the second person to tell me about advanced placement. I will keep this in mind for asking questions about.

You're in Holland? *waves*

Thanks for the offer of more info! I'm still drowning in all the info from my earlier post but will get back once I can think again! :-)

[brightest-blue.livejournal.com]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! Erm. Sorry. This sounds like it could be a very fabulous thing for you. Although yes, the education system here is such a bummer. But my experience has been, that in university towns, the public schools tend to be quite good, because parents value education so highly.

and you will only be a day's drive away from meeeeeeee!

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

If I hadn't once lived in Australia, I'd now think you were mad. *g*
Calling 'one day' close...