I've been contemplating moving away from Richmond to someplace else, someplace different. This process usually happens for me every few months or so. I think about all the great places there are in this country and how I want to try something new.
I always stop myself from pursuing any of it because of several factors:
a) cost. I am a teacher, I don't make beans. It's hard to move to a new place on a few beans.
b) family. I am extremely close to my family and the idea of leaving them behind is hard.
c) the what-if. notoriously hard to pin down to one specific thing, my fear is, what if I don't like the place, or what if I can't make it work, etc.
I've narrowed down my choices to a few locales: Denver (or Boulder), Boston (and surrounding areas) Virginia Beach (even though thats just an hour or so away) or back to Washington.
Now, two of my choices, VaBeach and DC wouldn't be hard to pull off. I've lived in both areas before and am fairly confident I could survive there. Neither are too far away from my family, and the cost of living, though high in DC, is not unmanageble. Indeed, it wouldn't be hard to move there because they are so close.
However, Boston and Denver are two different stories. Both are hours away from Virginia (and therefore all I know), and have a great deal more "what-if" factor going on.
Interestingly, cost of living in Denver is comparable to Richmond, with not too much difference between major expenses like rent and utilities. Boston on the other hand, is quite a bit higher.
So how does one decide? Well for me, my first question is "what is the market like for teachers?" I'm not really picky about schools, but I don't see myself working for an inner-city school. I have ideas for my classroom that require funding and administrative support, not neglect.
My second question is "where can I live, and what is the housing situation like?" This, I can't answer, I've never been to Denver or Boston. Well I flew into Boston, does that count? No.
It takes a lot of courage to pick up and go somewhere you've never been before. I admire people who can do that without much hesitation. I, on the other hand, hesitate a lot. There are a lot of things to think about when deciding whether or not to move somewhere.
Plus, how do you keep from missing your mom so much?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Geographically yours,
Nay
Darling, I think (actually, I KNOW) picking up and moving your life to an entirely new place is scary ... But it is also BRAVE. Someone once told me, "If you're not uncomfortable, you can't be learning." This is not to say that you should go through life in a perpetual state of terror ... or what-ifs, but you can't find the answer to those what-ifs if you don't try. :) It's NEVER easy. But no matter the result, you'll grow, and learn something about yourself in the process, which is always a good thing.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Denver has some great schools with some great funding (and some not so great as well) depending on what grade level and area of the city you're interested in. The Cherry Creek school system is always rated among the highest in the region, and I've heard fabulous things about Slaven Elementary School, which is in the University Park area ... It receives lots of private funding, despite being a public school. You might want to look 'em up!