Buffalo, New York
My youngest son and I took the redeye to Buffalo during Thanksgiving break. After battling nasty jet lag (he got hit with it way worse than I did this time: I just stayed awake for 24 hours), we enjoyed the company of my in-laws. We also enjoyed the snow!
My fabulous sister-in-law, who I totally want to be when I grow up, gave me a tour of one of the local public schools. Before going on, I must explain. No offense to schools in San Jose, because they do what they can with the resources they are provided, but the resources they have are…limited. Very, very limited. The schools my kids attended through the years have been old and outdated, the class sizes are way too big, and the schools are so over-populated that they had more classes in portable buildings than in the school building itself. Again, I can’t blame the teachers or administrators for this. I absolutely believe that they do the best they can.
When I toured the school in New York, I seriously wanted to start singing, “I Think I’m Gonna Like it Here.” I felt like Orphan Annie, seeing Daddy Warbucks’ mansion for the first time. The Lancaster school I visited brought literal tears to my eyes. It was new and beautiful. The class sizes were small. They had room to move around and work in the classrooms and also in cute meeting areas that reminded me of something you might see at a trendy coffee shop. They actually had regular access to music, arts, and other extracurricular activities provided by paid staff including a weekly individual lesson… the list went on and on. (Needless to say, I loved the school.)
Next, I had my interview with the one and only company in the entire county that specialized in my particular field. No pressure.
The interview could not have gone better. I immediately respected the woman who interviewed me, the company had a great reputation, and I felt that we were a good fit ethically and otherwise. I would definitely have something to offer them, and visa versa. Phew.
We spent time with my nieces and nephews, all of them in college or headed that way. They were all confident and brilliant and talented in their own unique way. All of them would be wonderful role models for my son should we move to Buffalo.
Did you know Buffalo is about 20 minutes from Niagara Falls? True! We visited Niagara Falls many times in past visits. It is one of those places you must see in person to experience. It isn’t just a couple pretty waterfalls. No. The power…the intensity of the falls must be felt not just seen. Talk about a humbling experience! Here are some pics from past visits.
This time, my in-laws suggested we do something different. We visited the Niagara Power Project. Check it out here:
https://www.nypa.gov/power/generation/niagara-power-project
It was fascinating! There were historical displays, movies, demonstrations, and interactive exhibits about how New York used the power plant at Niagara to send clean energy to the entire state. My son (the smarty-pants) loved the interactive exhibits, and probably would have stayed the entire day if the rest of us old fogies hadn’t pooped out on him.
Later, I got the opportunity to have drinks with my sister and brother-in-law and their friends in downtown Buffalo. I quickly came to realize I was not nearly cool enough for the city. I also came to realize that I’m a lightweight. They all outdrank me by two, and gave no signs of slowing or even indicating any level of intoxication whatsoever. Sheesh. Must be a New Yorker thing.
My son and I agreed that we loved the weather. (We both hate the heat.) That being said, his dislike for the heat didn’t stop him from complaining nonstop while watching the traditional firetruck parade at night in the freezing cold. (We left early, despite all the candy he scored in the process. Hot cocoa, anyone?)
The suburbs of Buffalo were idyllic: affordable, lovely, spread-out, small towns with friendly, easy-going people. Finding housing I could afford with my current income would be a piece of cake.
To top off all of the amazingness…I was offered a job two days after my interview. Buffalo is sounding pretty sweet, right? Well, it was. Except…
I discovered that the 25 years of experience I accumulated in my highly specialized field was meaningless in New York, as they required an even-more-specialized license to practice in the state. It would take about a year to obtain it, and I could only obtain it while living in New York. Meaning, I would have to reside there before beginning the licensing process. Just a formality and not a big deal at all, except for one thing. The salary the company offered me was about half of what I was comfortable with. Not only would I be paid less, but I would have to work much longer hours. The position offered to me was full-time, thus risking the health of my back.
Another down side? This was the one and only company in the entire county. What if something happened? What if the company went under or I got laid off? My son and I would be stuck across the country with no job prospects at all!
Finally, my eldest made it clear he wanted to stay in California for college. This might have been OK if I were making enough money to afford to fly him to us several times a year. Alas, that was not going to happen.
The bottom line was that it was tempting, even with the ginormous pay cut, but simply not worth the risk to our future nor the risk of not seeing my eldest son for epic periods of time. No way.
Dagnabbit. There went all my dreams of spending all my spare time writing with Niagara Falls as my backdrop. Not to mention the kick-ass school my son could have attended. And so much more. Spite.
Back to the drawing board…
