I did it!

To be honest, it hasn’t really sunk in yet. Graduate school is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The combination of an extremely rigorous course load and my incompatibility with New York City did not look great on me. Over the past year and a half I’ve lost all color to my skin, gained about ten pounds, and watched my hairline thin and grey significantly. My sight deteriorated to the point where it was almost impossible to read or even look at a computer screen (eye fatigue is a thing, apparently) and my social life? Well, it didn’t exist.

It’s going to take some time before the stress of it all begins to melt away, and I’m taking the next month to give my mind, body, and soul some time to heal.

While I need this time to rest and recuperate, I’m also using this break to plan ahead. I’ve got a big move coming up:

At the end of this month, I’ll be relocating to Melbourne, Australia!

I’ve always known I wanted to live abroad at some point in my life, and my boyfriend accepted a job in Melbourne almost a year ago. The timing seemed right: I could start my new career anywhere, why not give the southern hemisphere a try?

Speaking of that new career – while this course of study has been intense to say the least, I’ve felt this whole time that it’s been worth it. Growth spurts tend to be painful, after all. But I know the knowledge I’ve acquired at Columbia will serve me well in the years to come. I’ve never been more passionate about the importance of education, and I’m so excited to start teaching in my own classroom.

To that end – it’s time for a shameless bit of self-promotion (because if I can’t do it here, where can I?)!

I am currently in the process of registering with the Victorian Institute of Teaching, and while I’ve got some short-term work lined up, I am eager to have a full-time teaching position by the time their school year starts in January. Currently I have very few contacts in Melbourne, and I could use all the help I can get! If you or someone you know works in primary education in Victoria, please feel free to pass around my teaching portfolio, which you can find here.

This blog may be titled ‘Mariana on the Move‘, but for now, I’m really looking forward to a little rest. After all, I’ve got lots of adventures ahead!

Until then,

Mariana