I liked walking on the grates in the sidewalks in New York, and once I realized this, I instantly began searching for ways to make this observation into a metaphor: walking with a world beneath me, walking on top of shaky foundation? Nothing really fit, so I gave up and let it be simple:

I liked walking on the grates in the sidewalks. I liked sliding my fingers along the stone of the building next to me. I liked looking up, but I liked looking down too. I grew to appreciate my humidity hair.

It’s hard to verbalize what it is about the city that spoke to me so much. Maybe it was the creaking of the train or the hum of an intersection. Maybe it was the smell of bagels and cronuts and giant sticks of lamb rotating in a street cart. Or perhaps it was the subtle joy of meeting and visiting your soul people.

But perhaps what was even more alluring than the city itself was the love I rekindled with academia. Somewhere in the space between the last year of my undergrad and my haste to start teaching, I forgot how good I was at being a student, and more importantly, how much I liked being a student. And being a student about teaching–what a joy, what a privilege.

Somehow my experience with the Performance at the Center got me excited about being both a student and a teacher again, and reminded me why I do what I do.

It was the most extroverted 2 1/2 weeks of my life, but some of the best two weeks too. A hearty thank you to everyone who made it possible– Jeremy for your endless support and enthusiasm on my behalf, Maddie, Kelsey, Maggie, and Tyler for showing me the city in such a generous way, and for the countless friends I made while in the city itself. Thank you for a beautiful experience.

None of these pictures are new; most of them have been published on some sort of social media. But I record them here as well since this is something of a journal.

3 cheers for an amazing trip and an exciting future.