Last
October, I wrote a post lamenting the fact that the plans I made for fall 2012
didn’t pan out. I was sad and
frustrated, because I felt like I deserved to have things work out after
waiting for soooooo loooooooooong. But instead, the job I thought I wanted—a virtual
school instructor—fell through, and instead of graduating August of 2012,
things got delayed because my major professor pulled a stunt.
So there I
was, jobless and still in school, slaving over data analysis and the completion
of my dissertation. Fortunately, my
brother moved in and paid the bills as they related to the house, but it didn’t
cover the things I did for myself in terms of pampering. It was a sacrifice of the highest order, as I’ve
worked steadily since age 19.
As an
educator, jobs come available at certain times, so fall came and went, as did
winter. I worked on finishing school, as
that was all I had to do other than write my novels. The phone remained silent and I was terrified
that I’d be stuck having to take a job at yet another public school. I will not elaborate on why that terrified
me, but y’all ain’t stupid. Three weeks
ago, I successfully defended my dissertation and the very next day, I got an
email from the principal of a school in Asia, asking me if we could Skype; he
was interested in my educational profile.
Things went extremely well, and two interviews and ten days later, they
offered me the job.
So...I’m moving to Asia
to teach at a posh private school.
Was it what
I wanted when I left the public school classroom last spring? Not exactly, but I’ve learned some things
during my time here on Earth. What I thought I wanted was something that was
short-sighted; a temporary fix; a band-aid for a broken spirit. The time it took me to finish school was the
amount of time I needed to regenerate. I’m
not an educator who feeds her students out of a long-handled spoon. I’m better when I’m physically with my kids. Being a virtual-school instructor would have
been a ginormous, grievous error. My
friend, who is currently in this position, says that she spends 10-12 hours a
day seated in front of a computer, teaching.
While she doesn’t have to deal with the day-to-day madness that comes
when handling children in real-time, there is the fact that because she’s
dealing with students all over the world, she doesn’t have a set schedule like
a classroom instructor does. And she
doesn’t get to experience the things that teachers appreciate; like the look a
kid gets when they finally understand something, or when they know you give a
shit about them. This matters and it’s
the lifeblood of any real educator. I’m
supposed to be in the classroom and the year I spent out of it let me know this. And I’m so excited, so this is absolutely right.
Leaving the
country has been a dream of mine since I first put my hands on a globe. Italy is my dream location and I may very
well retire there. But that, too, is
something I had to let go of in order to be blessed in the way I have been. I’m going to have to leave a lot of things
behind, but I own those things; they don’t
own me.
If you have
a dream, don’t be afraid to go after it.
I spent eleven years working on my doctorate and now it’s mine and no
one will ever be able to take it from me.
I will leave the United States with Dr. prefixed to my first name and/or Ph.D.
suffixed to my surname and go to a place where I will get the salary it
commands and the respect it deserves. I
gladly leave all *this* behind. I will, of course, share some of my
experiences here as well as on the Blasian Narrative and Black Girl Nerds. But my future has arrived and I’m going to
embrace it.
Sincerely,
Dr. Amaya
Radjani
-OR-
Amaya
Radjani, Ph.D.
P.S. I’m still getting used to being called “doctor.” It’s surreal. I keep looking around wondering who they're talking to. Though, to
be honest, this is the only time I'll mention my new title on my blog, as it's
not really relevant to what The Dark is about.
Congratulations, Doctor!!!!
ReplyDeleteAmaya,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I wish you the best in your future endeavors. Have a great adventure in Asia. You go Doctor.
Congrats Dr. Amaya Radjani!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you will get to Italy, have a safe journey and many blessings.
-Meanie
Oh... and before you leave can we get that *cough...cough* Riddick fic. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you all so very much! I'm so excited about this new phase in my life...imagine the stories I'll be telling.
ReplyDelete@Meanie: I dug out my copy of Pitch Black from my box of DVDs I had packed up. Will be watching it this week and thinking about the changes the story requires. Ankh won't let me forget, please believe.
Congratulations, it's always nice seeing black women achieve their educational goals. It just makes me hungrier to complete mine. I wish you all the blessings, you deserve it after all that hard work and soul searching.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations and enjoy your trip, Dr Amaya :)
ReplyDeleteIt took me 5 years to get my BA, I wanted to pursue and finish my masters but I had personal issues that stopped me from moving forward. It's a shame but I may go back to school later.
I admire people who persevere and make it eventually! It's really something to be proud :) It also gives me inspiration.
Myra
@Myra:
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely go back and get your master's. It's worth it. Life happens, but you can't let it stop you from having what you want. I lost my mother, my mind, and almost my life but I was able to overcome all of that and walk across that stage, stronger than ever and ready for a new challenge. Please, whenever you can, go back and get yours.
You're right, I'll go back asap, I won't go very far with just a BA in my field and no entrepreneurship skills anyway. I'm lucky that education (the public universities) is cheap here compared to other countries. So I have no excuses for not continuing.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for what happened to you. My issues made me weaker but I'm working on getting my fighting spirit back.
You can do it! You're still here, and as long as you wake up every day, you've got another chance. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
ReplyDeleteMyra
I just wanted to say I'm finishing the 2nd year of my masters and I have plans to live abroad, I'll see how it goes. Thank you for being an inspiration! (there were other factors but still)
ReplyDeleteMyra
Congratulations! I'm super proud of you. Go on and get your life, girl. It's waiting for you.
Delete