In NYC we had the delight of spending time with alumni. We hosted many of them for Shabbat dinner and lunch at our apartment. We also spent time together over lunch, dinner, coffee, drinks or just hanging out at our apartment. It was deeply meaningful to us every time we spent time with an alumnus. For Chanie and I the relationships that endure beyond Brandeis are the most meaningful ones.
We also got to hang out with families of current students, whether for a BBQ, lunch or dinner. It sort of completed for us the family relationship we seek to create with students.
Also part of our NYC experience was meeting up with old personal friends, making new friends, and spending time with our parents, grandparents and siblings.
The most novel part of our time in NYC was experiencing NYC. Though we grew up in Brooklyn and frequently visited the city, we quickly came to realize we never experienced NYC. There is a constant pulse of life there like no where else. There is such a diversity of people that every time you walk the streets you will see something you have never seen before. Not to mention the parks and museums that are rich with the beauty of life.
It was a very filled and intense seven weeks. That led us to spending the last week before we return to Waltham in Vermont. My sister from LA and her family joined us here. The house we are staying at is located at the end of a dirt road with no other houses on it. There are the green mountains surrounding us on all sides, with no cell phone reception within a 15 mile radius. It is isolated, and I am loving it.
There is a lot I have learned over these eight weeks, a lot. Over the next few weeks, or perhaps after the holidays I will share some of them.
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