The warm water took me by surprise
And I woke up beside the ocean
I realized I must be in California
I just got back from spending the last few days in California for my graduate school interview.
The story behind this school is that my boss got his PsyD. from this school and I've always wanted to attend. It was the school that I dreamed about but never thought I'd get into. But then I got my interview, and I realized that this might actually be a possibility for me. That's when I started to get excited.
Let me take you through the adventure that was this little Midwest girl making her way around Los Angeles. And as you were all hoping, my epic and amusing minor failures that go along with it.
Step One: Get on plane in Milwaukee
I almost made it. I swear I did. Unfortunately, I had biked 35 miles that morning so I was trying to hydrate. And sort of forgot about that 'no liquids in your carry-on' rule. So I had not one, but two bottles of water in my backpack that I got stopped by security for.
Step Two: Transer Planes in Phoenix
My plane ride to Phoenix was actually really unfortunate. It was incredibly bumpy with more turbulence than I'd ever experienced. A few people actually screamed. I'm a far cry from a seasoned flyer. But I played it cool, acting the part, all the while clenching the armrest with white knuckles. The transfer went off without a hitch minus the part where I was forced to pay 4 dollars for a stupid bottle of water because they took mine away at security.
Step Three through Five: Sleep. Interview. Get back to LAX airport
The girl (Claudia) that I was staying with picked me up at the airport and I got to stay with her and her lovely landlord. Her landlord liked me so much that she said that next year if I get into the school I can come and stay with her. Place to live in Cali? Check!
The interview went off without a hitch. In fact I'm a little bit nervous because it even seemed a tad bit too easy. I thought I would be freaked out. I thought the questions would be hard. I thought that I wouldn't know the answers. But in reality we talked mostly about the whys of what I wanted to do and instead of making me worry about graduate school it only served to make me more sure of the fact that this is the particular graduate school I'm supposed to be at.
Oh...did I mention that I lost my voice? Yeah. It's sickeningly cold in Wisconsin. And I...I have laryngitis. So not only did I have to give myself the elevator pitch of a lifetime. I had to do it all in a whisper to a woman smarter than I can ever hope to be. At least I know this: I will be memorable. They'll look at my file and be like "Oh yeah. That's the girl who whispered her interview. She's pretty tenacious." I hope that's how it goes.
At the end of the interview I didn't even have time to take a breath as I caught a cab and sped towards my next flight. My cab driver was friendly enough. But having never taken a cab before in my life, the concept of asking a stranger to take me somewhere and then just trusting that he'll do so was really foreign to me. I spent the entire 80$....yes 80(!) trying not to panic. But sure enough, he dropped me off at the airport in time for my flight.
Step Seven: Get back to Milwaukee. Convince self to leave the Sunshine
So I made it to my gate with plenty of time to spare. So I spent a lovely hour and 15 minutes wandering around LAX. I tried to look cool and important as I was still dressed in my interview suit. But looking lost and lugging two giant bags, I probably didn't fool anyone. I slept most of the way back and alternated with reading. Finally, around midnight, I returned to Milwaukee. And it was raining. Of course.
I can't wait to go back to LA. I thought I would hate it there. I think parts of me even hoped that I would hate it there so that if I didn't get in, I'd be O.K. with it. But now, I want nothing more than to move there and I can really see myself living in LA. I'm still in a little bit of a fog. I haven't slowed down enough to think about how scary it actually would be to pick up my life and move there. It's all still too new and exciting to be afraid of that yet. That'll come later I'm sure.
I can't wait to hear back from them about mid-March. My fingers are crossed. And my bags are packed
and ready to start a whole new life on the West Coast if the opportunity arises.
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