So, today I got an email from UHM, telling me that the loan limits don't quite apply because I'm going to be a PhD student. The email went on to say that they will let me know more via email in a few weeks. Now, in case you've lost track, I have to notify them of whether or not I'm going by April 10. Notice that that date is not far away. It might not come up before that email comes (or it might). Back on the mainland, Tulane still hasn't updated the status of my financial aid. Even if I know I can take out loans in some amount, I couldn't take out enough loans to pay for Tulane. Tuition is just prohibitive. If they support me, I can go. Otherwise, I need to go somewhere else.
At this point, I hope I hear from Tulane soon. I intend to email the graduate chair again on Monday to get a response deadline, but even then, if it's after Hawaii's deadline, I still have to decide if I will go to Hawaii with more loans, or hold out for aid from Tulane. Granted, due to email, I can know everything I need to know by Monday, but I have no access to that information now.
Right now, I think I want to be able to choose Tulane. Grad school doesn't leave me enough to go out and meet new people, so being back at home where we know people, even if we only see them rarely, gives us some social outlet. Moving to Honolulu, we'd have to start over again. We did ok here, but not as well as we would have liked (all time or monetary reasons). I know we'd get lucky again because my luck is good, but being back home would give us that safety net. That, and I miss New Orleans and want to see it get better.
On the other hand, Hawaii is an awesome, exotic location. We'd live in the tropics, so the weather would be nice. Weed sounds easy to get. I'd be able to weat sandals all year. It'd be an adventure, like here, but further West.
Can you still I've stopped worrying about returning to the States? Main reason: I decided that it doesn't matter that much. No government is good government, and despite the socially liberal tendencies here, some peculiarities in the way elections are conducted have put the more conservative party in power, ableit hobbled. Social climates change, and things can swing in any particular direction. As bad as it is there, the response from the wiretapping scandal makes me think that the party in power has stepped over the line, and the executive and legislative have been enough at odds to put roadbumps in the administration. There's lots that still pisses me off, but all government pisses me off, so as long as weed is a plant that grows in the dirt, fuck 'em.
Anyway, on top of all of that, I'm waiting on four schools still, any of which could alter the entire equation. I feel like I'm at the center of the Dao, just watching and waiting.
At this point, I hope I hear from Tulane soon. I intend to email the graduate chair again on Monday to get a response deadline, but even then, if it's after Hawaii's deadline, I still have to decide if I will go to Hawaii with more loans, or hold out for aid from Tulane. Granted, due to email, I can know everything I need to know by Monday, but I have no access to that information now.
Right now, I think I want to be able to choose Tulane. Grad school doesn't leave me enough to go out and meet new people, so being back at home where we know people, even if we only see them rarely, gives us some social outlet. Moving to Honolulu, we'd have to start over again. We did ok here, but not as well as we would have liked (all time or monetary reasons). I know we'd get lucky again because my luck is good, but being back home would give us that safety net. That, and I miss New Orleans and want to see it get better.
On the other hand, Hawaii is an awesome, exotic location. We'd live in the tropics, so the weather would be nice. Weed sounds easy to get. I'd be able to weat sandals all year. It'd be an adventure, like here, but further West.
Can you still I've stopped worrying about returning to the States? Main reason: I decided that it doesn't matter that much. No government is good government, and despite the socially liberal tendencies here, some peculiarities in the way elections are conducted have put the more conservative party in power, ableit hobbled. Social climates change, and things can swing in any particular direction. As bad as it is there, the response from the wiretapping scandal makes me think that the party in power has stepped over the line, and the executive and legislative have been enough at odds to put roadbumps in the administration. There's lots that still pisses me off, but all government pisses me off, so as long as weed is a plant that grows in the dirt, fuck 'em.
Anyway, on top of all of that, I'm waiting on four schools still, any of which could alter the entire equation. I feel like I'm at the center of the Dao, just watching and waiting.