Well, isn't life such that you can be certain of what you will be doing and then, as it turns out, your certainty becomes questionable. As you all know, I left some time ago for Hampshire College in Massachusetts, to continue my education. At Hampshire I could find many of the things I was looking for, such as new lessons, experienced teachers, and an academic community of friends and colleagues, all of this set in a peaceful, New England countryside. However, this school lacked what I needed most. As classes began I felt at odds with the educational system and entered into a personal struggle. For the last two years I have studied independently and wrote of reflections, thoughts, and concepts, in time centering on education and social reform. I had underestimated how effective this period of study had been for myself and how it has really had no rival. From my work I had already formed convictions of how education best goes about and compulsion over how students are to perform their studies is a considerable one. In addition to the influence of coercion over education, the focuses of the classes continually brought me back to my studies and my writing. It increasingly felt as if I had left this work unfinished. Overall, I knew I would remain in opposition at Hampshire and that what I truly needed was to continue on as my own teacher and progress with my own ideas. I know that I can only achieve very little alone and that I must eventually cooperate with others, but for now I will keep to what has propelled me so far. And so, after all this, in order to go forward I had to go back. I have left Hampshire and returned to Virginia Beach once more.
My plan is to return to the library. I left Oceanfront Area Library in good standing and my recent Starbucks experience is a fine addition to my history. In time, I hope to advance to the library technician position and remain with that, or move further up, for some time. After accumulating enough experience I intend to look for offerings of the same job at libraries elsewhere and, under the right circumstances, move away. To be honest, I have had thoughts about living in Alaska for some time, the city of Anchorage being shown here. I find the idea of living in a place surrounded by great mountains and woods, distanced from the United States but not excluded from it, and which is never, ever humid to be very appealing. But it's just a thought. I can't know precisely what may come but I know that I will do what I am certain is best for myself and others. Despite the expectation of a straight path, detours do arise. Nevertheless, it is much harder to fail if you never give up. So, I'll keep going. I look forward to seeing you all at the next book club meeting. Until then, take care.
Michael
