long time no see.

So, I'm officially living life post graduate degree. That's right, it's Master Jessi to you.

And everything's coming up Milhouse, if you will.

Less than a month after receiving my receipt for graduate school (ie. my diploma), I have gone and gotten myself a job at a charter school in Harlem.

On top of that, I'm going to the land of milk and honey tomorrow. That's right folks, Israel. I'll be making my pilgrimage tomorrow evening via El Al with a group of 40 people I've never met before. It's sure to be filled with awkward moments, cheesey photo opportunities, and a fair amount of xanax. But, for real, it's going to be pretty amazing. I've heard nothing but good things, so I'm pretty excited to make this jaunt.

But, rewind a little, to my graduation. How New York could my graduation get? I had two ceremonies. My graduate commencement was at....that's right, Radio City Music Hall. And the all university commencement? Yankee Stadium.

In the course of 24 hours, I walked across the stage that countless high kicks were executed on, sat in a famous baseball arena packed with 32,000 of my classmates, and took a celebretory shot of tequila with my immediate family at a dingy bar across the street from the stadium in the Bronx.

I rounded off the celebratory week with an equally fabulous and overwhelming shopping experience with my best friend Mica. On a Saturday afternoon, we went to SoHo, Chinatown, and Century 21. Basically, we were just asking to be mauled by tourists. But Mica managed to score three realistic looking handbags in the course of 10 minutes, while I spoke french to a West African man named Sharif, who could sell flaming feces to just about anyone.

So, it was a pretty New York type of week. Actually, it's been a pretty New York kind of year and a half.
And it's sure to be a pretty New York type of trip to Israel.

Here's to traveling for 10 days with East Coasters!