Geez- relax people. Jeeg was just pointing out that when you make a statement like:
Quote:
|
Another problem that I've encountered in the U.P. is with the medical care. We have to drive almost 3 hours to see qualified specialists. With chronic medical illnesses, it is not only inconvenient, it gets expensive. If you have a disabled child, you will not find appropriate care unless you go to the L.P.
|
that you should qualify it. I live in the UP and could walk to a great hospital. I know people with a disabled child that has adequate care (with periodic trips downstate).
The rest of this statement, however, is an issue with which I am grappling:
Quote:
When the public school doesn't suit you, the choices are next to none. If you don't fit into a certain mold that is expected, you are alienated from the majority.
The lack of resources here are enough to tell me that this isn't the best place for us. I want my children to be brought up around family. I want them to have the best they can without having to sacrifice their own dreams. I believe there are places between here and the big city that will meet our expectations. Maybe if I was a native yooper, where the children knew of nothing else, this would work. But they do.
|
I struggle because I come from a culture in which the world is your oyster. Highly educated, highly mobile... I know what else is out there. I've experienced in first hand. It's not malls or professional sports or that trivial stuff, but the possibility of waking up every morning and doing something you really love for a living - something that could make a difference in the world. I have a friend who's almost 50 years old and just moved away from the UP for the first time. He was amazed at what it was like to actually like his job and contribute something to society. On the other hand, I know many people who simply love being here and are willing to do whatever they have to to survive.
I don't know if I'm one of those people. I don't know if I want my children to be either.
There seems to be a general aspiration to mediocrity. Living a life of quasi-retirement is the status quo. There's no truly great schools. There's few people doing truly great and interesting things to serve as inspirational models. Great UP sports teams tend to get trounced downstate. It's just the reality of an isolated, rural area. So long as things stay insular, it works. But I don't know if I want my children to go to the only school available in Marquette where girls frequently get pregnant, homosexuals are treated like pariahs, and many women aspire to open yet another hair salon. As great as Marquette can be, there's a cultural undercurrent to this city I'm not sure I like.
I was exposed to people from all over the world in my high school, here - even at the universities - you're pretty much surrounded by Yoopers. Would that be the most enriching environment for my child? I don't know. I didn't find it to be.
Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with 400,000 other registered members. User profiles and some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your free account you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 13,000 posts/day about local topics and you will see fewer ads. Within the last few months our forum was cited in an article in 15 newspaper and in a story on AOL's homepage.
07-07-2008, 03:26 PM
Of course they haven't bothered to go see any fireworks in almost 20 years so they were definitely amazed at some of the new technology available now.
Linear Mode
