I'm Going to Miss Yinz, Da' Burgh, N'at

 

Since August of 2003 I have had the great honor of calling Pittsburgh my home. I came here back then as a 10th grade student and lived with a wonderful family on beautiful Beechwood Blvd. That year I don't think I realized it but I'd already fallen in love with the city. I loved getting to see downtown on my Mivtoim route and taking the buses around town. I loved the community and the people I'd met. And, despite what I might've told you back then, I really did enjoy my time at Yeshiva Schools. So much so that I basically talked my parents into moving the whole family here that summer so my brothers could attend the school and I could live at home for 11th grade.

Since then I've pretty much lived here, save for a 9 month stay in Israel for 12th grade. I came back from Israel and started attending Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) and eventually graduated with my Associates Degree in IT Support. Meanwhile I met Rivkah and we got married and built our life here and had a couple of really cute kids. Pittsburgh really truly is my home.

Things I won't miss:

Stillers: Go Ravens!

Hills: Bikes and strollers suck in the hills of Da' Burgh.

The weather: -6F in the winter. Spazzy rainfall all the time. I'm so done with winters like these.


Things I'll miss:

The Pittsburgh Left: A quirky move whereby a driver in the left-turning lane is allowed to make a left turn ahead of oncoming traffic in order to save them a long wait.

Penguins games: 'nuff said. Nothing like it.

Pirates games: So heartwarming when they win. Devastatingly familiar when they lose.

Colloquialisms: Yinz, n'at, redd-up, needs cleaned, Stillers. They are all so wrong grammatically and yet near and dear to my heart.

Most of all though, I'm going to miss my family. For the last 5 years Rivkah and I have enjoyed the close proximity of most of our immediate family. Some brothers live far away. My mom lives all the way in Maryland (not that far). We've always been close by and this will be the biggest change of all.

This move is the right thing for us to do and this is the right time to do it. I'm so excited to go and I'm also really sad about what I'm leaving behind.

Yinz be good while I'm gone.