My name is Elise Hines, and I’m originally from Flushing, N.Y. Growing up in Queens did a lot to shape me as a person, and it’s inextricable from my personality. I love everything about Flushing, even the way its ethnic makeup changes every decade or so. I’ve heard every joke in the world about Flushing, and there’s no point in getting flustered anymore. I’m proud to have lived there, and if I could ever afford to move back, I definitely would. They say you can never go back home, but after spending more than a decade outside of NYC, would it really still be the home I knew?

I attended the Lutheran School of Flushing (which is now the Lutheran School of Flushing and Bayside). I met a lot of great people there, and learned a lot of things, the most ironic being that I don’t believe in God. I have nothing against a parochial education, and I don’t hold anyone’s belief in God against them. In fact, I think that parochial education done the right way can create charitable, intelligent young people who are active participants in their communities. I even capitalize God in deference to the beliefs of religious readers. I am just frustrated that every religion thinks they have the lock on morals and ethics. You don’t have to be Christian, Catholic, Muslim, or participate in any other religion, to lead a good life and be a good person. The basic tenants of most major religions amount to common sense, and I don’t think that any religion has cornered the market on it, or peddle it as wares of their own design.

My disdain for organized religion and the concept of an all-powerful God has led me to exploring Buddhism. It’s more of a way of life or philosophy than a religion, and it is independent of one’s belief in God. I’m just a novice, and still wrapping my brain around the basics, while trying to learn the differences and similarities among the different branches of Buddhism. It’s difficult to readjust my way of thought after being forced through a Christian-based school system during my formative years. So far the thing that’s made the biggest impact on me is the encouragement to question and discuss the interpretation of various aspects of the philosophy. It is a far cry from the restrictive thought I experienced in Christianity, and some of the fundamentalist drivel (Christian, Catholic, and Muslim alike) that I have heard and read throughout my life. I’ve always been wary of people and organizations that encouraged literal translations of religious texts.

At any rate, I attended Townsend Harris H.S., which was both a blessing and a curse. To say that this school was academically challenging would be an understatement. I don’t agree with some of the curriculum choices, because I think that the funding for Enrichment, Latin, and ancient Greek could be reallocated to bolster some of the weaker programs. Other than that, I did meet a lot of excellent people, and I still talk to a few of them today. I can also say that the teachers there are some of the most dedicated educators I’ve ever met with few exceptions. I also enjoyed doing community service through various THHS programs, and I have fond memories of the science teachers and courses. If I were given the opportunity to go through H.S. again I would definitely choose a different path, but hindsight is always 20/20.

I bounced around and attended a couple of colleges. I settled at Penn State and finished my B.S. there. My experience at Penn State was largely a positive one. I have to be careful to separate my memories of PSU from my memories of living in Central Pennsylvania, because living in Pennsylvania was a racist nightmare for me. I never experienced such a high level of ignorance and racism as I did while living in Pennsylvania for five years. I am loath to even return for a visit. I refused to participate in Penn State’s marketing for their Diversity program, because to me it was a boldfaced lie. On the other hand, I met a lot of great people, and forged some great friendships while I was there. Obama’s recent comments on rural Pennsylvanians clinging to guns and religion may have been harsh to hear, but I can say that it is absolutely true from personal experience. I don’t think less of any Pennsylvanian for it, but I think that it is time for a paradigm shift there.

After 9/11, when I woke up and found that some rednecks in my apartment complex had hung a very large rebel flag in their window, I decided that it was time to get out of PA. There was nothing left there for me, and you could argue that there was nothing there for me in the first place. I moved to Orlando, FL where my parents had retired to. Things definitely went from bad to worse. My advice for anyone who doesn’t work in the Tourism or Food and Beverage industries is to flee. Although I did get my M.S. while I was down there, I suffered through four or five hurricanes, a plethora of illnesses, and heat that you would not believe. Being near family wasn’t worth letting my social life and career stagnate. I chose to exit stage right after four and a half years.

Now I live in Raleigh, N.C., and it’s still fresh and new to me. It’s very aesthetically pleasing compared to Florida and Pennsylvania, and they work hard to preserve the trees and landscape here. Every building going up isn’t a strip mall (like in Florida), and though there is a massive influx of people from other parts of the country, the state and city officials are working hard to keep up with the growth. Unlike Florida, the schools here are not surrounded by trailers full of temporary classrooms, and the vast majority of children can read on their grade level. I honestly did not expect much from North Carolina being a Yankee and all, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is the first place that I’ve lived in since I left NYC that I know I will miss if I leave it.

Humanity makes me sad lately. I think that’s all I have to say.