Joe had told me he wanted to be a pastor when we were dating. I knew being a pastor's wife was going to be my full time job, besides being a wife and mother. Before coming to Pittsburgh, I was prepared on many levels for the challenges our little family would possibly face. I was mentored by a dear friend who had went through it a while back. I was given loving advice from another dear friend who was going through it at that moment (she warned me not to move a person's lawn chair from the street during snow season- it's a parking reservation of sorts). I had an idea of where we'd be living and what I needed to pare down on. I knew we'd be changing insurance and had started the process prior to moving. I was relatively prepared for the transition our family would make coming here.
That said, here are the top 10 things I'd recommend for families before coming to Pittsburgh for seminary:
1. Own a GPS, have Google Maps on your phone, or be willing to always have Google Maps print outs with you. Pittsburgh is a crazy confusing city to drive in. A beautiful city! But moving from the Midwest where most streets are in a grid pattern, Pittsburgh is nuts- like 6 streets at one intersection nuts. You need a working map of where you are going. By God's mercy and providence, Joe was working for Garmin International before we left, and so we had a Garmin GPS. But not all have that blessing. Just be prepared with a map of any kind!
2. Always have quarters on you for parking. Again, it wasn't something that was necessary in the Midwest. I think the only time Joe and I paid for parking was when we went downtown to a concert and wanted safe surveillance garage parking. But in Pittsburgh, you will most likely have a rough time finding free parking. So it's always helpful to have quarters on you (because the meters don't take anything but...).
3. Pare down. Whether you live in seminary housing (which is lovely and I highly recommend it!) or in your own place, you know it's easier to move when you've gotten rid of stuff. Also, majority of the places I've seen in Pittsburgh are somewhat small (its a big city with a lot of people, but not spread out. You have house on top of house on top of house) so being prepared before you even have to move your stuff is very helpful.
4. Get acquainted with your budget. Whether you have Quicken, a pencil and paper system, or Mint, its going to be helpful knowing your finances in any stage of life. If you're not being a good steward of the money God has given you, savings (or however you're living during seminary) isn't going to take you very far. But even if you do know your budget backwards and forwards and times are tight, remember that God is in control and He will provide. Whenever I get the least worried about finances, God is gentle to send a reminder in the form of a friend sending a gift card, a family member sending a check, or even income you expect to come in the mail. God is good, and He cares for His sheep.
5. If you decide to get a PA driver's license while here for seminary, know that you'll have to change over the license plate on your car, and it will be a difficult and expensive process unless you have a brand new car. Is KS for state inspection, they'd look at your title with vin # and look at your car's vin #. If it matched, you most likely passed unless your car was absolutely falling apart. In PA, we went through a 3 week process of paperwork, car repairs, and emissions tests (as well as more money than we were expecting to have to pay) on get our car state-approved. Granted, I understand why there are virtually no cars broken-down on the side of the road here. But it still was unexpected.
6. Get involved. For me, transitions are hard because I rarely know anyone other than Joe, and its hard for me to stick my head out of my shell and say "hello". Knowing that, I jumped in with both feet when we got here. If you're coming this coming year, come to our coffee nights and meet new faces. Ladies, attend Seminary Women. It's a WONDERFUL way to meet new people (many of them going through exactly what you're going through) and learn new things. But most of all, find your church family. If you're RP, there are 4 great congregations in the Pittsburgh area (and many more just a little ways outside of Pittsburgh). A church family makes anywhere feel like home because home is heaven, and being with God's people and worshiping and fellowshipping with them is the closest we can get here on earth. Get involved, get in bible studies, surround yourself with God's people and His word, and He will bless you through it.
7. If applicable to your family, pare down to one car. This may not work for everyone. If the wife plans to work while the husband is in seminary and you don't live on campus, or whatever your reasons may be, don't sweat it. But know that gas prices here are much higher than the Midwest. Add in the cost of parking, the wear-and-tear this city has on your car (our car has horrible gas mileage here), and the constant traffic you'll sit in burning gas (seriously... there isn't a time of a day that there isn't traffic here)... Needless to say, it adds up quickly. If the hubby is going to school full-time, talk seriously together about the possibility of selling a car before you leave. We did. I truthfully couldn't imagine our family without two cars, but now I can't fathom why we'd want another.
8. For women- take time with your pastor's wife before you leave (if you aren't already doing that). Men, if you aren't already being mentored by your pastor, take advantage. God has blessed these two people with a world of knowledge that will bless YOU amazingly even before you leave. From having a ministry, to seminary living, to having the pastor's family fishbowl around you, get to know them and learn from them before you leave.
9. Know that besides the park, there are hardly any free places to go in Pittsburgh. That said, as soon as you're here, check out this site: http://www.livingpittsburgh.com/. It is a great resource for finding cheap or free things to do in Pittsburgh. I'm still learning more from friends who've lived here all their lives, but it's rough coming from a place where all the museums are free to a place where most things are a minimum of $10 per person (even for my 2 year old). If you have a family, and you can swing it, I'd really recommend researching and investing in one membership. Whether to the Zoo (which is a wonderful zoo!), Children's Museum, Carnegie Museums, etc., a membership will give you the ability to get out and about and not feel stuck in your budget.
10. It's a city. I know that sounds obvious, but a lot of implications come with that. You could drive 30 minutes out and finally be in the suburbs, but otherwise you're in a bustling fast moving city. There are buses running outside our window 24/7, we live in an area that sees a lot of tragedy due to crime, people are in a hurry and honk at you if you're going the speed limit. For a Midwest girl that still kind of dreams of living on a ranch, it's a big change. Life is more expensive in a city. Many things are different living in a city than living in the suburbs (as I've done up until now). But also know, that living in a city gives you opportunities to minister that you'd never have elsewhere. Think about it. The population of Pittsburgh is 311,647 people. How many are unsaved, lonely, and starving for the fellowship that can be found in Christ's believers? How many around us are just trying to get by and saying that's good enough? Living in a city allows you to reach out in a way that you may have never had the chance to do before. Take advantage of it.
Well... that's my rant after a year in seminary. God has blessed me so much with the people around us here. If you have the blessing of coming and joining us here, we can't wait to meet you and help you find your way around this confusing city.
For more on my first year in Pittsburgh, check out these other posts:
http://mybeautifulinheritance.blogspot.com/2011/08/5-things.html
http://mybeautifulinheritance.blogspot.com/2011/09/burghonthecheap
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