  |
||||
      |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
(finding solace, cont.) From her perspective, Noel-Ney says her work on the board is yet another example of the experiences, personal and professional, that Wisconsin has offered her. “There are opportunities here. You just have to be open and seeking.” And perhaps one of the biggest rewards in moving to Madison was being closer to a man she considered a good friend – William Ney. Although they had met in New York and communicated frequently over the phone, it wasn’t until Sept. 11 that the two realized their feelings extended beyond friendship. “When everything happened with 9/11, that was our turning point. We realized our feelings were really deep and that life is too short,” Noel-Ney says. She and Ney married Sept. 25 of this year. And Noel-Ney, who was born in Trinidad and moved to Brooklyn when she was nine-years-old, only moving from the city to attend Buffalo State University and live in Europe for several months, now says she considers Madison her permanent home. Although she misses certain things about New York, her tight-knit group of girlfriends, the vibrant arts community and the unbeatable shopping, she says the three to four times she has visited the city since leaving have left her feeling claustrophobic and ready to return to Madison. It’s not that New York has changed, she says it’s that she has. She has gotten used to getting in her car and driving where she needs to go rather than getting on the subway or catching a cab. She now finds it a hassle to wade through the swarms of people covering nearly every street in New York. And, of course, the city is a constant, painful reminder of the traumatic event she will never forget. Her priorities and goals are simply not what they were three years ago, her career has taken a distant second to her family and friends. In Madison she has found a place that has allowed her to heal and is now affording her the space to grow. Here she has a new family, a more relaxed lifestyle and a rewarding career. She says her job at the UW Foundation is challenging, requiring her to work with three different boards and travel occasionally. She says she has worked some late nights and visited the office occasionally on Sundays, but she is trying to keep her first priority her family. “It seems that her experience has honed her priorities in terms of family, quality of life and the kinds of trade-offs that have to be made,” Lucke says. Still, Noel-Ney admits she has had to make sacrifices in her move. While Madison provides her with a sense of safety and, she says, fits the Midwest cliché of a quiet, peaceful place where people know their neighbors and are openly friendly, she left a lot behind in New York. She misses being able to walk out her front door and find herself in the middle of some of the nation’s best art institutions and exhibits. And despite the stereotype that New Yorkers are somewhat aloof, Noel-Ney says she has a very strong network of friends in the city whose dedication and camaraderie can’t be beaten. Yet despite what she’s given up, she feels she has gained more than she has sacrificed. “When my friends come here, the first thing they say is, ‘I understand why you’re here,’” Noel-Ney says. Most importantly, Noel-Ney has made peace with the tragic events that brought her to Wisconsin and she knows she is now in the right place. “One of the things that made me realize I’d made the right decision is when I was sitting in this beautiful park overlooking the lake watching Pierce’s soccer game. It was so beautiful that I just started crying,” Noel-Ney says. “You could never have this anywhere else.”
|
|
|
|
|||
