The University Giveth, the University Taketh Away

[rebeccmeister]

I'm not going to go into specifics, but it's looking more and more like this will be my last year of graduate school, one way or another.

This means it's time to seriously buckle down, time to cut back on all fun activities and time to focus on my dissertation.

You know what? I think I'm ready for the transition. About a year ago, I realized I was happy living here, but in the past couple of months I've come to feel more and more like I'm ready to move on from this state, on to something new.

I still find the process of moving to be incredibly violent, an uprooting, but I am noticing that I'm already thinking about things in terms of moving, in terms of how they will pack up small and be lifted and carried, in terms of what's important and what's replaceable. The most interesting example is the garden - I'm thinking about what seeds will travel easily, about what will be involved in setting up a new worm bin, about what I'd do if I had a different sort of gardening space. My style of moving is going to require a lot of preparatory time, because I'd like to see things go to the right places.

Regardless, for now, it's back to work for me.

Comments

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

Where would you like to go?

[rebeccmeister.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure, yet. It will partly depend on available funding. In the long run, I'd like to end up back in the Pacific Northwest, because it's the best part of the world. <-maybe only a slight exaggeration Really, because my family's centered there.

But the next stage in my academic life will probably be a postdoctoral researcher position. Most of those positions are temporary, spanning several years, and I'm hearing that opportunities in Europe are often pretty good. I'll be going to a conference in Copenhagen in August where I'll have a chance to talk to some potential European collaborators.

So, we shall see...

[tleex.livejournal.com]

Best of luck with the dissertation.

Personally, I enjoy the process of moving. It gives you the chance to cull through your possessions and re-assess all of those little daily routines that typically escape scrutiny. My biggest periods of growth have been after a big move.