Wednesday, May 21, 2008

These Choices

This generally tends to be a transitional time of year for our family since we seem to be forever wed to the academic calendar. I've been thinking a lot about choices lately; choosing to support a partner through grad school, choosing to have a child, choosing the hope of future successes doing what you love over short term security, choosing to leave a wonderful job to run off and live in Europe, choosing to have another child and, oh, have him in another country. I've often thought we never seem to do life the easy way but I honestly wouldn't change anything if I had it to do over again (other than leaving for the hospital about 23 minutes earlier).

The Big Fear about coming here to Denmark was that the philosophy job market would fail Michael and we'd be stuck on the exit end of the Fulbright without anything to go home to. Looking for work in academe is a cold, soul-crushing process that defies all other norms in real world job searches. Suffice it to say that it hasn't been an easy year in that respect. But there is a job waiting for us when we go back and it just so happens that we somehow managed to end up one small town over from the city we left last August in a job market were you go where the job is and hope you don't end up in the one place you swore you'd never live.

We have a plane ticket home and a place to go. Our adventure here ends June 10.

8 comments:

N said...

How do you like your experience in Denmark? Did you learn Danish? Do you want to leave or stay in Denmark?

Anonymous said...

So are you going to live in Lex or G-town??
-Molly

Judit said...

Wow, that is really wonderful news. I totally know. And thanks for the philosophy job market link--NOT! :o) I totally understand as a linguistics ABD dropout of a medievalist going on the job market in two years -- that stuff scares the daylights out of me. Oh yeah, and two kids here too. You will believe me when I say I can relate??

Joel said...

Robyn will not be pleased once she reads that final line.

Rebekah said...

Bluefish: I really enjoyed our stay here in Denmark and would have loved to stay if that opportunity worked out. I missed friends and family back in the States but the expat community here is very supportive - especially our church. I didn't take any Danish classes but I found that I learned to read and even understand quite a bit of Danish without really trying.

Rebekah said...

Molly: We're not 100 percent sure yet, but it will probably be Gtown.

Nichole said...

Congrats to Michael on the job! Enjoy your last couple weeks in Denmark :o)

Retta said...

Congrats on the new job and move "home"! We leave our 3 year Hong Kong expat experience for Lex on June 29, so we'll have to compare our re-entry dramas and traumas. See you soon! :)