It has been FAR too long since I’ve written in here. Here’s the rundown:
- Without going too much into the details, my dissertation situation was dire for a long time. I didn’t feel like writing because of that. There were a lot of unnecessary politics that I frankly still don’t understand to this day. However, I had my defense a little over 1.5 weeks ago and it went well. I have edits and things to tie up, but I’m able to work on that remotely.
- I note that I’m able to work on that remotely, because I was offered a position as a postdoc and I accepted. This was towards the end of September. I start Monday. I had to relocate to Michigan, which is a culture shock from Boston. I’m not in a large metropolitan area. There will be more on that aspect later.
- Besides some loose ends to tie up at my university, I am still trying to find a subletter. This has been a huge source of stress, needless to say.
There have been a lot of changes in my life recently. I’ve never lived or even seen this part of Michigan, and it’s one of the places in the US I don’t know anyone at all. For the past 8 years of my life, I’ve lived in a large metropolitan area (Chicago or Boston) and have grown accustomed to what those kind of environments offer. An example from the past 2 days is that the grocery store that’s nearest to my apartment has no organic food. That seems really bourgie, but I do eat organic when possible and it was rather jarring to not find even a small offering; this was not like a food desert grocery store. The produce looked in good shape, just not organic.
I’ve also lived in the same apartment for about 5 years, so the sticker shock of moving and then resettling is a little bit much to handle. I tend not to own very much and don’t go all out shopping, but there are things my new place needs. There are items that I just didn’t want to take with me because of quality (trash can, chest of drawers, cleaning supplies). There are also things that my new place doesn’t have. My old apartment in Boston had tons of storage and built-in shelves, which this place doesn’t have. While I’m not wealthy or will I be from being a postdoc, I do want to buy somewhat quality things. I’m not opposed to buying secondhand, but being in a less urban area means there are fewer items avaialble.
There are also just a lot of new things to set up. I need a new pet sitter, a vet, a routine, etc.
However, I remain optimistic that this was a good choice. I’m in an excellent group that has been so welcoming that it’s unbelievable. My apartment is quite nice, and I I appreciate having a job. Being a postdoc is also temporary gig; I won’t be here for longer than 2 years or so, give or take.
