so here i am, living in atlanta, georgia, united states of america. i have a great apartment in downtown decatur (pronounced De-kate-er), which is a bit like hipster parts of south newtown, for want of a better comparison. not too flashy but just enough to be ‘nice’. there are lots of restaurants, cafes, good coffee and not a great grocery store. i have found a great hairdresser, however (priorities).
my boxes arrived from australia.
i bought lots of new furniture from ikea and i love how it looks (i just need to restock the 36 boxes of books i left in sydney)
my apartment building has a pool, and a view. some (most) days it is sunny! but right now it is cold and like winter and that makes me happy.
ive met lots of fabulous people, work colleagues, knitters,
and a man (boy?) who can cook. he is the not the person i had hoped to be with here, but that other person isnt working out at the moment because the universe is a bitch. but thats not really why i came, it was only ever going to be a bonus, and when you’re open to it, amazing people walk into your life regardless. i have had moments of homesickness, some so bad i was nauseaous. more than once i cried myself to sleep sobbing ‘i want to go home’. but i dont. i want to stay here. i just wanted this to be Home.
i got to go to new york for christmas
and see my favourite places and my favourite americans
and it was only 2 hours on the plane and that felt like coming home
i love my job, and the amazing campus that i work on.
i cant even find the words to tell you how amazing it is. i never thought i would be more than a little lecturer in little old wollongong. now im an assistant professor, on the tenure track, funded by one of the worlds most important humanities foundations. people call me a Mellon. the work im planning blows. my. mind.
i have my own office with a view,
i have a faculty profile, i have a business card
they’ve even written two stories about me! bizarre and bizarrer!
i have a book manuscript under review, a journal article i need to finish RIGHT now, lots of exciting collaborations with the Centre for Ethics and the College of Arts and Sciences, and so many terrific, clever, colleagues within the School, who are also great friends and so supportive! i have plans to be back in archives in philadelphia in a few weeks, more archives in DC and Boston later, conferences in virginia, chicago, minneapolis and quebec, courses to develop, guest lectures to write.
i catch a free shuttle bus to work (which means i can knit)
i’ve figured out where the good coffee is on campus,
ive joined zipcar and regularly drive around atlanta without killing anyone. when i get back from a return visit to australia in march im thinking about a car. when i’m done with summer travelling, im thinking about a dog. next year i will think about a house.
ok so maybe not this house but it is pretty isnt it?
so america is where i live now and im glad i made the move. i trusted my instincts and they were right. i miss my friends. i miss my dogs. but this is where i need to be. i didnt think it would but permanent residency looks likely.
the next chapter awaits but i probably wont write about it here, i have too much writing to do now and i think the constant instagram and facebook posts are better for keeping in touch with friends and family.
so if i dont see you again, thank you for following my journey, for all the love and support ive had on this blog. remember how i said i thought i was in between somewhere? well i think ive arrived.
k xx
