Looking back over my past blog posts, I noticed that I talk a lot about location.  I've discussed how an academic life can take you far and wide.  I've weighed the pros and cons of city living vs. country living.  I've spouted the happiness of what location means for my kids (10 days at Grandma's house!)  I seem to go on and on and on about it.  

So the question is why?  Why does location plague me?

I was wandering around the internet the other day when I happened upon a website about vegetarian cooking.  The authors of the blog were a couple out of Dublin, Ireland who own a photography business.  Curiosity got the better of me and I clicked on a link to their photography site to see what kind of photos they shoot.  To me, what I saw was nothing short of breathtaking.  There was photo after photo of couples in the Irish countryside and I immediately lamented that Clay didn't apply for a job at the University of Cork.  

And what I realized, as I sat there looking through those photos, was that I haven't lived anywhere that I want to call home.  Since we've been married, Clay and I have lived in four different cities (Holland, MI - Knoxville, TN - Ann Arbor, MI - Kingston, ON).  All have been great.  All have had good memories and I love certain aspects of each city.  But none of them have been my city.  

Maybe it's because we're not at a point where we can really settle down.  Or maybe it's just the restless part of me that constantly longs for something else...a new adventure...a new experience.  I wonder sometimes if I'll be content when we get our first job.  Not many people are lucky enough to be choosy when it comes to taking an academic position.  Most of the time, you take what you can get.  Will we get lucky enough to get a job in a city that feels like home?  

Then again, if my happy little family is there, how can it not feel like home?

In my opinion, one of the hardest parts of being in academia can be the location.  Grad  school can take you far away from your family and friends, far away from your cultural comfort zone, and (if you're really unlucky) far away from all signs of civilization.  And that's just the beginning!

Our journey began at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN.  There, we did a two year stint before following my husband's advisor to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI.  There, we spent 5 1/2 years completing grad school before we found our way Kingston, Ontario for our current post-doctorate position.

*I know it's silly to speak in plural... the kids and I didn't go to grad school, Clay did, but as a family we were all along for the journey.  Besides, he shouldn't get all the credit for those years of hard work.  There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears from the kids and I as well!

Anyway, I have no idea where we're going after our time in Kingston is over.  I have no idea if it will be near family or friends or back in my comfy southeast Michigan mentality.  Heck, I don't even know if it will be on this continent.  Location is the bane of my existence.  

(I admit I like to watch job opportunities pop-up in Clay's email.  They're like little shiny beacons of hope with the words "faculty position" practically jumping off the screen at me.  I like to read the position descriptions and wistfully day-dream of what it would be like for us to have a steady job with no moving vans in our foreseeable future.  Ahhhhh... no more moving... what a blissful thought....)