Thoughts for Thursday: Moving Away/Relocating
I have lived in MN nearly all of my life.
I hadn't always planned for it to be that way, in fact I had dreamed most of my life of living in Tucson, AZ. I made the dream a reality for a short amount of time in 98-99 when I lived and taught on the Tohono O'Odham reservation (I also lived with my aunt Patti in Tucson for part of that time). I loved it so much that I planned to live there permanently and found a job teaching special ed at the high school in Nogales, directly on the AZ/MX border. I had planned to live in Tucson and commute the 60-90 minutes (one way) to work each day. I put money down on an apartment, ordered my one-way UHaul, and had a couple of my friends who were going to drive me down purchase their one-way tickets from AZ to MN. Everything was set to go and then.....
6 weeks prior to the move I got a letter from the AZ Dept. of Ed denying my teaching license because I had not yet taken the 5 specialized tests that were required for my areas of licensure. I could take the tests the following week for $100 each or wait two months when they would be offered again. Say what??!! I knew I had to take these tests, but I had been under the impression that I had a year provisional license. Turns out that wasn't the case!
I had already been having second thoughts about moving. I knew the commute to my job was going to get old real fast, I knew that I would have a limited support network in a very difficult position, all of my friends and family were in MN, and I had just started a relationship with a great guy who I really, really liked. (By the way, we're still together 9+ years later)
So about 5 weeks before I was scheduled to move, I decided to stay in MN!!
I have never regretted my decision (other than on the really cold days of winter!), but I know that the path of my life took a total different turn that what I always thought it would be. I love different places and think I could probably live anywhere, but now that I am established here, it is hard to imagine uprooting my life.
Now that I have shared my story with you, I am curious to know who has moved away from their home state? Can I ask what were the reasons for moving? What was the hardest part about moving away? Are you happy with your decision? Would you like to move back?
For those of you who are stuck in your home state, where would you move if you could chose anyplace to live??
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Other TFT posts this week:
Kasey on summer plans and activites
Anne on door-to-door sales people
Denise on camping for an entire summer
Michelle on Noggin (Nickelodeon)
