After what feels like much more than 3 months of suspense, we are happy to announce that we are officially moving to the island of Oahu in August 2007!
While I have known about the post-doc in Hawai'i for a couple of years, it took me until this fall to seriously consider applying for the position. For those of you that know me well, this decision is generally uncharacteristic for me. For the most part, I have made my education and career choices based on what option appeared to be the most practical and socially acceptable. Moving to an island in the middle of the Pacific ocean is not very practical. Further, most people I know think that such an idea as this is "fun to dream about", but have some level of reservation in that this move somewhat necessarily precludes other socially acceptable and normative behaviors for a newly married Ph.D. (e.g. buy a home, start a family). While some of my closest friends traveled the world, drove across the country, moved to "the city", etc I ploughed my way through 6 years of graduate school in pursuit of my doctorate. Even Nathan took a more adventurous route, basically living in the woods for 2 years before getting sucked into my practical world of graduate school. So anyhow. My decision to open myself up to the opportunity in Hawai'i was a major turning point in my life. Once I learned that a position would be available, Nathan and I spent many long hours on our couch with Matzah debating the pros and cons. After many of these conversations, we decided to "go for it" and put my name in the pot to be considered for the job.
So...now for the details....
First, the job.
While I have known about the post-doc in Hawai'i for a couple of years, it took me until this fall to seriously consider applying for the position. For those of you that know me well, this decision is generally uncharacteristic for me. For the most part, I have made my education and career choices based on what option appeared to be the most practical and socially acceptable. Moving to an island in the middle of the Pacific ocean is not very practical. Further, most people I know think that such an idea as this is "fun to dream about", but have some level of reservation in that this move somewhat necessarily precludes other socially acceptable and normative behaviors for a newly married Ph.D. (e.g. buy a home, start a family). While some of my closest friends traveled the world, drove across the country, moved to "the city", etc I ploughed my way through 6 years of graduate school in pursuit of my doctorate. Even Nathan took a more adventurous route, basically living in the woods for 2 years before getting sucked into my practical world of graduate school. So anyhow. My decision to open myself up to the opportunity in Hawai'i was a major turning point in my life. Once I learned that a position would be available, Nathan and I spent many long hours on our couch with Matzah debating the pros and cons. After many of these conversations, we decided to "go for it" and put my name in the pot to be considered for the job.
So...now for the details....
First, the job.
I will be working for Dr. Bruce Chorpita at the University of Hawai'i on a MacArthur Foundation Grant which is investigating the dissemination of evidence-based psychological treatments for children into the community. This is a very exciting project, and Dr. Chorpita is one of the leaders in this field. My job will involve some research work (data stuff, supervising graduate students), and some clinical work (treating cases, supervising community therapists). Hawai'i has a high level of need for community therapists, and we feel confident that Nathan will be able to find a job that will allow him to garner the hours he needs for licensure and do the kind of therapy work that he wants to do with children and families.
Second, how long?
When I was first approached about the job, it looked like we would be able to be in Hawai'i for a minimum of one year and possibly for several more if we wanted to stay. We recently found out that Dr. Chorpita will likely accept an offer at UCLA during the Fall of 2008, and our entire research program and staff will be moving to Los Angelos. Big news. UCLA is arguably the most prestigious clinical psychology program in the country, and thus having my post-doc move there is a good thing for my career. Plus, we would be closer to family that year. We are not totally psyched about two moves in a row, but we are warming up to the idea. I will sign a contract for one year with Hawai'i and then will have the option to re-sign to go to UCLA with the team. The grant will continue for at least the next few years, so I could potentially stay with the grant or leave when I feel ready.
Third, how?
Ahh, yes. How does one move to Hawai'i exactly? Well, our plan right now is to put most of our belongings in storage and drive across the country during the third week of August (a long time dream of mine). We plan to drive through LA (so Nate can get a sneak peek since he has never been there and we may end up there) and end up in SanFran where we will stay a few days with my dear friend Anna. We will ship our car out of the bay area on Matson, mail a few boxes, and fly out during the beginning of the last week of August. We will hopefully be living in a furnished apartment with enough space for all of you to come visit! My start date has been set for September 4th, 2007.
Is this crazy?
Maybe. But we are absolutely thrilled, and looking forward to surfing, hiking, running on the beach, exploring all the islands, and eating tons of sushi! We both feel so blessed to have this sort of opportunity and hope that years from now we will look back at this very special time in our marriage when we got to have some adventure before completely settling down.
Aloha!
"Maggie"
Aloha!
"Maggie"
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