My future, all layed out
I guess most of you know that I am going to Stanford for my post-doc. This has become much more real now that I have a detailed plan for the next few months.
On June 21st I’m getting my J-1 visa. By the end of June I submit my now complete thesis. On the first week of July I go to Dastuhl, Germany for a seminar. On August 2nd at 12:00 noon I take my PhD exam, and the next day fly to the European Debating Championships in Istanbul, returning on August 12. By the end of August (or maybe July) I leave my dorm room, and by September I finish all my dealings with the Technion and get a certificate confirming my Ph.D. Then on September 17th I fly to Stanford. And then the world ends.
I have no real plan for afterwards. All I know is I would have to look for housing. I don’t even know where I’ll stay for the first day. I have never rented an apartment in my life, and now I have to do it all alone in a strange country. I’m scared.
Alon, you’ve tackled much tougher challenges in your past. I’m not worried at all about you.
Comment by Lutzky | June 16, 2007
Aloni, after all these years of easy riding through learning chores and degrees, it seems that finally you have found a real challenge: starting anew, all-alone, in a far away country. No wonder you are scared, who wouldn’t?
Yet, I am confident that after taking a deep breath, and making some necessary planning, you will find out that even “the devil is not too scary”…:) and, If everything fails, you still can come for a hug:)
Comment by HuggyDad | June 18, 2007
It’s strange - I am planning for a postdoc next year, and I am totally freaked out because I have a family. I keep wondering what I am going to do for education, housing, work visa for my wife and all of this stuff. I always imagined that going abroad alone, no strings attached, is much easier. But, I guess, we can see the other side in this post.
Comment by Eran | June 26, 2007
Thank you for your reply. I hope you keep reading this blog, especially as it would focus on the process of detaching from Israel and getting acclaimed in a new country.
I guess the grass is always greener on the other side, and your problems seem bigger than everyone else’s. Also, it seems that the anxiety levels before this kind of change are like a sine curve. Your anxiety increases as the time comes closer, but it starts to decrease as you start planning and as uncertainties become certain or at least limited.
Regarding work visa for your wife, AFAIK, the J-2 visa she will get as a dependant does allow her to work, so you should be set.
Comment by epsalon | June 27, 2007
Just added your blog to my RSS. Good luck.
Comment by Eran | June 27, 2007