some new news!

We strive to make communication an important part of our relationship - so before we moved out here, Ben and I discussed many different scenarios. A lot can happen in a year or two, and we wanted to make sure we were on the same page about everything.

We talked about maybe becoming Australian permanent residents.

apparently "Amerstralia" is a popular meme.

We wrote out a pros/cons list of having a baby in Melbourne.

We even made a tentative game plan for how we would return to the US if there was a worldwide alien invasion, to live out the end of mankind's very existence with our dear families and close friends.

We discussed all of these grand scenarios, but for whatever reason, we did not once discuss the possibility of someone going back to school.

(You can probably see where this is going.)

A few months ago, I decided to apply (kind of on a whim) to the Masters in Journalism program at the University of Melbourne. My non-success at finding a job led to some long-term thinking, and I decided that a) I kind of like writing, and b) a lot of decent writing jobs in Melbourne require some kind of degree in journalism. The application process was surprisingly simple (and yet still frustratingly vague, as these things are), but I was able to gather all the correct paperwork, submit it, and wait.

About a month ago, I got my very first Australian letter of acceptance - I'm going to be a university graduate student!!

me at the "uni!"

I feel a bit overwhelmed at the moment - it's been years since I've been in any sort of academic environment (I got my undergraduate degree in 2007), so I feel kind of rusty when it comes to anything school-related. Many things have changed, and it seems like almost everything is done online now. Graduate school is a huge expense, but my family is helping out immensely, which we're very grateful for. And this new development will definitely have an effect on our family-planning timeline. My mother had me right before she started her Master's, and while I was probably a spectacularly well-behaved baby, juggling motherhood with work and school is something I'd like to avoid, for now...

Also, I'll actually be an international student (and I say "actually" because I was sometimes mistaken for one during my undergrad years - oh the perks of being Asian!), which will be fun... and challenging. Even though it's still English, the language here is slightly different from what I'm used to, especially in the academic world. For example, in Australia the word "course" refers to the whole program, while in the States, a course is a single class. During one of my international orientation events, the instructor actually warned us that a few American students had accidentally withdrawn from their entire graduate program, while simply trying to drop one of their classes. Just some small adjustments to keep in mind!

Despite the nervousness, I'm definitely looking forward to the experience. It'll be great to finally start interacting with people again, and I'll hopefully have a chance to make some acquaintances, maybe even actual local friends! I'm also looking forward to feeling a renewed sense of purpose, to have a set goal to work towards, an answer to the ubiquitous "what do you do?" questions. And of course, I'm excited to learn.

Thank you to my family and friends for all the support, and especially Ben, who continues to be so encouraging and supportive. The next two years will be challenging for me - but I'm grateful for the opportunity to further my studies, and will work hard to make the most out of it!

CK