It's 2015. I've said to a few people that I've rarely faced a new year knowing so little about where I'll be or what I'll be doing at the end of it. So far, I have to confess, it hasn't been a promising start.
First, I miscalculated how long it would take to get my visa extension back. So I've had to rebook my flight, taking my best guess as to when I can travel again. Second, I finally -- finally! -- got an email about when my viva (PhD defense) will be. You guessed it, it was set for a day I can no longer make. I hope the repercussions aren't awful.
And as I contemplate going back, I'm starting to wonder how selfish I've been to say I'll stay living in England for another year, just because I like it. On whose money? Mine, if I can bulk up my work hours. But the fact is, even "giving academia a try" takes a few years of waiting around, and being a 31-year-old who remembers having a job, I don't know whether I have that kind of patience. I'm sorely tempted to take a real, full-time position somewhere and have everything sorted. But possibility only comes with its Siamese twin, uncertainty. I'm trying to stay positive.
