Time for a Change

Since starting to work, I've officially driven 13,000 miles. That's over 250 hours of driving, or more 10 days straight (and that's a very generous estimate!). That's a lot of driving for less than six months, and it's exhausting! So, it's high time to switch things up.

I guess I've been stubborn - I've been staying with my mom since I got home from teaching English in France last May, and I've figured that I'm spending less in gas money driving 120 miles per day to work than I would be if I got an apartment closer to my jobs. I'm extremely grateful to my mom for letting me stay with her for this time! Being a country-hopper from 2008-2011, it has been wonderful to have a home base where I can crash between jobs. And I may be crashing with her again in three months, but for now, I've decided to get an apartment closer to work.

For me, this has been a big decision. I love staying with my family (although I'm not a huge fan of the location, including it's distance from Springfield), and in a way I feel like I'm still on the metaphorical road waiting for that next job to catapult me into another year-long work contract like I did for three years. Since I'm looking for a permanent job, though, that likely won't happen. I'll eventually get the position that I'm looking for (and that is looking for me) and I'll be off again, and I won't have the time constraints of a contract. I'll be in the 'real' American work world, and I won't be able to come stay with my mom for extended periods between work contracts. Things are constantly changing, and I need to be able to change with them and know that even though I might be moving on soon, I'll still have a place to stay.

I'm being optimistic and thinking that I will land a 'real' full-time job soon, so I've decided to get a three month lease. I'll start moving in tomorrow, and the move will shave off at least 2 and a half hours of driving every day. I'm hoping that some of my exhaustion will dissipate soon. I'm sure I'll squander away this extra time, but it will be so nice to have extra time in my day to pursue some of the things I've been slacking on, like practicing those languages which I worked so hard to become more proficient with while I was abroad.

Beyond the next three months, who knows, but at least for now I will have less driving to worry about!