Amy wrote this about 3 weeks ago...our next post will explain why it didn't go up until now.
--Editorial Staff
One year hiatus…
Hi everyone! I can’t believe that it has taken a full year (and then some) for us to get off our duffs and update our blog! It isn’t that we don’t have anything to report. It isn’t even that we haven’t thought about it. Really, there is just no excuse, especially now that the semester is over and I (Amy) doesn’t have to go to work again until August.
THE MOVE: I am sure most of you know that we have made the move from Costa Rica to Starkville, Mississippi. I think it is safe to say that the culture shock we experienced in this move was much greater than the culture shock we had when we moved to Costa Rica. Surprised? The deep south is a different sort of place…much different than anywhere else we have lived in the States. We were expecting to move back to something familiar but soon found that there were just as many unfamiliar cultural aspects to Starkville (and Mississippi State University) as there were familiar ones. We often joke that Mississippi is not only geographically smack dab between the US and Latin America. Its culture and infrastructure are also a mix between the two.
The move itself went as well as it could. We went to Colorado to grab our stuff out of storage, and to have some fun at Rocky Grass with our friends before the big move. It was a much needed relaxing weekend before the big push for the move. With the help of our good friend Matt Jaeckel, we got our enormous Budget rent-a-van loaded and set off across the topographically unimpressive landscape of eastern Colorado and Kansas. Everything was great until the air conditioning went out on the van, forcing us to stop in eastern Kansas. After a long morning in the hot sun, waiting for our van to be fixed we were one the road again! We weren’t even out of town before the air conditioning went out again. By this time we were behind schedule and made the decision to keep going without the comforts of air conditioning. All I can say is, never again. I am not a big complainer, but that drive with no air conditioning was the worst I have ever seen. Thank goodness for ice cubes!
We met up with my folks in Arkansas. They drove down from MN with Solana, our car, and a few other items we had stashed on their property for safe keeping. They had TWO break downs on their trip, so we felt lucky that between the two parties we were actually able to stay “on schedule” and get to Starkville by August 1st. We had the much needed help of Dave’s new colleagues to unload the van. It was done in no time!
NEW JOBS AND STARKVILLE: We had two weeks to settle in before we had to start our new jobs. Dave is a tenure track professor in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures and I am a half time instructor of Geosciences and Collections Manager of the Dunn Seiler Museum of Geology. Though Dave has a lot of teaching experience, this is my first teaching gig. I was very nervous about it, but all in all it went very well and I find that I enjoy teaching, for the most part.
We are slowly learning how to function in the south. You have to be okay with being sweaty most of the time. You have to get used to the lack of sidewalks and crosswalks. You have to have face time with people and refrain from sending too many emails. You have to find out about entertainment through word of mouth rather than through publicity or advertisement. You have to talk to people for at least ten minutes when you run into them in the hall, which means that you need to double your estimates for how long a meeting or project will last. You have to actively seek out recycling opportunities. The list goes on and on.
Dave has already gotten a grant and a publication this year, so he is making excellent progress towards his tenure. I am very proud of him, and constantly impressed with how well he is balancing the duties of work with home life.
MISSISSIPPI WEATHER: My grandma always told me, “Wherever you go, bad weather follows!” I told everyone to be prepared for snow this winter. They laughed and said, “It hasn’t snowed here in nine years!” Lo and behold, we woke up one day this spring to 4 inches of snow on the ground. Dave and I got to see the evil Snowlana make an appearance.
After the oppressive heat ended last fall (everyone told us that it was a very mild summer…oh my gosh, how will I deal with a real summer??!!??!) the fall and winter were very pleasant, when it wasn’t raining. I was shocked to see the University gardeners planting PANSIES in the fall, but it turns out that they thrive here in the winter! Spring had pretty much sprung by February, and we learned that our entire yard fills itself with spring beauties. We enjoyed every minute of the red bud trees and the wisteria except, of course, the pollen and allergies that came along with them.
Now we are trying to get accustomed to severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings that dot the weeks during the summer. I invested in a weather radio, which has already come in handy. So far, we have only had one tornado siren go off, though we have been in more tornado warnings than I can count on my hands. Solana has developed quite a fear of storms over the years, so I do my best to try to stay home with her during bad storms.
VISITORS: We have already had a fair number of visitors, which is great. I have always felt like a house isn’t really a home until you have had people come to visit. It began, of course, with my mom and dad being here for a few days to help us with the move. In the fall we had our first visit from Marty and Linda, during which I was puzzlingly tired. Our friend (and former student of Dave’s) Toby, stayed with us for a night while on a Peace Corps recruiting tour, and this spring we had a visit from Adam and Emily, then Linda, then my best friend Betsy! Every visit helps us learn more about the area, and we are happy to see that people are willing to set aside their prejudices about the deep south and see for themselves what this area has to offer.
One of our favorite places to take people, the Noxubee Wildlife Refuge, is just down the road from us about six miles. There you can see a huge bird rookery, alligators, ducks and the endangered Red Cockaded Woodpecker, just to name a few.
DAVE, AMY and the DOG: Solana has been struggling a bit in her new environment. Though she was clearly happy to be back with us, it turns out that she is extremely allergic to virtually every type of grass, tree and flower in Mississippi. We have been getting weekly allergy shots for her since we got here to try to help her deal with the environment, and I think we are finally making progress. She is down to one shot a month right now and, overall, I think she is feeling much better than she did.
As I mentioned, when Linda and Marty were here last fall I was strangely tired most of the time. I tried to chalk it up to stress for a while, but it became apparent that something else was going on. While Dave and I were playing racket ball at the gym it suddenly struck me…I am pregnant! I got a test and it came back positive, so there you have it!
The pregnancy has gone really well. I was able to continue biking and exercising regularly until only a few weeks ago. I was even able to do some field work this week! The first three months I was very nauseous, but was able to eat. The second trimester was GREAT. Now, at the end of the third trimester, we are both still healthy but I am ready to start reclaiming my body. The baby (we are waiting to find out the sex) will be here any day now! We are very excited about the arrival.
Though this has been a long update, it really is just the icing on the cake. So much has happened this year with the new jobs, the new home, the life changing events of preparing to welcome a new baby into our home… We just feel so lucky to be here, and are so happy to have the chance to dispel some of the myths we have heard about the deep south. We hope you are all well, and we will try our best to keep the blog updated with news and pictures!
Love,
Amy and David
