Three years ago today, I had just gotten back from a very short trip to Washington, DC to have an in-person interview for the job I now have. It was a whirlwind trip. I had had a phone interview less than a week before, and then they called me the next day to ask me to come up for an in-person interview. Three days later I was driving up to DC from North Carolina for the interview. I was about to leave to visit family for Christmas, and they needed to finalize interviews and get someone to accept the position rather quickly. I was formally, unofficially offered the position a few days later. I had to finish some paperwork before it could become completely official. Then the stress and insanity of moving started: packing my house, finding a place to live in DC, opening and closing bank accounts and utilities, etc.
I had graduated with my Ph.D. back in May. I had started applying for jobs even before I graduated. The job market was tight. However, there certain places where I did not apply for a job. I’m a Southern girl, and I simply would not survive in a climate that was too cold. I don’t drive in the snow; four year of college in Colorado taught me that fact. I wanted to to live in a city with things to do. I love going to museums, performing arts, some sporting events, and whatever. I wanted to be someplace where there were things to do, so when I got a job in DC, I was excited. There would be tons of things to do. I love nature and hiking, so the fact that DC has so many parks and is so close to mountains and beaches was just an absolute bonus.
The only downside to moving to DC was that I knew only one person there, a good friend from college. That was it. I was a little worried about moving to a place where I knew virtually no one, but I had done it before for college, graduate school for my Master’s, my first real job (where luckily my sister was then living), and then graduate school again for my Ph.D. I’m really a shy person, and I’m a total introvert. Moving where I don’t know anyone scares the crap out of me, but I do it when I need to. I worry about meeting people, making friends, and fitting in.
This past Thursday, I was out with friends at happy hour. The group meets about once a month and is mainly science nerds. People come when they can, and we always welcome new people. I can’t describe how great a group it is, how fun the people are, how welcoming and accepting everyone is. The best I can say is that I have felt welcome since the first time I came to one of the events almost 2.5 years ago. Thursday my friends were making me laugh so hard I could barely breathe at one point, at several points actually. I was laughing so hard no sound was coming out of me. It is entirely possible I am the nerdiest of my nerd friends, but they accept me for who I am and how nerdy I am, and I couldn’t ask for anything more. There are other events I go to, other friends I have made, and they are all fun and wonderful. I found the friends I was so worried about finding three years ago. I have found a home in DC, both in the physical sense of a house I love and a place where I find fun things to do, but I have also found a home in the emotional sense of community where I am accepted and find joy and laughter. I can’t thank my new friends enough. I love you all, and you are all wonderful and bring so much joy to my life.