Just before my departure, I attended one of The Irish Fulbright Commissions board meetings. This opportunity allowed those of us, still in the country, to discuss our ideas (good and bad) to help develop the Fulbright Program in Ireland. It was here, that I received my completion “diploma” from the board. A bit cheesy, but a nice final image to post up here, and a good closure for a great year.
Now:
It has been a little under two months since I have been back in the States, it was only a few days ago that I finally decided on what city to live in. Being back, does take a bit of adjustment for anyone. For me, spending two years in Ireland (first year, not on a Fulbright) has left me more sad about my departure then expected. Yes, it is nice to be back in a land where if you want something, you can pretty much get it within 24 hours (if not immediately). Yet, my latest conclusion is that it takes two years to really settle in somewhere. The months before my departure were amazing; I met even more interesting people from neighboring “villages” (genoursly speaking), attended wonderful dinner parties, and spent more late nights out at Dublin openings and art events. All this made it harder to leave.
Despite my search for adjunct and full time teaching gigs throughout the northeast-US, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East, I still had nothing lined up. So, when you have nothing to go to, it is awfully hard to leave. It would have been great to stay, but with economies hurting the way they are, it is nearly impossible for Americans (we no longer have a golden ticket) to get a job overseas.
So, I am back in America, and settling in alright. I am teaching an Art History course online and I am remaining hopeful in my job hunt-broadening my search to now include museums, non for profits, and administrative positions. I am moving into Sunnyside Queens, and am very excited to settle in and start back in the studio, after the last two months of sketching.
I look forward to my traveling adventures, but I am not sure when or where they will be. I have told my niece that I will take her anywhere in the world for her thirteenth birthday, which will be loads of fun. Trying to deposit the traveling bug early on and get her interested in the beauty and diversity of other cultures . Until then she needs to decide…she has a presentation to give me at the end of the summer of her finalist, and from there we will choose and start planning! Education tied with traveling is my favorite way to learn, and is something I will continue to share with people.
