Moving to England

This post is well overdue, seeing as how I moved to Colchester five months ago!

I absolutely loved working at Gonzaga in Florence, it was such an incredible opportunity, and I made some truly terrific friends. I learned a lot more about some parts of Student Life that I hadn't had a professional opportunity to experience (study abroad, student activities, health & fitness, spirituality on campus, etc.) However, I did feel that some of the day-to-day parts of my job were not challenging enough. Since the student population completely (or almost completely) changes every few months, I spent a lot of my time answering the same questions over and over.

One of my last nights in Florence - after gelato on the bank of the Arno

Now, if you want to know the closest ATM to GiF, or where/how to buy stamps in Italy, where is XX? what are the opening hours for the museum?, then I am your woman (turn right out of the school, through the arch on your left; tabaccheria are the easiest and the cost to the US is €2.00 and stamps go in the upper right corner; there's this awesome website, it's called google . . . )

So, I decided that after this academic year ended, that I would move on to somewhere else. I thought that I would have to return to the US, as the vast majority of Student Affairs jobs are in the US. However, I found a post at the University of Essex that was for a Residence Life position, and I applied, they interviewed me, and very quickly offered the job (When I landed back in Italy after the interview, there was a voicemail on my phone with the offer!!)

Mid-packing

It was a quick turnaround to leave Florence, as part of my responsibilities are to provide the maternity coverage for the Director of Res Life, and she left at the beginning of April. I am sad that I didn't get to finish out the school year in Florence, and I really do miss everyone there, but it is good to be working here. There is a lot more to do, and it uses a lot more of my degree and previous work experience, which is great. I am also supervising professional staff, which isn't something I have had the chance to do before.

The weather it England is not so great (it snowed three times after moving here, and was cold until well into June), but it's not been terrible. It is nice to be at a school with an actual campus again, and to work with students who won't leave you after a few months (that's actually both a good and bad thing!)

My second morning in Colchester - SNOW!!!

I really miss some things about Florence, but there are a large number of good things to living in England. I have gotten the chance to attend two family weddings this summer, I have spent lots of time with other family members. I have been into London countless times, to visit family, friends, go to museums, see a musical (Spamalot!), and enjoy the city. I'm volunteering at a local amateur theatre doing lights and sound, which is great. I have been to the library in town at least 25 times already. And, I am, for the first time ever, living in accommodation that I chose, for myself, and am paying for, by myself.

In my empty living room my first day!

I live in a little terraced house not too far from campus, and have spent the past few months getting it furnished and set up (thanks Mum and Dad for your contributions, your advice, and your actual labour in putting things up). There have been a few kinks to work out, but all in all, it is going really well.

After my very first night in the house, I woke up and the electricity was completely out. It was a bank holiday, so when I called the power company, they were closed. I didn't know what to do, and when I finally got a hold of my landlord, it was already evening and it took a while for him to figure out what to do. When the emergency electricity company man arrived, he found out that the power wasn't coming in to my house at all. I ate dinner that night by the light of a headlamp, while they figured out how to hook up an emergency generator. 

 Then, the next morning, the power company came, installed a temporary traffic light on my street, and dug up half the street in front of my house! A major piece of something had blown up, and they needed to replace it. Just my way of letting the neighbors know that I had moved in!!

This means that in May, for the first time ever, I paid rent, paid electricity, gas, council tax, and a cell phone bill! Guess I really am a grown up now.

Will try to post again soon with some photos from this summer!