close environment

[Somedfjd]

How does your close environment respond to the fact that you are going to spend the next few years far from them ( some where over the rainbow ) ?

[Guest Quantas]

How does your close environment respond to the fact that you are going to spend the next few years far from them ( some where over the rainbow ) ?

Ha, ha interesting way of putting it. I plan to move with my close environment. Five/six years is a long time to be away from them!

[Guest hydsnare]

Allow me to define my close environment as spouse + kids as well as parents and sibling - i am close to my parents and bro... am moving with my wife and kids and am glad that they are coming with me - unimaginable to do the phd without them close by... as for my parents and bro et al - hugely supportive of me moving to the us for my doctorate - needed that for me to do what i am doing..

[Guest Quantas]

Allow me to define my close environment as spouse + kids as well as parents and sibling - i am close to my parents and bro... am moving with my wife and kids and am glad that they are coming with me - unimaginable to do the phd without them close by... as for my parents and bro et al - hugely supportive of me moving to the us for my doctorate - needed that for me to do what i am doing..

hydsnare, I'm also moving with wife and 2 kids. How does your wife plan to occupy herself. I know it will be pretty hard for my wife since she's currently working and won't have any work authorisation with me being on F1.

[elvisina]

I'm moving with my husband. Hopefully getting the J-1, so he should be able to apply for a work permit. I'm really close to my family and know I'm going to be homesick at first. They're trying to be positive about me going away - 'great opportunity' and all that - but I know they secretly wish I was staying closer to home. We'll just have to be clever about finding bargain airfares!

[Guest hydsnare]

quantas - am not sure - i wish i had a better answer - as u rightly noted the f2 makes it impossible for her to work even on campus... she rite now is planning to do volunteer work at the kids elem school... am not sure if it is allowed or possible - but lets see... lots of questions - no great answers... the handwringing is on overdrive!

[Guest Cridamour]

My parents and brother are checking flights as we speak! They've never been to the US and see my going as a great opportunity to visit it, finally! My mom is the one who is most sad about me leaving, but she knows how much it means to me and she is really enthusiastic about it as well. If she would be allowed to, she'd probably move with me!

My boyfriend is doing a PhD himself (on another continent...) and he's working fulltime as well, so we'll need to figure out our year schedules and make sure we get to spend enough time together. But I'm optimistic, we've done this before and we're very committed to each other and to making this work.

I will miss everyone terribly, of course, but the academic year is not so long and Christmas breaks are very long, and I'm sure my PhD will keep me entertained during the periods in between!