England outcome

So, I haven’t posted since I’ve been back from England so I’m sure all of you who read this are wondering about the outcome of that trip. Well, it was a whirlwind trip; I arrived Sunday morning at the Durham-Tees airport, went straight to the hotel, and slept until 4:30 in the afternoon! Then I was taken out to a 300 year old pub and stage coach stop for drinks (don’t worry, I only drank coca cola). The next two days were spent meeting the audiologists at the hospital, seeing patients, and completing LOTS of paperwork. I left early Wednesday morning for the long flight back to Boise. I was really only able to get out and see the area one afternoon; we drove to Saltburn-by-the-Sea and ate lunch by the tumultuous North Sea. Middlesbrough is a city of ~130,000 but it is surrounded by many small communities of a couple hundred. Being so close to Scotland, the accent was very thick and at times difficult to understand. Something interesting is that the accent varies among the small towns making it even more difficult to understand. The people of Northern England pride themselves on being friendlier than those in the South and in my opinion they were some of the most hospitable and friendly people I have met. So, about the hospital; I’m unsure as to the total number of employees in the audiology department but I’m guessing that it is around 30+ including staff and techs. They do a little of everything there: balance assessment and rehab, pediatrics, hearing aids, cochlear implants, and even manufacture their own earmolds and hearing aids. So, are you wondering if I got offered the position? Well, the answer is …yes! Now I am waiting for the work permit and work visa to be approved before it is definite that I will be moving to England. It hasn’t been all relief and happiness since I was offered the position. Some days I feel completely terrified to move that far away and try and get used to a new culture and then other days I am really excited for the new opportunity. I will be living in hospital housing adjacent to the hospital but might possibly move to a smaller town after being there a few months. The public transportation is very accessible so I could always take the bus to and from work. There is still much to be done in preparation for the move…I must defend my doctoral project, sort through and pack only the bare necessities, and say goodbye to a lot of people. I hope to figure out how to post photos on this site so you all can experience the beautiful English countryside with me.