Somewhere over the rainbow

Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in Oz. She lived in a yellow brick house and spent a lot of time with munchkins. She had encounters with witches (good and wicked) from time to time, and mostly she didn't feel the need to ask the Wizard for anything. She was very happy living in a land where everything—the weather, the animals, the people, the food—was just a little different from what she was used to.

Then, one day, a tornado came along out of nowhere, picked her up, and took her to…Kansas.

Wait a minute. That's not how the story goes, is it?*

Of course, my name's not Dorothy, either.

But I am moving to Kansas.

Thanks to DP, the Globe-Trotting Academic™, who has accepted a position there. We're planning to finish up the Australian academic year here (it ends in mid-December, for you northern types), head to Boston for a festive holiday season with the crew there, and then, early in 2010, head for pastures new.

Literally.

Okay, not really literally. We're not moving to a farm or anything. I just said that because I hear there's a lot of pasture out there.

I have never, ever set foot in Kansas before, or in fact spent any time at all in the American Midwest. And I haven't really lived properly in the US for more than 10 years (although I've perched there for extended periods). So in a lot of ways I expect that this will be like moving to another foreign country. But I'm looking forward to it. It will be—dare I say it?—a whole new adventure (of a very different sort from this one).

I am sorry to be leaving Australia so soon. We had expected to be here for three years, and getting only just over one feels like a bit of a cheat. We haven't managed to do any of the big-deal Australian trips I was planning on: Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef, the real Outback, Tasmania. Hell, I've only made it to two states (yes, technically Canberra is in its own territory, but that barely counts, so I'm not).

But such is the nature of academic careers…or at least the one I'm enabling. What can I say? It keeps life interesting.

Stay tuned as I spend the next six weeks trying to get organized for yet another intercontinental move (I think this makes five), say goodbye to places and people I've grown attached to, and formulate another list of questions for my next destination.

* With many thanks to NMK, whose wit and cleverness and general wonderfulness were the origin of this opening.