Yes ... we are here in Buffalo, NY in the Empire state, near the humungous Niagara Falls and an arm's length away from the Canadian border. Yes ... we have left Arizona behind - Phoenix and Tucson are now only in our memories - fading quickly I might add. Yes... I have joined Daemen College as an Assistant Professor in the History & Government department. Yes I have finished my Phd in Political Science with a specialization in International Relations at the University of Arizona. Yes ... we've bid adieu to friends and colleagues in the Grand Canyon state as well as to the apartment, library and office space occupied by me for 5 years ... as much a reason for my academic success as my advisor!!
I do miss a lot of things about Tucson ... and especially the University - it gave me all that I needed to succeed academically. But beyond that I will not miss Arizona. It was probably the first place that I left behind with no tears in my eyes, in fact the first place I left behind with a smile on my lips, hope in my heart and resolve in my mind to do better, much better next time. Usually I can cry buckets and get sentimental even while switching apartments or rooms - change is just not easy for my in any of its forms - I dislike it - I hate it at times - knowing full well it must come and that I need it and also want it deep down. However, the prospect of moving to the East coast was too wonderful in too many ways ...
Firstly, we were about to embark to the longest road trip of our lives - southwest to northeast - Phoenix to Buffalo - 2600 miles over 4 days with brief stops in interesting locations (more about that in another post hopefully soon). Then I was about to graduate to adulthood and have a full time job for the very first time in my life ... at 28!!! This was quite a heady feeling - one that may not have sunk in entirely yet. I was quite proud to be the first one among my cohort to bag an academic job entirely on my own ... and hopefully establish that I was a graduate they would be proud of sooner rather than later. The charm of living in a place as beautiful as Western NY was another reason I was brimming with excitement while leaving behind the Arizonian desert. The luscious green of NY are soothing to my soul which has seen more than its share of brown in the last 5 years ... Last but not the least -- Canada is a 5 min drive away ... and I cannot wait to cross and bridge and enjoy a new country and get soaked in its culture, food, people, accent... So all in all the prospect was full of excitement and novelty - granted it was change - but change that was ready for and change in the right direction.
The proximity of New York City and being a quasi New Yorker (yeah I know it is the state and not the city) is a good feeling altogether.
