December 1999
Happy New Year!
It is almost impossible to believe that another new year (a new millennium) is upon us! However, this excites me because I believe that the new year marks a valuable time to celebrate, reflect, and make changes where needed.
This past year has been incredibly busy, and I apologize for my sporadic (at best!) correspondence to my friends and loved ones around the globe. I think of you often, though, and I hope this letter finds you healthy and happy.
Brief synopsis of the past year: In early January 1999, I returned to the U.S. from Perth, Western Australia and met my partner, Nathan, in L.A. It was great to meet up with several journalism school friends, Deb and Vivianne, who both live in the L.A. area., after three years abroad. After L.A., Nate and I travelled, hiked, and camped in the desert and national parks on the way to Phoenix, where we spent the holidays with his father’s family. For New Years, we travelled up to Moab, Utah and shivered in a freezing cabin of the Lazy Lizard Youth Hostel. We paused at the Grand Canyon National Park and bought native crafts from a nearby reservation before venturing on to Kansas.
After studying and working as a housecleaner in Perth for two years (and living in England before that), I experienced awful culture shock upon my return to the U.S. It was very difficult to get used to American customs and social mores/rules again. I constantly had to remind myself that I had reached an academic and financial dead-end in Australia. I loved my friends and Murdoch University’s communication studies department, and hope to eventually return under more stable circumstances. I could not continually clean houses, even though I had a wonderful clientele who supported me with their work and friendship. Late 1998 and most of 1999 marked a tough transition for me. I am thankful to Nathan’s family who made me feel at home in their home during this time.
That aside, an important objective in Lawrence, Kansas was to earn money while Nate finished his master’s degree in math. I was flat broke after three years abroad! I was fortunate to find two decent jobs there with excellent supervisors. During the day, I worked full-time for a company that operated a federal program to ensure Internet access for U.S. schools and libraries. In the evenings, I worked part-time as a features writer for the Lawrence city newspaper. Journalism has always been my first love! I reviewed restaurants and generally covered arts/cultural-related features for the newspaper’s weekly magazine. In addition, I helped Nate’s mother, Juanita Carlson, in her law office for extra money. I am really thankful for this work that enabled me to get on my feet and, eventually, save for a decent car and my next move to Indiana.
One of the most difficult aspects of last year was academically-related. After applying to schools across the U.S. and Britain, Nate and I were offered full fellowships by different schools. We weighed the options endlessly until we decided to pursue our separate programs. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right decision that allowed us to do what was right for our careers. In September, Nate began Ph.D. studies in topology at the University of Washington in Seattle. Halfway through the first quarter, he realized that he no longer wanted a career in pure math. He is currently applying to that university’s program in ecological modelling, which will combine his passions for math and environmentally sustainability. I am proud that he had the courage to follow his instinct. Nate and I found a long-distance relationship incredibly difficult at first, but we are now coping better through phone calls, e-mail, and visits. I can even say that we enjoy our space, both independent creatures that we are.
In August, I moved to Bloomington, Indiana to begin my Ph.D. in cultural/media studies at Indiana University. I am slowly making friends with similar interests. I’ve met one fellow Ph.D. student with an Australian partner, who brings me back packages of Tim Tams and Napi-San from his frequent business trips to Melbourne. Seriously, though, I am passionate about the cultural theory that I’m studying. I am delighted to be back in a university environment and to teach again. I love interacting with my students and feeding off the ideas/energy they bring to the classroom. I am looking forward to this semester’s courses in inter-cultural communication and class/power/language issues, which fascinate me.
I look to this new year with excitement. Besides completing various projects, I am hoping to purchase a small home of my own later in the year. I need to stabilize myself a bit after years of travelling and constant transition. I can’t wait to travel again, but that will have to wait until my more immediate goal of getting my things under one roof is accomplished!
Speaking of travelling, Nate and I managed to do quite a bit around the U.S. in 1999. In May, we travelled to Oberlin, Ohio for our Oberlin College alumni reunion and visited many close friends there. We both found it exciting, but a bit overwhelming to divide our attention between Oberlin friends, and extensions of our families in northern Ohio and Columbus. In August, we spent several weeks in Madison, Wisconsin for a wedding. I was able to visit his childhood home in Madison and explore the wonderful university there. I visited a good Oberlin friend, Paul, during that trip. Finally, I recently returned from a month-long December trip to the U.S. northwest, where we explored Seattle, the Oregon coast, Portland, the San Juan Islands, parts of Northern California, Phoenix, and several national parks. We also visited a few friends of his in San Francisco. We spent the millennium camping at Joshua Tree National Park. I am sure the new year will hold more adventures.
During this coming year, feel free to drop me a line. You can always reach me by e-mail: teresa_heinz@hotmail.com. This “floating” address never changes. My postal address: 2576 Scarce O’Fat Ridge Road, Nashville, IN 47448, USA. Phone: 812-988-4517. In case you’re wondering about the unusual street name, it’s derived from an old legend about these hills in southern Indiana.
I think of you often, and thank you for the friendship that each of you extends throughout the year. I hope that this new year brings you all much happiness.
Teresa
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