Well, blog-world, the time has come to let you in on a little secret: I'm currently deciding wether to move to Portland, Oregon or stay in Houston, Texas.
Of course, there are many, many details involved in what got me to this decision-point, but I'll just give you some of the highlights.
- I moved back to Houston in May 2009
- I had a lot of trouble finding a job. I wanted an administrative job.
- In late June I got an assistant teaching position.
- I decided (again) to pursue my alternative certification in teaching
- My job started in August
- Depression
- I hated my job
- I was not too keen on my life overall, to be honest
- I decided teaching was not for me (I already kind of knew that)
- In September I started joking about moving to Portland
- In October I started seriously considering and praying about moving to Portland
- In November I visited Portland (I had been before) and tentatively decided to move there
- In December I quit my job (I know! This was VERY difficult)
- In January I am still deciding wether to actually make the move
So, that pretty much makes a long story short! However, I am still in the middle of this. I've given myself the deadline of next Monday (as in, January 11) to either get in the car and start driving to Portland or start looking for a job in dear, old Houston.
The details:
- No, I don't have a job in Portland yet, but I don't have a job in Houston either. Either way I'll be job-hunting.
- Yes, I have a place to live - a couple from the church I would like to attend in Portland rent out rooms to women from the church. The rent is very affordable.
- No, I don't know anyone up there. Not a soul.
- Yes, I have some money saved up. Not a lot, but some.
- If I don't find a job in Portland in 2-3 months, then I will move back to Houston.
- If I do find a job, I would like to live in Portland for at least a year, and then come back to Houston (unless a more appealing option arises :).
- I won't be able to bring Henry (my dog) to Portland until mid-March at the earliest
As you can imagine, this is not an easy decision. If you pray, please pray for direction in this decision and for the complete and full remission of any depression in my life.
Thank you! And now you're up-to-date!
3 comments:
I'll pray that you'll be directed one way or the other.
If you do decide to move, it'll be a bit similar to how I ended up where I am now. :)
After I graduated from college, I moved back home with my folks and started working. I wasn't happy at my job (not challenging enough), and I also found myself in a rut. So when two of my college girlfriends were planning on getting an apartment together in another city, I asked if they wanted to make it a 3-bedroom! I worked until it got close to our move-in date, packed up and moved (my mom and brother came with me to help), and started job hunting.
The new situation wasn't easy. My girlfriends were the only people I knew, money was tight (I probably had less saved up than you because it was a relatively quick decision), and job hunting was a long process (I finally started doing admin temp work after a month and a half).
But boy, I don't regret the decision to move!
I grew a lot in my relationship w/ God while I was job hunting, I became more independent / financially responsible, and I forced myself to meet people (got involved in a church singles class, etc). Oh, and I also found a spouse, whom I wouldn't have met otherwise had I not moved. :)
So, if you're feeling led to move to Portland, I'd say go for it!
(Haha - I just re-read your post and realized there are a couple of other similarities to our stories.)
I hadn't really expected to live here for a long time - it was more that I needed a change from my old situation - but it’s almost 7 years later and I'm still here! The whole getting married thing probably had a little to do with it. :)
My mom got me a kitten about 6 months before I moved, and I really didn't want to leave her. However, the apartment complex my girlfriends ane I moved into required a pretty hefty pet deposit (and they also wanted me to pay "pet rent" per month, but I complained to the regional manager and he waived that). Luckily, I was able to pay the deposit in installments, but I think it had to be paid-in-full before I could bring my cat; about a month and a half later I brought her from my folks’ house.
I'm not telling you what to do, but you have your whole life ahead of you. Might as well explore! It sounds like a great opportunity. I'll pray that you will be able to decide and have peace about the decision. I don't have a job either and I can't find one so I know about that part of it!
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