So how did this all happen? Honestly, it started because I was having a really crappy day at work. I had become increasingly unhappy with my job and was no longer feeling motivated or inspired…not a good thing when you work in a job that requires constant self-initiation and regulation! So I jumped on google and randomly did a job search, typing associate professor, job, speech pathology, and Australia into the search bar. And to my surprise, there was a list of jobs available. Of course, the one that caught my eye was one with a closing date of a month prior. It was a fairly new program in a small community with a tropical setting – perfect for me! Since the whole search started on a whim, I figured I had nothing to lose, so after sending a quick email to Rob, I decided to contact them to see if they would still consider my application. Lucky for me, they did 🙂

In those early days, neither of us were really taking the whole thing seriously. So many things had to line up perfectly for us to make it work, that it truly felt impossible. But I went through with the interview, and the more I talked with the people in the program, the more the whole thing just felt right and meant to be. And each time we hit a wall or obstacle that we thought might prevent us from making this work, things just fell into place to knock them down.

A few months after accepting the job, we finally made it to Australia to see the area we were considering calling home and to meet the team of people I would be working with. The trip was really our way of confirming that this was the right choice for us. I think it took us about 5 minutes to decide once we arrived. The town of Yeppoon is gorgeous and we both felt immediately at home in this little community. And once I met my new team, I was completely convinced this was the right move for me professionally too. The university was creative in its approach to teaching and learning, and I would finally be working in a speech pathology program that was positioned alongside other allied health fields.

Moving to Australia also meant big changes for Rob and a chance to reinvent himself a little bit. It seemed crazy at first for him to even consider walking away from such a solid job – a job he was good at and mostly enjoyed, but one that was also wearing him down little by little. So Australia is a complete fresh start for him and a chance for him to really consider what he might want to do. For now, he is spending his time getting us settled but who knows what the future might bring.