I had an interview last week and they liked me and I liked them, so soon, I hope, I’ll be living in Grenoble (I’ve not seen anything in writing yet, but they seem very trustworthy).
It’s all a bit mental, really – but I figure that if the right research job for me can’t be found in Leeds (where I have a husband and a house and some cats and a garden with some apple and pear and cherry trees and etc. etc.) then I might as well live somewhere interesting. It’s going to take the cherry trees 4 years before they produce any fruit anyway. And I’ve always wanted to live abroad. And most of the time I’ve wanted to live abroad I’ve wanted to live in France or some other francophone country. So there’s a sense in which this is the culmination of many years’ plans… even if it’s going to be a bit of an arse because my husband and house and cats and trees etc. etc. are in a different country.
The picture at the top is an autostitch of the view from the Bastille, a mountain fort that overlooks the city; it’s glorious. The town is just stunning, the people I’ll be working with seem fab, the project is interesting and hey, sometimes you’ve got to just jump at an opportunity, right?
The cherry trees simply don’t care – as you say, it’s 4y before they do anything useful anyway.
The cats & I are being forced into French lessons, however.