Who? What? When? How? Why? Huh?
Posted by Ruth on April 25th, 2010Hi, I’m Ruth.
I’m a writer and journalist from Melbourne, Australia.
I have a great job as a journalist and web editor of a well-known online news site, live in a lovely big inner-city house with my partner close to friends, family and all my favourite shops, pubs and restaurants, have a place on the fight team of one of Melbourne’s best Thai boxing gyms, and play in a band with a bunch of talented musicians and mates.
And in a month, I’m chucking it all in to move halfway across the planet.
Long story short: my partner was offered his dream job in Portland, Oregon. We said yes.
Why?
A year-and-a-half ago, he was offered another great opportunity in San Francisco. I’d just scored my current job, was training for my first fight, still living it up in share houses and had never stepped foot on American shores. We turned it down.
Now I’m 24 and have five years of journalism experience and five fights under my belt, and my partner and I have been happily living together for almost a year. I’ve spent the past 18 months slogging it out in the office and the gym. The long hours, blood, sweat, stress, tears, broken bones and sleepless nights were absolutely worth it, but it’s time to do something else.
We spent five days in Portland a few months ago and I was sold: it’s a painfully cool city full of books, beer, bikes, burritos and bands.
So that’s the back-story. In a month, we’ll arrive on the banks of the Willamette River with little more than our backpacks and laptops. We still don’t have anywhere to live and know about three people in the entire city. Oh, and I can’t get a working Visa for the first three months.
And I can’t wait.
