If you are like me, you will be or have been asked by a Newfoundlander if you “come from away”. This means that from your accent, they can tell you are not from Newfoundland. As a come-from-away, it is important to establish some roots, make lasting relationships, find your favourite study spot, etc., so as not to feel like a come-from-away and as not to be longing for home, wherever home is. In the first year of my Master’s, St. John’s felt like home, but since last summer I’ve had to stretch my definition. I’ve spent the past 8 months travelling for research, conferences, and to visit family and friends which brought me to Maine, British Columbia, my home town, university town, Germany, Switzerland and Florida. I thought that coming back to St. John’s this January would feel like I was coming back home, but I was surprised when I woke up in my bed the first day back and it didn’t feel like that. I still felt a little bit like a drifter, which brought me to the conclusion that I had caught the “come-from-away bug”. With only a few more months left to my program, I will once again be packing my suitcase and moving on again very soon.
Don’t get me wrong, living out of my suitcase was great in many ways. One of the best parts of doing research abroad was that it allowed me to make friends from all over. In my lab group in Germany, I made friends from Germany (of course), Italy, Spain, Croatia, China and Australia! How many people can say that they have such an international research cohort?! Another plus was that I got to see all these places in the world while doing my research, that’s like combining two of my loves in one! And as a student I love my two for one deals (shout out to my Sobeys on Kelsey Dr.)!
The downside is that I have assumed the role of the long-distance daughter, friend, and partner. The elusive graduate student is much more so when they are come-from-aways. Long skype calls become a rare occasion and the quick phone calls and texts are often done on the way to and from the office. But on the upside, every time you see your friends and family members, pets and childhood stuffed animals, it’s becomes a special occasion. It’s just a matter of switching the way you think about it. Instead of missing my peeps when I’m in St. John’s, I keep busy and choose to get excited about the next time I get to see them. As for my “come-from-away bug” … if nowhere feels like home, that means I can treat anywhere like home. Home is a state of mind, where you feel content.
As an archaeologist and travel junkie, with friends all over the world, I’m sure many more travel excursions await me, travels that will bring me straight home.
Until next time…
~Natasha