Making the decision to leave Saudi Arabia felt a lot like leaping off a cliff. But I'm getting ready to make some other changes that are taking me over the edge of yet another one.
On Wednesday, CircusK9 will board another plane and head to Portland, OR. That's close to but not yet our final destination. We will drive to Corvallis that night and start to settle into our small rented house (with a securely fenced yard).
I will start taking classes at Oregon State in June. Yeah, I know, many of you are thinking, doesn't this woman already have college degrees (I have two); why does she need more?
I will spend about two years taking catch-up classes in biology and chemistry. I may acquire another BS degree in the process although that may not be necessary. Then I will apply to at least five veterinarian schools with a goal of getting a DVM degree.
I've of course got some ideas of what kind of vet I want to be but I don't want to go into those now (not being coy, it's just far too soon to be writing about things like that).
Obviously a plan like this doesn't form overnight. I've been working on it for almost two years.
And a plan like this doesn't come without plenty of risk. It will be expensive and will take years to execute. Vet school is extremely competitive, harder to get into than med school (fewer schools, fewer slots, as many or more applicants). There is no guarantee that I can pull this off.
Why would I do such a hare-brained thing? Being at Aramco accelerated a dissatisfaction I've had with my career path as a geologist for some years. But being at Aramco gave me the opportunity to make this kind of dramatic shift, mainly because of the money but also because of the fact that living in Saudi Arabia gave me a perspective on life and career that I would not have gained if I had stayed in the US.
I won't go into the long list of pros and cons that I've been chewing on for so long. Suffice to say that I may be making a really dumb decision but at least I totally own that decision.
There's going to be lots of hard work ahead. But there will be plenty of adventures too, and no doubt one or two of them will be blog-worthy. Life certainly won't stop being absurd just because I am not living in KSA anymore.
3 comments:
Life on the edge may not be comfortable, but it can take you on some extraordinary adventures. You have an exciting path ahead...go for it!
I think it's incredibly exciting. you're my middle-age hero!
Knowing you, there is nothing that will stop you, might slow you down a bit, but certainly not stop you.
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