Trailer Wife

There's nothing like a new job, a saintly daycare provider, a few added minutes of sunlight every day and a talented drive-thru barista to improve your worldview. For a girl who craves order in all things, my new strict schedule is pushing all the right mood buttons. And not a minute too soon.

It's no coincidence, I think, that we are approaching the 6 month mark in Fairbanks. From everyone I've talked to, and from my own personal experience, I've decided that the first 6 months of any major transition suck, full stop. There's almost nothing you can do about it. The compulsion to compare everything in the new place to the old place is positively soul devouring. Add a new climate, a dearth of friendly faces, and some serious cultural contrast and you have a recipe for clinical depression.

I've been thinking a lot this week about Aberdeen, which is making news this month with record cold weather and a foot of stubborn snow on the ground (ironic much?). Scotland now occupies a very special place in my heart, which is made all the more meaningful when I think about how unhappy we sometimes were in Aberdeen. And that makes me think about how often it is the case that you can't really love a place until you've worked through everything you hate about it. Just like all real friendships are cemented after that first big fight.

So I've stopped feeling guilty about hating Fairbanks. I have hope that someday soon the ice fog, insane produce prices and the absence of good Indian food will fade in my mind a bit, and I'll be able to appreciate the supernova sunsets, the hilarious winter headwear, and quilts.

More photos soon. I'm terrified of freezing the camera lenses... it was -40 yesterday, my new personal cold record!