When I moved here I was bemused to find that the first question people ask isHow long are you staying?
The answer matters because people move in and out of this town all the time, and some of the folks who stay grow weary of the fact that their friends move away.
At first I didn’t mind; I think that it is useful to know people all over the world. It is also true that most of my friends here are either faculty or work in research labs, so they’re relatively permanent fixtures.
But the moment has arrived – one of my favorite people is finishing her PhD and leaving to assume an academic post in another country. Oh no! Whatever will we do without Rachel’s sunny presence?
To compensate for the imminent loss I spent the better part of the weekend with Rachel and her peers and learned many interesting things about academic life. When I was actually young I was neither friendly nor decadent, so the last few days have been rather novel and amusing.
I’ll definitely have to visit Montreal now.