Bye to Dubbo

What I’ll miss about Dubbo:
- the people
- the sun
- living with a kangaroo
- being able to bike everywhere
- the sky, the river, and the red dirt
- listening to all the Aussie slang
- the fact that when I missed a couple days at the gym, people would ask where I’ve been, and they sent me a birthday card
- morning tea with the vets
- trivia night at the South Dubbo Tavern
- the Dubbo Photo News
- running in to people I know when I’m out and about
- biking past kangaroos on my morning commute
- the laid-back-ness
- being able to stop at the Indian restaurant on my way home when I didn’t feel like cooking
- maybe I’ll even miss the Mystery Sound


I know it’s only been 6 months, but there’s a part of me that’s fallen in love with Dubbo – especially the people. The carpenter (i.e., “the grandpa of the zoo”) would give me a little honk when he drove past me on my way to work. One of the ladies from the gym was like a mom and would always ask when I was going to see Ben next. Ben said Abbott was the same – he got really attached to the people and it was really hard to say goodbye (yup – that’s you Katie and Annie!!). I’ve decided that the social dynamic in grad school (maybe all of academia) is just different that the social dynamic in other work environments. I don’t know whether to blame it on the stress or the fact that it’s a temporary-thing. Anyway, I’m definitely going to miss Dubbo – but I’m going home with an “I heart Dubbo” shirt!