We are traveling…moving??!

The story began five years ago, with Ella growing under my heart. Domi decided he was going to earn a Ph.D. And when he decides something, it’s as good as done—you have to take him seriously. I thought, fine, let’s go for it. At that point, I had no idea what it would be like to be a parent, let alone the wife of a doctor (to-be). But sure, let’s do this. Then he scouted the internet back and forth and pointed to Switzerland: „Let’s go there. Promising jobs, decent salaries.” Fine by me! Mountains, cows, punctual clocks—it sounded just like my taste.

And that’s how, five years later, we ended up moving to the States.

To say the least, he aimed a bit further on the map this time. Last year, as his Ph.D studies were coming to an end, we thoroughly researched every possible place focused on oncology. Domi started sending out application emails. In true marital teamwork, I meticulously formatted his CV down to the millimeter, adjusted the shades of color palettes, and hunted for the perfect photo taken of him, while he provided the content—the articles, studies, and research. If you ask me, I had the harder job, though no doubt I fought harder than he did.

In the end, he sent around 250 emails, with about 10 locations we genuinely considered moving to. Mostly Scandinavia, of course—I could already picture Santa’s Village in Rovaniemi within driving distance.

Then came the moment last summer when, out of the blue, he mentioned a conference in the USA. He said it was a fantastic networking opportunity, and, oh, by the way, it would be held at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota—ranked as the world’s best hospital and third in oncology research.

I’m a supportive wife; I can appreciate someone else’s excitement. I said, „Sure, go for it! But take us along—and figure out how to afford it.” And he did. His submitted abstract was selected among the top four (!!), therefore the conference organizers helped cover some of the costs.

So there we were: me, eight weeks pregnant with Panka (a tiny poppy seed at the time), along with our 1.5-year-old Döme, 3.5-year-old Ella, and the grandparents, setting off on a two-and-a-half-week adventure. While we mostly focused on taming child jetlag and having fun, Domi was busy sweating blood to act extroverted, despite being an introvert, all while working—and yes, having some fun too.

After about 5000 km of road trips, countless fast-food stops, and successful presentations, we explored Rochester. And to our relief, we all loved it—every single one of us.

The welcoming was overwhelmingly positive. Domi got to know the lab leader and staff, and we learned that the boss was also originally from Europe.

Fast forward a year. The following summer, just as we were about to say yes to moving to Florida (on the side of a wonderful mentor and person) —embracing hurricanes, black widows, alligators, and my frizzy hair in the humidity—Rochester reappeared on the horizon. This time, with a job offer.

And so, in mid-January, an exciting and slightly intimidating new chapter begins for our not-so-small family, as we pack up and move to Minnesota. After all… the winters there are quite similar to Scandinavia’s.