December 10 Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)

When I was awarded a fellowship to pursue my PhD in Bremen, I had a fairly big decision to make — where should I live?  After spending two years settling into Hamburg, I finally felt at home and could not imagine giving the city up.  On the other hand, the stress of spending three hours each day commuting back and forth to Bremen and being a slave to the Deutsche Bahn was really *not* appealing.  I knew either decision would have its drawbacks, but ultimately I ended up choosing a to live in a small Wohngemeinschaft (shared apartment) in Bremen during the week and commuting back to Hamburg on the weekends.

Looking back over the last several months, I think this is the wisest decision I ever could have made.  Living during the work week in Bremen has really allowed me to fully concentrate on my work when I’m there and integrate into the community of doctoral fellows.  Coming back to our apartment in Hamburg on the weekends* is deeply satisfying and grounding and really feels like the best kind of home I could ask for.

Of course, splitting my life in two also presents its own complications — but at the end of the day, I think this compromise  is one of the happiest I could have ever come up with.

* Aside from the weeks since I’ve been on crutches, making it a bit more complicated to commute on the train.

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This post is part of Reverb 10, a process of reflecting and manifesting during the entire month of December.  You can join over here!