I hope everyone had a great holiday – Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, whatever you celebrate! I also hope everyone will have a great new year. My friends and I are in the mood for a mellow NYE this year, so we’re just hanging out at a friend’s house and will have a game night. Last year was fun, just a bit expensive. Every New Year’s Eve is super expensive in the Boston area.
So, before the Christmas break from work (I work in academia so I’m off this week from the full-time job) I was talking with some good friends at work. I was telling them about my plans to move to NC. They were worried that I might not fit in there, and because they consider me super high-energy (to put it nicely, others might think I’m hyper), things might not move quickly enough for me. LOL. I’m also pretty liberal so they worry I might not feel completely comfortable there – I’ve been told that a lot of the NC coast could be considered to have voted “red.” They asked me about working in other states since I want to try working with large animals, and the subject of Kentucky came up. They also mentioned some southwestern states, and places like the Dakotas, Wyoming, etc. Most of these states, I would love love love to visit. But to spend a winter in Wyoming? No thanks.
Kentucky had already crossed my radar a little while back, for the fact that it is known to be quite beautiful in certain parts, like in horse country. And living somewhere beautiful is definitely high on my list of priorities. I’ve lived in ugly places in the past (sorry, Northeast Philly, but I’m looking at you) and while the living was cheap, I don’t want to do that again if I don’t have to. Then, I spent a few mornings with Fancy, the horse at the ARL in Dedham – see her pics at the beginning and ending of this post. (By the way, she is available for adoption!!! And she’s a thoroughbred.) And it just hit me. I need to work with animals like her!
I have been thinking of working with large animals already, and when I did some further research, I saw that being an equine vet tech is actually considered a specialty subset of being a vet tech. So that’s my plan as of now. I know I will try to work in a companion-animal vet’s practice during school, and who knows? We’ll see what happens. As I said to my mom the other day when telling her of my decision, I can’t adopt a horse and bring it home with me, whereas when I am around cats and dogs, I just want to save them all and bring them home with me. 🙂 Needless to say, she was relieved to hear that since I already have five cats and a dog! She was also a little surprised though, as she said “you never learned to ride as a kid” and I said, well I’ve always loved horses (she must not have remembered.) And well, I knew we couldn’t afford riding lessons or anything like that so I never asked for them. No use making my mom feel bad about something she had not much control over, which was our finances.
So…Lexington, Kentucky is located within Fayette County, where there are 150 horse farms out of the total of 450 that exist in the state of Kentucky at large. I’ve done some preliminary research and the standard of living is WAY cheaper than in the Boston area. No big surprise there, of course. I was astounded to see what $500 will get you for a rental unit. Then, just for fits and giggles, I decided to look at prices of condos and they blew me away even more! You can buy a condo in Lexington, KY for what would simply amount to your down payment for a condo in this area. It’s completely insane!
Yes, Kentucky does get a tiny amount of snow but it is nothing compared to Boston in winter. So I can handle that. My plan is to go out there at least once beforehand, and spend some time there, observing neighborhoods at multiple times of days, and probably go back out again another time to meet with a realtor and firm something up. My mom has offered to go with me which could definitely help, having another person’s opinions. (Just gotta remember they are my mom’s…)
I hope you will all have a great and safe New Year’s!
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Chasing Simple Dreams 
You left out the celebrations of festivus and winter solstice. Too many observations out there so I don’t blame people for saying happy holidays. Since I’m a Christmas observer, it used to irk me. Then one time I was in a tech workshop half and the people were from India. Well, the Indian lady next to me sneezed and I froze. I would normally say bless you but I didn’t know what to do so I froze. It was a little awkward as I was the only person besides her so it was my duty =)
Good choice in skipping North Carolina. You might not understand anything they say. I had a client originally from Germany. He had a thick accent, I met his wife a few times and she had a thick accent as well. They said they had lived in N.C. before moving west. The whole time I thought the wife was German but she was an American from N.C. and that accent was something I never heard before =) The accents from Kentucky is not bad at all.
Have a Happy New Year!
I can just see you freezing after she sneezed! Too funny. You know it’s funny, but I grew up in upstate NY. People can never pin my “accent” down and some people think I am from the south. Or midwest. So we’ll have to see what they really sound like out there! And damn, how could I have forgotten Festivus!? Do you know what Chrismukkah is? (Think the show, the O.C.)
Do you pronounce “water” like the rest of the folks in the NE area? I always giggle when I hear folks from the NE say water =)
Here in CA, the females talk like valley girls and the guys like surfer dudes. I had this girl the same age as I in the office that was seated nearby but in a different dept. She was always very professional in her mannerism and work. One day while walking by, I heard her on the phone with a friend and the valley girl came out. I just about died of laughter =) I wasn’t expecting that as I was seated nearby for years.
Wherever you decide to move you’ll find pros and cons, liberals and conservatives. You’ll find your ‘tribe’ whether it’s in Kentucky or Alaska. Listen to your heart and do your OWN research. Try not to listen to others opinions too much as they’re speaking from their experiences not yours. The beauty of your seeking is you’re free to choose but not tied down to staying someplace that doesn’t feel like home.
I’ve enjoyed reading your blog in 2014 and getting to know you better. May you have a joy filled, prosperous, healthy New Year!
Darris, thank you so much! I hope you guys will have a great New Year’s too! (I’ll be fast asleep by the time you celebrate it.) I know what you are saying about other’s opinions – especially when it comes to my mom’s. She definitely has strong feelings about things, and I have to remember it’s my life and I”m the one that will be living there (or wherever.) I was even thinking of going on my own without her at first so I can see my own honest first impressions.
I’ve been doing research on various forums, to see what are considered “bad” neighborhoods and when I see the same ones mentioned over and over, that at least tells me a little bit. And you can sometimes tell by the way pics are taken if an area is good or not. But yes, nothing beats first hand observation, for sure.
It’s funny but when I initially wrote this post, I was thinking I wanted to find people I could fit in with wherever I move. I have some good friends like that here (the folks I will be with tonight) so I hate to leave them. But I know I’ve been here long enough now, and it’s time to make a fresh start.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to You!
I’ve been to Lexington a couple of times (just passing through) but …. I was struck by its beauty. All those pastoral picturesque horse farms.
That’s one of the best things about our animal friends – as you know – you’ll always fit in!
Kim, I’m so glad to hear that about it being beautiful. It really is important to me that the place I am going to be, be pleasing and make me feel like home, especially if there isn’t a big ocean right nearby. 🙂 And yes, it’s part of what I love about my animals. They always show me how much I am loved. (Especially at feeding time, lol.)
Raleigh is a pretty liberal area with a lot of northern transplants. I worked in the heart of the NC country for a while, though, and despite the fact that I had differing political views from most of them, you’ll still never find nicer people. They’re still struggling to overcome racism. You could say that about a lot of different parts of the country, though, I’m guessing including the Kentucky countryside. I’m with the other commenter, though. Make the best decision for you, not for others. Like the beach? Try NC. But Kentucky is beautiful, too, with its seas of grass. Listen to what you want, not others preconceived notions.
Yep, I suspect that there is still racism everywhere, even here in the Northeast, unfortunately. It just seems to be a bit more hidden here. But it’s there. Ever since I started thinking about Kentucky and working with horses or other animals, I’ve felt good about the decision. Even started looking at real estate online to see if I could afford to live there at a much reduced salary and I think I can do it. Plus, one benefit that I would have in Kentucky – I’d be only 6 hours away from my sister and her family vs. about 14 if I were on the Coast. I don’t get to see them often enough and feel like my niece is growing up and I can’t even see it happening. 😦