Next Stop: Singapore!

Dearest family & friends,

Jacob and I are excited to announce some exciting news: we will be moving to Singapore within the next few months! Thanks to help from Garrett Klein and Mara Fink, fellow Oles who have been living there for the last year, we've both found jobs there. Jacob will be teaching private trumpet (and other brass) lessons at international schools through a music store called Partners in Brass. He's also hoping to play gigs around the city/region and perhaps with the Singapore Symphony. Meanwhile, I am (hopefully) in the final stages of securing a job as a Research Assistant at the Lien Centre for Palliative Care, which is affiliated with the Duke University-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School. It sounds like the research will be a mix of clinical, social and cultural research. I'm pretty excited to be getting into a new field of research, and I think I'll be learning a lot!

This will be happening pretty quickly! Jacob has already received his employment pass from the Singapore government and, as schools start in early August, Jacob will be aiming to head to Singapore around the 15th or so. I am still waiting for the final documents to go through and then will need to get an employment pass, but am hoping that I can join Jacob in early September. That way, I can also work a few more weeks at my job in Rochester and spend a bit of time with my family in Barrington.

We expect that I will receive a 2-year contract, though we don't know what the future may hold for us after that. We're hoping to see as many of you as possible before we leave, and will keep you updated on where we expect to be over the next few weeks. Details to follow, but we plan to be in the Minneapolis areas around Aug 10-11 after spending time at Grace Lake, MN with the Dalagers and in Bayfield, WI with my Grandma. Jacob will be staying in MN from Aug 11 until whenever he leaves. I plan to return to Barrington around Aug 25/26 and will hopefully be there for a week or two.

This is a bittersweet announcement. We are so excited about this next step, but we are going to miss you all. From our time abroad before, we are aware of some of what we will be missing - nieces, nephews, and cousins growing up; celebrations of births, weddings, anniversaries and holidays; and the joy that comes from just spending time with our loved ones. We feel fortunate that communication - and travel - today makes it so much easier to stay connected, but we know that there will be times when our hearts long for home. We *hope* to have many visitors - you know, if you happen to be in the area! We appreciate all the support that so many of you have given us during this decision process, and ask for your continued support and care as we prepare for this major transition. We are so blessed by you all.

Lots of love,

Hannah & Jacob