Help Laurie and Adélie Settle in Spokane

Hello friends and the universe,

If you don't know me and arrived on this page after following some mysterious path: welcome. My name is Laurie. The little ray of sunshine next to me on the picture is my daughter: Adélie. She is 4 years full of smiles, talk and laughters. Whatever the reason that brought you here, on this page: thank you.

I never thought I would find myself starting another GoFundMe, yet, here I am. My first fundraiser was in January 2018, 6 years ago when I needed help to pay for applications for PhD programs. Thanks to everyone's generosity I was accepted to 3 different programs and I picked Penn State. My second fundraiser was 4 years ago, in July 2020, right before my daughter was born and I had just found out I was going to be raising this little light all on my own. Today, this new fundraiser marks another turning point in my life, one I did not anticipate to be so difficult: moving from State College, PA to Spokane, WA.

I did not anticipate because this time it looked like my struggles were over. It looked like I was the lucky one for once, when in February I accepted a tenure track position as Assistant Professor at Gonzaga University.

You might ask: if she finished her PhD and got a tenure track job, why in the world would she need help for? Good question.

Because things did not and still do not go as planned. I thought finishing my doctorate was going to be the hardest thing to do. I thought I was building a solid future for my daughter and I. I thought I would save and buy her a house soon, so that she may be protected if something was to happen to me. I thought I would finally reap the benefits of the endless work hours, finally live and not struggle, finally enjoy life, finally afford a nanny every now and then so that I could go out, finally not count my pennies, finally be able to pay for ballet lessons for Adélie. This could not be further from the truth.

SHORT VERSION:

LONG VERSION (for the most motivated among you)

I would like to provide some explanations for those of you who are wondering. I am also providing these explanations for me because, truthfully, I am so ashamed and beaten up by this situation that I feel like maybe if I go back, look at all the numbers again, maybe I will identify where I f..ed up, which bad turn I made, what I can undo...

1) I finished my PhD, yes, but I had to stop teaching private lessons few months before I defended (in May) in order to finish writing. This decision had serious impact as this was keeping me financially afloat.

*my graduate stipend was 24k/year, paid over 10 months, so I was paid 2400$/month august- may, and with that I had to pay rent, food, car, gas, daycare, bills, etc.

2) I moved across country to get this new job. This move just took everything and then more. I had to borrow over 10k from friends (who shall remain anonymous) in order to make it. Moving across the continent with a toddler is not the same as moving by myself. If I could redo it all today, I would change everything. But that's not how life works.

3) I needed to get a new visa in order to work at this new job. I was supposed to start August 16th. The visa did not arrive on time. I finally got the visa September 1st. The university won't pay me for August because I "technically" did not work in August (although I had to create the 2 courses I am now teaching, create my Canvas course, give my syllabus, design lessons for "a sub", etc).

4) I have not had any income since June. My next paycheck is September 25th. This means July, August, September. But I still had to pay for rent, food, etc. How much does a family of 2 need to live for 3 months? How much does it cost to settle in a new place? This is how I came up with the crazy number for this fundraiser.

I have 12 days until I finally get paid, until I can finally breathe. However, even after I get my first salary, I will need to reimburse my friends, I will have to catch up on all the accumulated debts. So I am setting up this fundraiser because I need your help get me out of this rough path, to more stable grounds. Anything helps, it does not have to be big.

Oh and if you have no money to give it's not a problem. I'll gladly take kind words and big hugs. I need those too.

Thank you for reading me.

With much love,

Laurie and Adélie