You may find yourself...in another part of the world

So I'm in Calgary. In one piece. Just. The past two weeks have been quite the rollercoaster both internally and externally. In the words of David Byrne 'My god...What have I done!' Really, this is the fourth time I have uprooted myself and moved across the world in an effort to live the sentiment that life is a journey in the most explicit way possible. As I've said before, no regrets, but I always find the adjustment period tough. Lots of self-doubt, a touch of panic, and there beneath all of that a hefty dose of excitement.
So here we are in LJ's mum's old house which we are sharing with an unknown number of mice. Yesterday I went into the basement to do some laundry and there was one sitting on top of my sweater in the basket. So cute. But they must go. They are pretty cheeky with regards to coming up to the kitchen - from our vantage point on the sofa in the next room we see them skittering across the floor. We are attempting to deal with the problem. I don't want to say how. I don't feel good about it.
If we had some money we would be able to do so much for the house and yard and it's frustrating not being able to do all that. Still, we are making small improvements, working on painting the trim and window frames and planning to hire a sander to do the living room and porch floors. Little by little.
I'm also pretty much settled on applying for a PhD programme here. Nothing else excites me as much as the thought of studying more and I like the idea of a four year programme with class-room time, written and oral exams as well as a thesis. The past year has been so rewarding intellectually that I really want to persist with it, and I'm pretty sure that if I don't jump in again straight away I may never get to it.
Together with the residency applications I see much paperwork in my future...