Update from Linee Yeo (at MIT 2005-2010)
My husband was at MIT from 2005 to 2010, and we have since moved back to Singapore. It was such a great experience working with Jennifer from spouses&partners, and through her, I met many other lovely people in the MIT community. I am still a stay-at-home-mom to my three daughters, but I have also started my own photography business. I am hoping to really grow the business when my youngest starts school next year!
Linee Yeo
linee.yeo@gmail.com
Update from Toshiko Imai (at MIT 1997-2001)
I've been running a support organization called WUSPA (Washington Univ. Spouses & Partners Association) at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri for almost 11 years. It's just like Spouses and Partners @ MIT although the group is very small. Apart from that, I'm enjoying playing tennis and playing Japanese music with some Japanese friends. toshistl@gmail.com
Update from Charlotte Karpa-Tovar (at MIT 2010-2013)
My husband and I moved back to Germany in 2013 after two and a half wonderful years in Cambridge. MIT spouses&partners was the first place I came to connect with people when I arrived in the US in 2010, and I am still in contact with many of the friends I made there. I adopted a few US traditions, for example Thanksgiving dinner. My husband continues his career path in physics and I changed from being in the printing/publishing industry to working in marketing. I took a course in marketing while I was in Cambridge, and it turned out to have been a very good idea—I just started a new job in marketing and couldn't be happier.
All the best for 2014!
Charlotte
Update from Anne-Marie Brekke (at MIT 2005)
Hello MIT spouses and partners. First of all, Jennifer, I don’t know what I would have done in Cambridge for five months if it had not been for you. And it was ONLY five months, from January 24 to June 15, 2005. But it was our first time outside Norway (except for a few vacations).
I enjoyed all the meetings you and your staff arranged for all of us more or less insecure spouses; some with children, some without. Well I was the crazy one anyway with three children who always played outside the STATA building in the snow!!! At the time they were 4, 6 and 8… now they are 13, 15 and 17.
After our short, but wonderful time at MIT, we moved back to Norway and Spitsbergen. We lived in Spitsbergen until June 2008, and had moved back to Norway for good—or so we thought. However, in September 2011, my husband moved to Moscow, and in January 2012, the children and I followed suit. Here in Moscow they attend the Anglo American school, my husband works at Innovation Norway (Embassy) and I keep everyone happy (ha-ha-ha). We have become a sort of international family… we like the challenge, seeing new places and finding out how it is to live in other countries. Where will we go from here? I have no idea (I could go back to Cambridge/Boston anytime!!!). Most likely it will be back to Norway, I guess; but maybe my next update will be from another country :)
This picture is from a small town outside Moscow called Kolomna. From the left: Ingvild (13), Sigrid (15), myself, and Tarjei (17). You see, I am not the tallest anymore! To all of you who are in Cambridge now—enjoy! To all of you who were there when I was—I hope you had just as good time as I had. And to you Jennifer—thank you! You are truly wonderful!
Love from Anne-Marie
Update from Laure Holderic Vernant (at MIT 2004-2006)
Attending S&P meetings gave me the opportunity to find a job, take yoga classes, and make good friends; one of whom is American, through the Language Exchange, while the others are international people I met during the Wednesday meetings. I do miss that "relaxed" period of my life!
When I came back to France in 2006 it was a bit hard to readjust, but I quickly found a job, then in 2009 my son was born. I was lucky to stop working for 5 months while I had my baby, and then I went back to work. I do not have a very interesting job, but it can be fun sometimes (and also very stressful!), as I coordinate the organizational planning for about fifty seamen.
My husband has a position as an Associate Professor here in Montpellier. We can't help but imagine that sooner or later we'll be travelling again. Even though we loved Boston and MIT we'd rather be exploring a new place!
