Transition from researcher to homemaker

In September, it is now two years that I resigned from my job as a researcher of a national research institute located in Tsukuba city of Ibaraki prefecture. Presently, I am enjoying the life of a homemaker to the fullest.

As hubby’s workplace is in Akita prefecture, about 2.5 years ago I was faced with the biggest decision of my life, that is, to quit research work at least temporarily. Prior to marriage I was completely involved in research on the Physics and material aspect of semiconducting materials for 18 years. And therefore I only knew and felt comfortable with the world of science and research. So initially I was rather apprehensive about my decision to quit work but now, after two years, I have fully got used to the life of a homemaker. Akita is an agriculture based prefecture and it is difficult to find a research institute here. The prefecture has almost no scope for research activities in my field of specialization. So presently I am concentrating on family life and enjoying every moment of it.

I am inside a research laboratory in a university in the suburbs of Tokyo (1998)

I am inside a research laboratory in an institute in Tsukuba (2008)

Doing some experiment in the research laboratory of Tsukuba (2008)

I am enjoying the family life to the fullest. I can get up at my own sweet time, read a lot of English novels (and sometimes science related articles too), and blog. I also have a passion for cooking and enjoy cooking various kinds of Japanese as well as Indian food. My experiments with cooking are sometimes a grand success and other times utter failure. It feels just like being my old self, that is, an experimental Physicist. I realized that cooking good delicious food is also like optimizing the parameters of laboratory experiments to the best value.

I am in my kitchen

I am about to start cooking

After a few more years I might return to the research field again although I am not sure at the moment. However, I am very happy and content with my present life with hubby, and that sort of compensates for the lack of research activities.