I'm Leaving the Country AGAIN!

Last semester, as I settled into the vicissitude of life I asked myself...how can I make the most out of this 4-year PhD journey? The destination was clear: a PhD credential, and the journey was yet to manifest. You see, I believe we manifest our journey through life, the reality we choose to live, and the experiences we have. Hence, I began researching international research opportunities (of which I was surprised to find so many). I could not resist a few opportunities, so I threw my name in the hat and let fate takes its course. Just last week I was offered (and accepted) an opportunity to live and study at Oxford University for six months. In July, I board a plane with insipid airplane food and fly over the Atlantic Ocean destined for the Queen's country, England! Here's the deal: I will work with the UGA/Oxford study abroad program as I pursue a few research projects with an Oxford professor. Of course I make it sound like the decision to take the offer was a no-brainer, which it was from a very personal (and irrational) perspective. However, from a rational perspective there were copious logistical issues I deliberated on (missing a semester of academic coursework, moving again, assessing the financial situation, winning the support of my professors, and coming back to Athens without a campus job). In the end...my motto, "Jump and the net will appear," prevailed! So, book your flights!

For me, this is a dream come true; to reside and study at a medieval European University that has tradition, rituals, and history that dates back to the 13th century. Oxford has been referred to as the 'themepark for academic geekhood'. Am I on the path of becoming an academic geek? To be continued...

Whirling Dervishes Swirl through Athens!

Living in the armpit of America, we have to get as much "outside" culture as we can. So, when we heard the exotic dervishes were coming to Athens, we quickly purchased tickets. In their white flowing skirts, pointy hats, and soft-soled black shoes, a group of whirling dervishes gracefully swirled their way around the stage. The evening started with chant-like relaxing sufi music and then the whirling dervishes whirled with their eyes closed for over 45 minutes. The kinetic energy of the "whirling" sends the spinning men into a meditative state of spirituality. The performance was amazing and I have to admit during the sufi music I dipped into my own meditation, as the music just sent me to my breath. The whirling dervishes were founded by Sufi poet Mevlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi in the 13th century. Rumi was a lover, a romantic, a humanitarian and his poetry reflected those values. Here is one of my favorite Rumi poems (just in time for Valentine's day!):

The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for
you, not knowing how blind that was. Lover's don't finally meet somewhere. They are in each other all along.

Doctoral Students Get Their Disco On...

Doctoral students are expected to synthesize complex theoretical academic articles, think critically, write coherent papers, conduct original and thought-provoking research, and speak intelligently on numerous topics. Honestly, sometimes my brain just gets tired. Yet, as I become more socialized into this way of living, I have realized that blowing off steam is rather important to the well-being (and my overworked brain.) So this is how I survive: a simple glass of wine with good conversation and laughter, yoga, or celebrating Sarah's 30th birthday...DISCO style. With gold accessories, disco fuzz, butterfly collars, and flared pants we danced (and punched) the night away. Only to wake up with headaches and more reading, synthesizing, and writing to do. Oh, the life we live!

It Only Took 7 MONTHS to Receive my European Master's Degree!

Last week I received a voice mail from my apartment complex, "You have a package, please come by and pick it up before 6 p.m." With a big smile on my face, I strolled into the office at 5:57 p.m. They handed me a lovely package from Universtitetet I Oslo...and the angels started singing. Ahhhhhh, my European Master's joint-degree, finally! You see, this simple piece of paper has not only seen the world, but was a personal labor of love. In November, I was summoned--by my classmates--to write a formal letter of complaint to the University of Oslo for not sending out our diplomas in June...or shortly thereafter. After many emails with the figureheads in Oslo, they finally got the ball rolling. I still do not understand what the issue was...but it sounds like there was some bad blood among the individuals who were responsible for coordinating the diploma production. Since this was a joint-degree, three signatures and "stamps of approval" were needed from three different university officials, in three different countries (Norway, Portugal, and Finland). And, so the adventure began...the diplomas went on a sojourn. Somewhere along the signature journey, the diplomas stopped off in Chile (yes, the country in South America). Why, you ask...I'm only speculating, but I think it had something to do with the long line of incompetency. Anyway, I am sitting here with my beautiful European joint-degree in one hand and a glass of wine in the other...reflecting on the amazing two years in Europe and how much I miss my HEEM family.

A REAL Southern Step Show!

Last night we went to the annual UGA step-show competition. Stepping is a form of musical performance which uses the body as an instrument, everything from stomping to clapping to spoken word. It is quite amazing to watch the complex dance rhythms performed in solidarity. Stepping began back in the early 1900's as a schoolyard competition among the black sorority and fraternity members. Today, it continues to be a tradition in the black sororities and fraternities on campuses, especially in the Southern nation states. This year three sororities and three fraternities competed, which I thought was a rather small number. You see the percentage of black students at UGA is not in line with the national average. In Georgia, 28% of the population is black, whereas only (approximately) 6% of the UGA student population is black. Hence, the black greek system at UGA is small compared to what you think it would be.