Twilight Criterium

Twilight is an annual criterium race in Athens. This year the race was soggy with lots of rain and flat tires, but that did not stop us from enjoying a few beer gardens and wicked cycling.

More Brazilians in my Life!

There is something about the Brazilians...they come into my life and bring such joy. Ali, affectionately known as my little Brazilian sister, connected me with some of her friends, a Brazilian couple, studying in Athens. Yes, what a small world! Here are a few photos from our latest Mexican dinner party complete with fajitas, Corona, HOT sauce, a delicious Brazilian dessert (condensed milk, strawberries, and chocolate), and YES, jumping photos.

Congratulations DR. Charlie Mathies!

That dude that I am dating here in Athens...is now a DR. dude. For the past few weeks, while working full-time, Charlie burned the candle at both ends working hard to finish his dissertation by the May graduation deadline. This is when a girl gets to see the true colors of a man in distress. Oh yeah! The good news... he made it through it and we made it through it! Now he can add those two gold-plated letters fortified with blood, sweat, and tears to his name. Woohoo! I am so proud of him...and it gives me hope. Friday was his defense and then we celebrated at the Globe with his professors and moved on to Cutter's where we ate red-velvet cake (from the Grit...yum!) with our fellow PhD crew. The celebration ended at his bosses house with some wicked Wii rock-band. There is no better way to celebrate a PhD than banging on the drums and strumming the guitar to sounds of the Beatles and AC/DC.

Birthday Celebrations...

One of my professors from Oslo, Norway, Berit Karseth, is visiting the University of Georgia and we were lucky enough to help her celebrate a big birthday. (By the way, Berit is also serving on my PhD committee.) What a fun evening...complete with a beautiful Norwegian man (Berit's hubby) singing (and dancing to) traditional Norwegian birthday songs. Oh, and that chocolate cake that Stephanie baked...delicious and food-orgasmic. Ah, a nice break from the end-of-semester crunch!

School Update #3: NO more coursework!

10 a.m. this morning I met with my PhD Committee (see school update #2) and they gave me their blessing to move to the next step in the PhD process. Woohoo! That means no more coursework, except that one class that has been a thorn in my side--Quantitative Regression. Ick! So, in the fall I will finish up that course and forever be liberated from taking another MANDATORY PhD course. Let me tell you...I am breathing a sigh of relief. I was unsure whether or not my coursework in Oxford would be counted. Good news...it was without any explanation needed! The next step: Comps (the final exams before dissertation research and writing). During the meeting we discussed potential comps questions and the literature I will need to read/study. This is going to be a busy summer as comps are scheduled for August.

What are comps? Each committee member (there are four) writes a question for the comps exam. Comps take place over four consecutive days. I will receive one question/day and have four hours to answer each question, no books, no notes, just my brain, my typing fingers, and a laptop. We discussed the general idea of each question today and I will receive a (LARGE) reading list from each faculty member to help answer the question. The comps questions are specific to my dissertation topic...so most likely I will have one question on the qualitative method, one on theory, one on policy theory, and one on European higher education reform. Very good!

Spring is here & so is the Pollen!

Spring has arrived, accompanied with 90 degree weather and record-high amounts of yellow tree pollen. Which means icky yellow dust everywhere (see photos), even in your lungs. Luckily, I am not allergic to the pollen, but I have been perpetually clearing my throat all week long. The trade-off: spring flowers! I do love spring here in Georgia, the colorful blooms make the congested lungs more bearable.

"Today’s pollen count reached 5,733 particles per cubic feet of air, according to the Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic. That’s the second-highest reading the clinic has ever recorded since it began in 1983, trailing only April 12, 1999, when the meter showed a count of 6,013."

School Update #2: My PhD Committee

Two years of PhD coursework...almost done! Which means it is time for the next step: the PhD committee. A PhD committee is composed of four faculty members, three of whom are faculty members in my program. Right now my committee includes my major professor, Sheila Slaughter, a professor that I have worked with on the Costa Rica and now South Africa study abroad programs, Doug Toma, a new junior faculty member who loves policy analysis, Erik Ness, and Berit Karseth, University of Oslo professor will serve as my fourth committee member. Having a non-UGA professor on my committee means more paperwork to justify why she can offer that 'something special' that other faculty members cannot. I am learning that this whole PhD process is all about paperwork and deadlines and persistence. If you can jump through these bureaucratic hoops, with a smile on your face, and of course do the work then someday you will be a person with two letters by your name D-R! My committee meeting is scheduled for April 9. At this time the committee will evaluate my coursework and a rough draft of my thesis topic and decide if I am ready to move to the next step in the process: Comps! Comps are the final exams before diving into the dissertation research.