A Moment of Truth: The Dissertation Defense

Monday came only too soon and I rallied at 5 a.m. when my mind (and nerves) woke me up. My defense was scheduled for 10 a.m. and I had to make sure we had proper Skype connection with one of the professors in Oslo, so I planned to arrive at 9 a.m. I stopped at my favorite Athens coffee shop and relaxed there, going over my presentation, as I sipped rooibois tea and snacked on a vegetarian breakfast burrito. I walked to campus and worked with the IT dude to connect the professor in Oslo...which was more problematic than expected, but we managed to come to a working (but not optimal) solution. Finally, the other three professors filed in and before I knew it I was on the HOT seat. My major professor explained the defense process to me and then asked me to leave the room:

1.) They ask me to leave the room and discuss between them if there were any major concerns or gaps.
2.) If not, then they invite me back in and ask me to make a 15-minute presentation covering the findings, key discoveries, challenges, and future pursuits.
3.) Each professor then asks me questions and gives me feedback on the work.
4.) They ask me to leave the room again and discuss if I passed and what revisions (if any) I need to make.
5.) If all is good, then I sign paperwork and jump up and down and scream my head off with pure joy and liberation!

The famous "arch" on campus!

By this time, my nerves had turned into adrenalin...and I was ready to kick some ass. They invited me back and said there were no major concerns or problems and I began my presentation. The Q&A with the professors was more like a discussion. I did not feel stumped or put on the spot at any moment, in fact it was great to talk in depth about my lover that I had been working with for the past two years...that I was about to DUMP! All of the questions and suggested revisions were fair and reasonable. After about one hour of Q&As they asked me to step out of the room and before I knew it I was walking back into a room full of congratulations! Woohoo! We signed the paperwork, which felt all too surreal and I did everything I could to stop myself from busting into my favorite dance move, "Drop that Ass...". Charlie was waiting for me outside the room and I melted into his arms with a true feeling of liberation. See ya later, DISS!

We celebrated by eating pizza (of which I had been craving). Later, and after a much needed nap, we met up with our Athens friends (the Brazilians, Mallory, our Latino dudes, and a few PhD colleagues) at a local watering hole, the Globe. It was a perfectly intimate way to celebrate a long 4.5 years of my life.

The Final Pilgrimage: Dissertation Defense in Georgia!

Dissertation defense or bust! We rented a compact car and loaded our four 50-lb bags in the trunk/back-seat and headed South for Georgia...the land of PhD freedom! A road trip of this magnitude (530 miles) with a pregnant lady really means a tour of gas-station bathrooms. What fun! Actually, the drive down was not so bad and we stopped mid-way to meet up with Charlie's former boss and partner in Knoxville, Tennessee. We ate at the delicious Tupelo Honey Cafe, one of our favorite Southern eateries with incredible, freshly baked biscuits (OMG, how I could devour one of those right now). A few days earlier Charlie and I had food poisoning, so we welcomed a GOOD hearty plate of Southern cooking. And, of course the wonderful company made the food even tastier and more special!

We continued on our journey to Athens, Georgia where we stayed with our dear friends, Jack and Linda Toma. We had one day (Sunday) to relax before my defense and so we met up with another dear friend, Mallory, at one of our favorite Athens eateries--Big City Bread. YUM! While there we saw my major professor and a fellow yogini friend. This is what I love about returning to a place you used to call home--all of the familiar locales, sights, smells, and best of all the people. Reflecting back on this trip (I am writing this in February) I have to say that it was a perfect way to remember all of the sweetness of Athens, Georgia. While living there, I struggled to feel truly connected to the community, the politics, the quality of life, my PhD experience, etc., but this trip accentuated only the positive vibes and good memories I have for Athens. An epic way to close this chapter in my life!

Road Trip Day 1: Athens, GA to Carbondale, IL (499 miles)

Wake up at 6 a.m. Pack up the last few items and attempt to squeeze them into any little space that we might find, in between boxes, bags, and furniture. Nope…two items do not fit (two large picture frames). Argh…I begin to wallow in a growing monster of anguish (Come on Leasa, Keep Calm & Carry On!) I am simply drained, tired of organizing, packing, and moving stuff, and I am simply ready to be home in Colorado. The heat and humidity has tested my nerves the last few weeks and I am ready to move onto the next life adventure. We stop at Ike and Jane’s for our last red velvet cake doughnut, stop for gas (the most expensive gas purchased the entire road trip--U.S. $3.74/gallon), oil, and air for the tires. Ah, this day has been a LONG time coming. Once we leave the city limits of Athens, a wave of solace rolls over me. Ah!

We drive approximately 500 miles on day one (of three days) with an overnight stopover in Carbondale, Illinois—home of Southern Illinois University. The drive goes very well with several stops to change drivers, stretch, and fill up with gas. As we drive through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois, the pesky little “check engine” light on the car dash remains bright yellow. Yes, we have been dealing with some car issues for the past few weeks, but the auto mechanic swears that little “Lexi” (the hard core 1999 silver Lexus 300RX approaching 200,000 miles) will be okay and will not implode during our 1,500 mile road trip.

In Tennessee, Charlie spots a billboard for wine tastings at the highly acclaimed (snicker) Beachhaven Winery. We decide that forgoing this wine experience would be a sin, so we stop and sip on some surprisingly good Syrah, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. With a bottle of Cab in hand, we pushed on. We arrived at our hotel and immediately got back into the car for dinner. Charlie did some internet searching before our trip and he stumbled on a veggie café in Carbondale, Longbranch Coffeehouse, and when our friend (who used to live in Carbondale) confirmed the delicious fare, it became a destination. Charlie had veggie Thai curry and I devoured the veggie harvest with ginger sauce. Thumbs up for Longbranch! After a night swim we were ready for some shut eye.

Athens Favorites...Goodbye!

I will admit that living in Athens has been challenging, but there is always a silver lining to adverse situations. As I bid farewell to life in Athens here are a few of my favorite things:

1.) My man! I met Charlie in Athens and the best part of leaving Athens is that he is coming with me. He certainly made my time in Georgia sweeter and more bearable.

2.) Earth Fare--the organic food market that I frequented often. I may be parsimonious when it comes to materialistic items, but when it comes to good food I do not skimp. Earth Fare proudly advertises a list of banned food items: any food item containing high-fructose corn syrup, added trans fats, and artificial colors or sweeteners (just to name a few) never makes it on the shelf. In addition to offering healthy food options, it is a great place to grab a fresh cooked meal and free internet.

3.) Rubbersoul Yoga studio--this was the location where the negative energy was beautifully transformed into positive and compassionate energy. I taught many yoga classes here, developed and challenged my yogic philosophy through the adventure club, and enjoyed yogic bliss in shavasana.

4.) Coffee shops--Athens has a solid cafe culture and I watched it grow and change throughout my time in Athens. There is something about being around other studious people that motivates me to do work (osmosis?!), hence a lot of my time was spent at cafes. There were three in particular where I was a "regular" (especially as I studied and prepared for comprehensive exams): Walker's Coffee & Pub, (see photo at the top of this entry), Jittery Joe's, and Espresso Royale (see photo to right).

5.) Eats--Athens has a great restaurant scene, even for us veggie heads. We LOVE the GRIT, a locally owned vegetarian restaurant with the best cup of dal. We LOVE Ike n Jane's Cafe & Bakery where you can buy a super sweet Southern treat...red velvet donuts (see photo to right). But, Ike & Jane's is probably most known for their "Elvis Presley" donuts: peanut butter glaze topped with banana slices and crispy strips of bacon. Our favorite take-away spot was Dondero's Kitchen, a locally owned eatery serving up international dishes and delicious sesame noodles. The White Tiger Gourmet, "food without a 'tude", was our favorite lunch spot where the portabella mushroom sandwich and the grilled broccoli and asparagus never disappointed.

6.) UGA international offerings--I never would have imagined that my time in Georgia would have opened the door to so many international experiences. Travel to Costa Rica, South Africa, and Oxford, England was coupled with professional growth and opportunities in the field of international education as I chaperoned and taught students how to travel with a good conscious. My time at UGA ended on a high note as I conducted research on the international dimension of higher education while working for the coolest boss ever. (See photo of Jane, my boss--to right--cutting my going away carrot cake, yum, from one of my favorites, the Grit).

Some Like it HOT!

One month in Athens, GA in the heat of the summer...never again will I sign up for this again. (Wow, that feels so good to say!) I have learned that heat index indicates what the temperature outside (with humidity) really feels like. These days it is a rarity for the heat index to be less than three numbers long; it normally hovers around 100-108. As soon as I walk outside, no matter the time of day, I immediately break into a sweat and then I freeze in the air-conditioned buildings! The heat is just too much, so most of our time is spent inside (me wrapped up in scarfs and sweaters) hibernating from the intense and oppressive heat. It is a strange way to live; I have always known summertime as a season to be outside playing in the sunshine. Living in Athens, GA has been an experience all around...

Life in Athens in July

Only one more month living in Athens, GA. Woohoo! From July 6 to August 5, Charlie and I are living in downtown Athens in a small one-bedroom apartment (approximately 500 square feet). Charlie moved into the apartment in May (see photos...four windows above Moonshine Bar and A1's Italian Beef). We love living downtown, despite living on top of an 18-years and older bar, where the music thumps deeply into our floors making our bed vibrate from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. almost every night. Nothing better than ear plugs! Charlie especially loves the 5 a.m. wake up call when the leaf blower dude comes through every morning. With all of that being said, we do love being right in the middle of the action and walking everywhere (and the pandemonium below us becomes white noise at some point).

My time in July has been filled with work, yoga, and details for the BIG move. I finally finished up grading papers from the South African study abroad course (ah!). At Rubbersoul studio, I teach two yoga classes every week. In addition, I work at the Office of International Education conducting research 25 hours/week. I really love this job and my boss; which will make leaving a little sad.

Prepping for a move abroad always comes with many little nuts and bolts, here are a few of the details:

• Shop around and purchase one-way airline tickets to Finland (woohoo!)
• Submit travel reports to Fulbright and American-Scandinavian Foundation for grant payment
• Transfer my prescription to the Fulbright health insurance plan
• Schedule and go to dental appointments for two fillings and a cleaning
• Work with banks to process wire transfers for grants (both Fulbright and American-Scandinavian Foundation)
• Sell my mountain bike to Ben's Bikes
• Begin packing for Finland and our trip to Colorado (see photo of Charlie--planking and packing!)

Delta: Total Suckage

Remember a few blog posts earlier when I reported that my entire airplane reservation home (from Cape Town) was canceled? Well, I have finally received more information from Delta on how it all happened. After emailing with Delta nine times (no joke) and speaking to a Customer Care representative on the phone it has been confirmed that Delta is at fault on this one (suckers!)…

Here is an excerpt from an email from Delta Customer Care:
"After reviewing all of our information, we have discovered our Reservations agent made a mistake. She was speaking with another customer who was requesting to cancel their flight and was accidentally working in the wrong passenger record. She was in your record and canceled your flight segment instead of the actual customer she was speaking with at the time. Again, I am so sorry for the anxiety this created for you at the airport."

They appeased me with 30,000 miles, a $250 travel voucher, and a one-day lounge pass, but I am still chagrined as to how their customer service sucks and how I had to "work" to be compensated for their mess-up. Honestly, I expect more from Delta. Since living in Georgia I placed all of my airline loyalty with Delta, partly because Delta has a monopoly on the airline business in Atlanta. I even hooked up with a Delta credit card to facilitate racking up miles. This past year I flew 25,000 miles over a period of twelve-months. One week after my canceled reservation fiasco in Cape Town I received an email, “Congratulations and welcome to Silver Medallion® status!” Nice, now I can forgo queues and if I am lucky get bumped to first class. But, all of this loyalty got me nowhere when it came to discussing the canceled reservation situation with Delta customer care.

This past week I have been trying hard to rediscover adoration for Delta; which brings me back to the Costa Rica trip. After volunteering to get bumped off of the flight home, Delta gave us $600 travel vouchers and put us up in an all-inclusive beach resort. In this case the customer care we received was amazing (of course it was…we got a free flight out of it). I love you, Delta. But, damn, after this experience…you suck, Delta.

Residence Permit with NO smile

My residence permit for Finland came in the mail today! We need a permit because we are staying in Finland longer than three months. Applying for a visa is detailed and they say it takes up to 60 days to process. You need to apply with all of the proper paperwork (proof of insurance, proof of student/work status, proof of finances, and passport photos with NO smiles) and then you have to drop $560 (an expense that Fulbright does not pay for). Luckily, I was able to send in my application before leaving for South Africa. But, Charlie did not receive his work contract until late May, so now we are waiting (patiently) for his residence permit. Ah...the details of moving abroad.