An International Education Conference in Los Angeles!

After taking the train up the beautiful California coast to LA, it was time to switch gears and put on my conference smile. The Association of International Educators (NAFSA) hosts a colossal annual conference promoting the exchange of students and scholars from the U.S. Even with the economic downturn, a record breaking 7,400 people attended the conference sending a message that international education continues to grow regardless of the economy. Back in March, I was asked to represent Erasmus Mundus, the EU-sponsored two-year Master's program, at the European Commission booth. Coupling my two great passions: Europe and higher education, I could not think of a better way to spend four days (in a nerdy PhD sort-of-way). I talked to international education specialists from around the nation about my Erasmus Mundus experience, the program, higher education in Europe, and I also hosted a poster session based on research from my thesis. Okay, I think my cup is overflowing with lots of good Erasmus Mundus vibes right now. Of course there were a few good educational sessions I attended...and the plenary speaker was Bangladeshi economist and Nobel peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus. My thought after listening to his inspirational talk about microfinance: the American banking system sucks!

The social aspect of my LA visit was just as good! The Denver Nuggets were playing the LA Lakers in the NBA playoffs. Go NUGGETS! My fellow colleagues and I joined the Laker fans and cheered on the Nuggets, even though they experienced an agonizing loss. Argh, we (the Nuggets) lost the playoffs, but we did give the Lakers a run for their money in the first few games.

My trip to LA could not be complete without hanging out with my dear friend from high school, Bridget! We had lost touch over the years, yet this visit made it seem as if no time had passed. We visited many of the LA hot spots, including the Standard rooftop bar complete with a vibrating waterbed pods (no joke!), a panoramic view of downtown LA, and a heated swimming pool. I crawled into bed at 3:58 a.m. and had a poster session at 8:30 a.m. I think it's time to get back to PhD life in Athens...

A Birthday Celebration in San Diego!

A long birthday weekend in San Diego resulted in a few war wounds and of course an omnipresent perma-grin. My little kid brother resides two blocks from Pacific Beach which makes a beach vacation effortless, especially with the beach cruiser bicycles. We celebrated my birthday with many rounds of tequila. A great way to spend time with my brother, celebrate another year of being alive, and realize how old I am when I awoke the next morning with an "adult" hangover. On Saturday, after a lazy morning, we hit up Torrey Pines State Reserve and hiked the coastline. This area is beautiful with eight miles of trails perched high above on rocky cliffs overlooking the unspoiled beaches. We hiked and found a few spots ideal for yoga. Unfortunately, this State Park may be shut down due to the dire California state budget ordeal.









Every Memorial weekend a big group of my brother's friends gather for an annual kick-ball tournament on Sunday. Imagine 40 people (including a few San Diego Chargers--Nate Kaeding) playing kick-ball for 4 hours with the following rules:

1.) Everyone must have a beer in hand when catching the ball in the outfield.

2.) When you run to first base, you must pick up one of the cold beers, pop it open and begin drinking.

3.) The beer, picked up at first base, must be finished before touching home base (there are "coaches" to assist with the beer drinking at third base).

Needless to say, carnage ensued: broken toes (see photo of Bobby's nasty foot...with a broken toe and toe jam...ick!), pulled hamstrings, and lots of laughing.

Off to Los Angeles...

I HEART Boulder, Colorado!

The Boulder valley peacefully cuddled next to the majestic mountains, as I drove down highway 36 . Oh, Boulder! Every time I drive into the Boulder valley a deep-rooted visceral feeling overtakes me...I'm HOME! It seems that this feeling continues to grow stronger with each visit. The flatiron mountains, cafe culture, extreme athletes, active lifestyle, the CU-Boulder campus, and my dear friends all contribute to the adoration I have for Boulder, Colorado. Hence, the reason I refuse to sell my "home" in Boulder. In 2001 (at the height of the housing market) I purchased a town home that officially marked my passage into adulthood (and never ending mortgage payments...) So, every time I visit Colorado I put my tool belt on and get ready for some exhilarating home projects. This trip, my parents and I had the exciting task of fixing a leaky shower head (a 30 minute task that quickly turned into a 4-hour task). Gotta love owning a home!

Here is a photo of a cloudy day in Boulder and my dear friend Mel with baby Hope. One of my favorite things to do when I'm back in Colorado is visit all of my Boulder friends at the Alpine and Broadway strip mall of cafes, which is where both of these photos were shot.

My Bucket List #36: Become a Yoga Instructor...CHECK!

Shoshoni is a yoga ashram nestled high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains at 9,000 feet. When I lived in Boulder, my dear friends and I used to enjoy weekends escapes to Shoshoni for a little yoga, meditation, and mountain hiking. During these weekend retreats, I discovered how to hold my laughter as we all danced around deities (Hindu gods) with offerings (red umbrella, scarf, peacock feathers, etc.) during evening temple. I also discovered that pedicures are essential when doing yoga. And, finally I discovered that yoga is a pretty sweet addition to my life. My love for yoga continued to grow as I practiced with Wendy at Studio Be in Boulder, and Paula at Om Yoga in Finland. Last summer I decided to take the plunge and begin a 200-hour Yoga Alliance yoga teacher certification program at Shoshoni. I just finished up the last 100 hours while I was in Colorado the last few weeks. Dancing around the deities now has special meaning!

Reflections on my FIRST Year of PhD School...

I have written this entry about four times only to delete it to and write it again. I began each former entry by re-hashing the trials and tribulations of my first year of PhD life, and then decided I did not want to live in the past. We have all heard the first year of a PhD program is the hardest. Yes, it was a rough first year. Yes, I questioned living in Georgia. Yes, I spent more time on my computer than what is humanly healthy. Yes, there were times when I wanted to pack up my bags and become a ski bum. But, I am now officially a second-year Doctoral student. Woohoo! That is worthy of a celebration. And, that is exactly what happened at the end of the year...a BBQ (or what the Southerns call a "cook-out") complete with badminton and hula-hoops and a night of margaritas. SEE PHOTOS. Overall, I have learned a great deal about PERSEVERANCE and BALANCE. Suck it up and keep going, while taking the time to do things that fill your heart with love.

Dreamin' of Colorado, California & Europe!!

I have a few exciting adventures on the horizon and since the light is shining brighter at the end-of-the-semester tunnel...it's time to start thinking about what's next!

So, here is my life for the next 8 months...

May 4: to COLORADO! (QT with family & friends)
May 6-17: Shoshoni Yoga Ashram, Rollinsville, Colorado (yoga, meditation, veggie eats, and lots of mountain time)
May 21: to CALIFORNIA (to hang with my little kid bro on the beach)
May 25: to LA, California (to attend a conference on international education)
May 28: to GEORGIA!
June 1: Take two month-long PhD courses
July 4: to ENGLAND (not only Independence Day for my nation-state, but independence day for ME as I go back to Europe to study at Oxford for 6 months.)
August: travel with my dear friend Ali (the crazy Brazilian!)
September: ESTONIA (to present at an academic conference)
December: to COLORADO! SKI!!!



PHOTOS: Dennis' (a fellow PhD colleague) b-day BBQ.

Men Dress Like Women!

Men dress like women, dance around on stage, and lip-sync to cheesy music. The crowd goes wild, cheering and waving dollar bills in the air. This is a drag show! In Athens, (yes, in the conservative state of Georgia) the gay community coordinates an annual drag show fundraiser, "Boybutante," to raise money for the AIDS foundation. I have a few good guy friends who are gay and so we saddled up to the bar for an entertaining night of beautifully-defined calf muscles, facial hair, heels, big hair, and lots of make-up. We even knew a few of the performers: the elegant Miss Ella Gant who has a patented Duct-Tape Boob Job and Gloria Manderbilt, founder of the Garden Hoers Club and famous for her "bridge and purge" garden parties. It was hilarious and a much-needed break from the intense week of final exams, papers, and projects.

The Realities of End-of-the-Semester ICK!

'Tis the season to be consumed in research projects and papers, hence the reason I have been deliquent on posting a blog entry. Ugh! I have three papers gormandizing me: the effects of NAFTA on higher education (10-20 pages), a final exam in research methods (12 pages), an annotated bibliography (20 pages), and I just turned in a 13-page article critique. Only 30 more pages to write as the due dates rapidly approaching. Note to self: break into automatic happy dance after completing another page. I have resulted to counting down pages--to keep my sanity--a great numerical representation of my semester diminishing before my eyes. To explain my experience in layman's term: this sucks! I thought that the second semester would be easier to manage, and easier to cope with, however the knots in my shoulders are telling me otherwise. Sometimes I wonder...am I cut out to be a PhD student? Yet, something keeps pushing me...it's the little red train "I-think-I-can, I-think-I-can, I-think-I-can!"

Photos: Athens Classic City Brewfest: over 175 samples of beer. A great springtime event to drink away the stress!

A Bitter Sweet Scare!

On April Fool's Day...a few of us students became aware of a legislative update that read:

"The Senate committee included a number of reductions in its version of the FY 2010 Budget. For example, the committee eliminated funding for:

The Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia ($2.23 million)..."

At first we thought it was an April Fool's joke and then soon realized it was legitimate. The Senate Appropriations Committee recommended that the entire line item budget (consisting of faculty and staff lines, and all administrative expenses of the program) for the Institute be eliminated, not reduced, not cut...but completely eradicated. We tried not to freak out, but how can you not feel a little anxiety when your existence at the University of Georgia may be cut short due to policymakers making haphazard budget decisions? I found myself not only looking for jobs on the Vail Ski Resort homepage, but dreaming of their tag line, "Like Nothing on Earth." Becoming a ski bum and a yoga instructor suddenly had a sweet ring to it. As I fell asleep that foolish night my breathing was shallow, but my sweet dreams took me immediately to the Rocky Mountains. PhD vs. skiing?!

On April 2, we received this email message from the Director of the Institute: "Some of you may be aware that the Institute of Higher Education (IHE) was caught in the budget cuts in the senate higher education committee earlier this week. Evidently, there was a misunderstanding regarding our role (instruction and research, plus service) and placement in the system; consequently, in the rush to reduce the USG budget, IHE was affected."

Finally, on April 3 the Director of the Institute sent this email, " I just received the news, and I am pleased to let you know that the IHE budget was restored by the conference committee."

Flowers & Showers!

'Tis the season for beautiful new blooms and enough rain to wash them all away. Last week we experienced four soggy days of rain, followed by one sunny day and now it is raining again. I suppose it's not so bad. Georgia has been in a drought since late 2006. The rain has brought much-needed relief to the dry land, so when mother nature spits on a dry canvas you just have to grin and bear it. The good news is that the rain has made an impact...just a few days ago, North Georgia was deemed drought-free.

Plus, the rain makes it easier to be indoors, in front of a computer, typing my life away. Yes, it is officially that time of the semester...brain slam! I have 2 large research projects due in 4 weeks, and a 10-page paper due in 10 days. Then, I'm as free as a bird for the month of May.

PHOTOS: A few of my favorite spring sightings on the University of Georgia campus.