Because it's so much easier to procrastinate and write ten pages on something like my feelings and what I'm doing with my life rather than fifteen pages on Nicaragua, I'm going to post another update. :)
The last blog was obviously very psyche-centric. This one is much more visceral but equally narcissistic. Come on. It is my blog after all.
So for those of you who are just now tuning in or even those of you who have a vague idea of what's happening in my life right now, this post will hopefully shed some light on these things.
This first year in graduate school has been intense. I am thankful to say, however, that I am blessed to have been placed in a department full of supportive and helpful colleagues and professors. Also, the classes that I've taken have been particularly useful for helping me shape my theoretical and methodological approach to my thesis topic.
My advisor, especially, has been wonderful in providing me with the right amount of guidance, constructive criticism and push to keep me on track this year. My friend, the other day, made a comment about the relationship I have with my advisor, "That's just not normal." "What?" "You're not supposed to have so much fun with your advisor." He was referring to a conversation she and I were having in the office which consisted of about 60% laughter, 30% down-to-business talk and maybe 20% fashion comments. Usually, when I go to Risa's office to discuss my thesis or other matters, her own colleagues comment that we have way too much fun, based on the amount of laughter that they hear. Needless to say, whenever I leave her office I feel great, even when she tells me I need to rewrite an entire grant proposal 24 hours before it's due. It makes me sad to think that other people are not so fortunate to have this kind of relationship with their advisor. I'm really blessed.
Thanks to Risa and my litter-mate, Melissa (mi otra!), I was able to complete the thesis proposal process and received IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval for my research. My thesis proposal was successfully defended in the last week of May. The purpose of my research is to explore the ways in which women have participated in community-driven development and how this involvement has affected gender relations, with specifice regard to the Jubilee House Community in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua. If you aren't quite sure what that means and are itching to know more I can send you a copy of my thesis proposal and we can talk about it on the phone. Otherwise, I don't think I care to go into too much detail here.
Thanks to the help and cooperation of the Jubilee House Community I have arranged to volunteer in community-based development initiatives in Ciudad Sandino this summer. While in Ciudad Sandino I will be doing participant observations on a daily basis and I hope to conduct semi-structured interviews with members of the JHC, male and female, in order to answer my research questions. I'll be spending a total of six weeks in Nicaragua, starting June 21 until August 3 of this year. No worries! I won't be so transient like before, I'll be stationary in Ciudad Sandino for the majority of the time I spend in Nica. I found it necessary to apply for a few grants in order to conduct my field research; so far I've been declined by one organization and I haven't heard back from others. I'm paying my expenses out-of-pocket (until I hear back from a funder) and trusting that the Universe will take care of me (as it always does) when I return to Athens because I will once again be in a precarious financial situation.
I'm really excited to go abroad again. Although, it really hasn't sunk in that I'll be leaving the U.S. in a week. I still have so much to do to prepare. It also excites me to think that I'll actually be applying what I've learned in school to real life! Who'da thunk?!
Hmmm... what else?
When I return from Nicaragua in August I'll spend the rest of my summer here in Athens, hopefully working at a local restaurant to make ends meet. Then I only have one academic year left to finish working on my Master's Thesis. I'll certainly take more classes because I need a couple of credits to finish up my Women and Gender Studies Certificate.
I'm not sure what my graduate assistant appointment will be next year, they change every quarter, hopefully I'll be doing something fun.
For the first two quarters here at OU I worked with a team as a teaching assistant for an environmental geography course. That was pretty neat because I was able to help coordinate and lead fieldtrips for students so they could better understand the connections between geography and the environment. I also helped to coordinate a geography mini-conference that was held on campus in the fall. This last quarter I was a teaching assistant for a human geography course which was pretty nifty because I made up map quizzes and exams for the students and it wasn't very demanding. It really opened up my time slots to work more on my thesis proposal (which consumed my spring quarter).
It's pretty crazy to think that a year from now I will have defended my thesis and will be graduating with my degree in Geography. More to be excited about! Beyond that? That's neither here nor there. We'll see what life brings me, eh?
Well, I guess that's enough procrastination for now. If you have any questions, if I left something out, or what have you, feel free to ask!
Peace
No comments:
Post a Comment