Kitchen Christmas

The empty metro on Christmas Day

We arrived in Montreal Saturday evening, and before we left town I looked at Kevin and said, "you know I really didn't get you anything for Christmas." He responded that we got one another a kitchen this year for Christmas, and that made me feel better.  This semester has been distracting for me, it was the last I had of my coursework, I had to nail down a dissertation topic, and I am pregnant. This is the first year in maybe ever that I wasn't excited about giving gifts. Giving things and making things is kind of how I communicate how I care about people and how I love them, and I didn't even have the mind or energy for it which speaks volumes about my mood. Not that I don't care about my friends and family, I just had zero energy or even interest in trying to conjure up enthusiasm for holiday festivities.

Obviously, thinking about the holidays was not on my priority list, least of all gift giving. So we decided instead to have a holiday away, and not get one another gifts. Plus, the kitchen remodel is certainly a big enough gift for both of us to have. And here we are in Montreal, with every one around us speaking French and the snow is all over and it's quite cold but we have a nice cozy little spot to relax and lounge around in. It's wonderful. We had a pizza dinner last night at a place in Old Town Montreal, and for the rest of the week we'll venture out when we want, or stay in and drink hot cocoa and eat crepes. And poutine. Mmmmmmmm.

Unseen Progress

We have been making progress on the kitchen! (As always, by "we" I mean Kevin). The progress we are making, however, is not always visible. But some big steps have taken place and I am very excited because it means more baby steps to a finished kitchen. Almost all of the electrical on one side of the kitchen is done. We've added a new switch for the ceiling light, and a few new outlets in the new half partition wall. Also, a new switch that toggles with the kitchen light is near the side door now. Of course, none of this can really be "seen" because it is all running through the studs, and it doesn't feel like anything is happening because nothing has been removed or destroyed or sanded or refurbed. But, things are happening, very important things. Like being able to turn on lights and fixing the super crappy confusing job of previous electrical work done in the house. Moreover, the handiness of Kevin never ceases to amaze me. I am in awe of his ability to figure things out and, you know, rebuild a wall and put electrical in there. Or patch in hardwood floors. Soon, I'll get to be amazed again when he redoes the plumbing on the other side of the kitchen and puts in the rest of the electrical there. He has some serious handy-man skillz. And as I always say, if this PhD thing doesn't work out, I'm seriously going to consider us opening a business to remodel houses. His ability to rework and renovate with my sense of aesthetic might make us unstoppable. Or at least possibly have a small modest business for ourselves.

Kevin acquired a lot of old books on house fixing upping, and inside one on electrical and wiring
was a chart written by his dad when he was doing the electrical work in the house Kevin grew
up in. Kevin's is on the right, the grid he created to know which wire goes where, his dad's
hand-drawn grid for the old Connecticut house on the left.
I love that we found the drawing from his dad.

Another One Bites the Dust

The squirrels were so excited about the end of
the semester they frolicked in our backyard snow

Semester over! Practically. I have one more paper to turn in that is just about done, and since it's for an independent study and I am folding it into my dissertation proposal I don't feel pressure. Rather more encouragement that I'm making progress on my proposal. So another semester bites the dust. Last week was finals week (which means nothing to me because I don't have finals), and Erickson building where the College of Education is was pretty much empty. I really love the closing of a semester. Despite having to get all last assignments in and the flurry of tidying up last paragraphs, conclusions, findings sections, etc., it always is a good feeling to end a semester. And the first morning of the first weekend after it finishes I always have a strange feeling, like I did this morning. That feeling is "what am I going to do?"

I get in a habit of waking up early each morning and starting to write immediately. I work best in the morning and even just 45 minutes of writing each day gets me pretty far on papers. This semester I almost completed writing an entire manuscript. And by writing an entire manuscript I mean taking all the data I collected over the summer, transcribing a total of 20 hours of talking (and transcribing means for every 1 hour of listening to tape, it takes me about 3 hours to type it out), writing a literature review, analyzing the data, and then writing it all up. It's the first piece of empirical work done I've from start to finish alone, and I admit I'm quite proud. I got some good feedback from my professor, and after I fix a few things I'll have my advisor read it and then I'll get it ready to send it off into the world for a reviewer at a journal to shred it to pieces. Right now, however, I savor the end of the semester, getting a solid draft of a single-authored manuscript completed, and watching the snow fall outside as I prepare to watch Netflix for a few hours to decompress.

Below Zero

This morning as I listened to the radio, the weather report stated, "It's about 19 degrees out, but it's gonna feel like it's below zero." I concur. When I step out of the car this morning as Kevin dropped me off on campus, a big gust of wind swooped into my lungs and for a split second I couldn't breathe. It definitely felt below zero. The winter weather has arrived earlier this year than usual. The first year we were here it didn't snow once until January. Then it didn't stop snowing. The second year we were here it snowed just a little at the beginning of December, and went away in a few days. Of course, once the new year began, it snowed steadily. This year, it started with a little snow fall about a week and a half ago. Then about 8 inches arrived on Sunday and another inch Monday, and well, it's currently 19 degrees out, so it's gonna be around for a while. I don't hate the snow, I just hate how it disrupts my life. And I commented this morning, "the snow can be around, just as long as the roads are clear." Thankfully, the roads are clear. At least until it snows again.

!$@#& is Getting Real

I found this image when I looked up "dissertation proposal"
and I think it's pretty funny that it comes from a wikihow
about how to write a dissertation proposal.

My fall semester is almost over. Next week I have my last class, kind of my last class ever for normal course loads. What this means is that after this semester, I have officially finished all but one of my required courses. I decided not to be an over-achiever and take more courses than I needed to (admittedly there are some that I'd love to take, but I'm using some self-restraint). The only course I have left to take is one titled Research Practicum. We all refer to this course as 995, because that is the course number - for some reason we refer to courses as numbers here, so I would say, "Have you taken 955B yet?" and what I'm asking is "did you take the qualitative methods class with Dr. Gonzales?". So 995 is up next. And this course is where I will write my dissertation proposal, and then hopefully soon after completing this course I will defend my dissertation proposal, and by defending my proposal I can then begin collecting data for my dissertation. Oh yes, this PhD !$@#& is getting REAL.

Just registering for 995, however, is not allowed. First I had to provide some outline for what my dissertation would be. And by outline I mean about 1,500 words. And then of course me being me, I wrote a lot more. My first draft I sent to my advisor, who holds the strings on whether I get approved for 995. I admit, my first draft was a bunch of random thoughts. Unfortunately, I assumed that he would understand. That would be a resounding NO. So, note to self, don't give garble-gook to my advisor, even if it all sounds like a great idea. Working through ideas on paper just isn't really the best way for someone to read my mind. While he provided some feedback, what he really should have said was, "What the *%$#! is this?"

I regrouped and sent him 3,000 words, much tidier. He responded again, and said I needed to push myself a little more. So I regrouped again and gave him 4,000 words. Have I mentioned that writing is a way that I learn? I always over-write. One of the last papers I turned in during last year, my initial draft was 10,000 words. I had to cut it down because I could only turn in 6,000. But I sure learned a lot. So anyway, I'm in. After the third draft, I nailed something down and was able to describe it well enough. However, I am modifying my dissertation a little because I decided I needed to pursue something I was more interested in, and I just wasn't completely sold on my initial idea. (Of course, once I really get that nailed down, I'll write about it more here, but it's still in the somewhat garble-gook stage). Fear not, however, I know what I'll be doing, and I just need to clarify, and it's not drastically different from what I was focused on before. Now I just have to write a little more so my advisor knows of these changes more concretely.

Not a Mommy Blog

I haven't quite figured out a way to write this in a blog, so I've been putting it off for the last week. Well, here goes. I'm pregnant. Yes, it was planned :) I think a lot of folks didn't know that Kevin and I had this planned for a while, we tend to like to keep things rather close. But this conversation started about two and a half years ago, when we decided that yes we would eventually try to have children. Then after that conversation we decided when. And well, the summer of 2016 came around and well... So all of this to say that our lives will change in a very wonderful, drastic, amazing, frightening, beautiful, and OMG way around the end of next May when we can welcome our little one into the world. We refer to her as Baby B (and yes, her because according to the bloodtest results, we're having a girl. Eeeeeeeee!!!)

Shelly Tambo: Sassy 90s style and singing mom

And I'm just going to say this now: this will not become a mommy blog. This will be just one part of my blog because I'm still a PhD student, I'm still renovating my house, I'm still a runner, I'm still a whole host of other things. Plus, I feel like I'd have to know a lot more to write about pregnancy. I haven't visited any mommy blogs since I got pregnant, nor have I read any books about being pregnant. I have a little app on my phone where I can keep track of things like my sleep, my exercise, taking vitamins, etc. and it gives me little updates, little snippets every day that I can look at. My favorite part about this app is that at the start of each week it tells me how big Baby B is. Right now she's the size of a beet. And that is about the right amount of information, because when I read too much I tend to get anxious, which I'm sure is opposite from most people. Although, there is never reading too much for school, I admit, and not reading in that part of my life does make me anxious. I prefer to just take it day by day on things like this, and it's doing me just fine. Best of all, I'm still running, and on Thanksgiving ran a pretty steady 5K, averaging about 9:30 a mile, which is way faster than I usually run. It must have been the crowds on the Turkey Trot that kept me moving so fast. Anyway, I'm feeling good!

So yes, I never thought I'd move to Michigan, and now, never thought I'd have a child born in Michigan. And that is indeed what is happening and it's quite exciting to say the least. The funny thing is, when I found out, all I could think of was Shelly Tambo from Northern Exposure, a show I used to love to watch, and the episode where she got "preggers" and is compelled to only sing rather than speak. I'll try not to break out in song when I'm trying to say something, but I can't make any promises.

Another Three Weeks Goes By... and Kitchen

It has been a long three weeks. I have been traveling a lot, I'm behind on my emails, I have papers and other things to submit, I am shifting some research because of the election, and I haven't written a blog post. (I am finally up to speed on the latest season of Project Runway, however, because priorities). So to get back into the swing of blogging, I'll write about what I love to write about, home improvement, and save some of my more thoughtful posts for next time.

We decided to go for it and redo the kitchen. This was on our hit list since we purchased the house, but kind of hummed and hawed over when exactly to do it. Well, we just decided, now or never. So we spent one weekend about a month ago tearing down the partition wall. Taking that down was like a breath of fresh air, and suddenly we could see from one end of the house to another, and light poured in from the kitchen side all the way through to the backyard. It was glorious. Next, we tackled the floor, and removed all the gross tile that had been laid in the kitchen, and also along the entry-way. A while back I chipped out some of the tile in the entry-way closet, thinking that there was probably hardwood floors under there. Sure enough, as we went through and removed it. there be hardwood floors. Why anyone would cover up hardwoods is beyond me. And not just cover them up, but completely hide them with the cheapest, most hideous tile around. Well, that cheap hideous tile is gone! This past weekend, between writing a paper and finding some down time, we finished sanding the thin-set off the hardwoods, and Kevin started blocking in where the new kitchen peninsula will go. It's all very exciting! Here are some pics.

We found some pretty cool 1956 wallpaper under the beadboard of the partition wall. And yes, we still
have not replaced the gross 1980s chandelier. Soon.

Pretty much the way we live now. One set of cabinets is still in place to hold the sink.

Last Post About the Bathroom

This will likely be the last post about the bathroom remodel. It is a happy occasion, because it means, at least, all of the things we had planned for that room are finished. I can remember way back, when we first started the journey of remodeling the bathroom. How we thought it might be pretty easy. Then we had to tear out all the tile and discovered concrete and wire behind there. Then mold. Then a rotten subfloor. And we gutted the whole room and bathed behind sheets of plastic for 5 months. Sigh. But today folks, I can say our bathroom is FINISHED. The last thing to do in there was put in a vent fan. It has been installed. Now we take showers with added light, and less condensation. It's amazing. Up next: Kitchen. Yes, it's happening. In fact, the kitchen remodel has already started. But before I post about the kitchen, I wanted to pay my last respects to a final blog post about the bathroom remodel.

Accepted, Accepted with Revisions, Revise and Resubmit, Reject, Desk Reject

Since starting my doctoral work, I've learned a few short-hand phrases about publishing in the academy. Most notable of these is "R&R" or "revise and resubmit." Basically what happens when one submits a manuscript for publication is one of several things:

Accepted: this rarely happens. I don't even know why this is a category, because I don't know anyone who has ever gotten a manuscript accepted with hardly any necessary revisions. And while I don't know everyone in academia, those I do know also say this rarely happens.

Accepted with Revisions: This is like the editor of a journal saying "We have reviewed your work, we like it, just make these changes and we'll publish" this is very good!

Revise and Resubmit: This is the most likely of all outcomes. This is when the email from the editor says "There is some good work here, but also some concerns from the reviewers. How about you take another shot, and if you can make the changes, we will likely publish."

Reject: The worst of all. Getting a reject is the worst because it usually takes 3-4 months for a journal to respond with a decision, and during that time you can't shop your manuscript around to anyone. Then when the reject comes, it's terrible because you think, "there went 4 months of possible revisions for a journal that would consider this."

Desk Reject: My advisor says this is one of the best things that can happen because within 2 weeks you know if the journal wants it or not. I'm glad he said that because I got a desk reject a couple of months ago and thought, "Oh well, I can shop this around somewhere else now." No hurt feelings.

The reason I go into all of this is because I recently heard back from a journal and got an "accepted with revisions" !! This is great news of course! The revisions are minor. (and I have to admit, they should be because I spent HOURS on this manuscript). I rewrote large chunks from an original paper my friend Meg and I wrote, submitted it with her blessing, and ta-da! Accepted with revisions. She and I are now working furiously to make changes and get it sent back. Needless to say, I'm very excited! And when I get this one turned back in, then I can focus on the other "revise and resubmit" manuscript I co-wrote. There were, er, a lot of things we needed to address. But those revisions will happen, I am sure.

Sleepy Hollow

After we came back from our backpacking trip in August, Kevin and I decided we wanted to try to do some "quick overnighters" if we could closer to Lansing. He learned about a state park called Sleepy Hollow, and it is literally a 25 minute drive from our house. Given the beautiful fall weather we are having here in Michigan, we picked a weekend to do one of these quick overnighters. I planned ahead and tried to get all of my school work done-ish for the week so I could enjoy the weekend. We also had to plan a weekend that didn't interfere with the state park's annual Halloween trick-or-treat camping, because how awful would it be to have to spend the evening at our campsite passing out candy. I reserve passing out candy only on Halloween night. We went this past weekend, and it's a good thing because it was the last last weekend before the park closed its campground. It was great to get outside, do some birding (Redhead, GBH, Downy, etc.), and hiking around in the crunchy autumn leaves. One thing, however I will never really understand, is why people bring TVs with them on camping trips. In the evening I was walking to the restroom, and the campers in the area had TVs outside, with people sitting around talking, Christmas lights on, music on, whatever. It baffles me. Most campers were pretty quiet, but I think next time we do a quick overnighter we might try to find a campground that has walk-in sites. These are guaranteed to keep TVs and stereos at bay from our tiny tent and also give us a little privacy.

I'm Sorry Blog

Earlier this year, all the cardboard

I realized it has been almost a month since I last posted. I'm sorry blog. I try not to let so much time pass, but I've been procrastinating on writing a post because "I've been very busy." That's what I say when people ask me how I'm doing. "I'm doing well. I've been very busy." Busy is something I say when I don't know what else to say. It seems to answer the question of how am I without making it sound like I'm just bored and that's why I don't return emails or texts. I could take the time to write a post, but I just haven't because I've been busy.... and lazy. And out of routine. It's amazing how important routine is. And when I'm out of it, gathering the energy to do something I built a habit doing just seems so hard! Alas, I'm here, I'm writing. And so.

One of the busy things that's happened is there is now no more cardboard in the backyard!! You may recall that very early this year we covered up a section of our backyard lawn with cardboard to kill the grass. We wanted to landscape it a bit and give it more pizzazz. Well, enough time had passed for the grass to die, and we finally got around to attending to the cardboard ruins. Kevin mostly did it, I will happily admit. (Because I'm very busy). He got top soil, covered it all up, and provided a path through it. We had a large amount of rocks in the front yard from the previous owner who used them to landscape, so we took those rocks and filled in where the path was planned. Then we put slate pieces over the top (slate was free from Kevin's work). Voila! A path! We transplanted some Hostas, and lily of the valley that was given to us from our neighbor, bought some hardy mums that were extremely on sale, along with a few other plants (end of season sales are the best!) and now we have a much better backyard area. I can't wait for next spring to see all the dandelion bulbs we planted pop, and also when we can put a few more things in.

We also have a lot of that awful scalloped red edging, and we are trying to upcycle some of it. So we put it against the last bottom step of our deck. The wood there was rotten, and Kevin replaced it but had to dig a tiny trench there so the soil wouldn't sit up against it. And, again, Voila! Another remedy that doesn't look too shabby. We're hoping to use some of the rest of the red scallop stuff on its side and make a path through the grass from the carport to the shed. Yard work can be done in the autumn.

Assistantship Stuff

This year I have a new assistantship. When I first started at MSU, I began working with a faculty member in the department, who I came to really love. Jim and I worked together about a year and a half and then he retired. When that happened, the chair of my department told me that the Office of Budget and Planning (OPB) on campus was looking for an assistant and she recommended me to their department. I was slightly confused because I knew I had a post in the College of Education, so I thought, "are they trying to get rid of me?" After some clarification, the department chair said she thought it might be good experience for me to work over there, and if I moved there for my assistantship I would have a routine. With Jim leaving, I may have bounced around a bit in the department, so I decided to take the assistantship in OPB.

Erickson Hall, the College of Education. Come visit!
I'm on the second floor, room 203 :) 

Now, fast forward to early summer 2016. My friend who was working with the assistant dean in the college of education asked if I'd be interested in talking with the assistant dean because she would need a new grad assistant - my friend was graduating and would be leaving that position. I had met Sam, the assistant dean my first year. She had done work in the nonprofit sector, and when I was writing my master's thesis, I remember using some of her research. So we met because of our common interests in the nonprofit sector. She asked if I'd want to come back to the college of education and work for her. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance. My work over in OPB was fine, it wasn't particularly my favorite thing, though. While in OPB I worked primarily on my supervisor's research agenda (often administrators in higher education who have PhDs still work on their own research). Sam also is a PhD who would like to continue to be engaged in her research, and since her's is similar to what I used to do, it was a good fit. With that said, I am now back in the college of education, reading and reading and reading about nonprofit stuff and able to learn more from another individual about designing research, organizing studies, collecting data, and putting together manuscripts. I'm very thankful to have had such a diversity of assistantship experience, and I'm very glad to be back home in the college of education.

FEGUNL + 1

Our Relay Team Shirts - with an image of one of
our professors who led the FEGU trip.
He's one of a kind.

This past Sunday a group of my friends and I ran a relay team marathon. (I didn't run a marathon, I ran a part of the marathon equaling 4.8 miles). To provide some context for why I have a team of people who are willing to run a relay like this, I need to go back to my trip to the Netherlands. While in the Netherlands, my friend Heather and I would consistently wake up and go running. I went about every other day, and we ran through the streets of Maastricht, Paris, and Amsterdam. About half-way through our trip, we encouraged others to join us, and others did. Three other folks would come running with us about twice a week, and we called ourselves casually the FEGUNL running team. (FEGU stands for Fellowship to Enhance Global Understanding, NL, obviously, Netherlands). One of our FEGUNL runners who joined us is a serious runner, so it was natural to have her join us, even though she prefers to run in the evening.

Now fast-forward to September. A couple of weeks ago we all drove up to Alma, MI, where there was a 5k. Why Alma, an hour away? One of our FEGUNL running team members is a cyclo-cross racer, and hosts his own race there. So, we ran the little 5k that went along with it. Well, I didn't because I was nursing a pulled calf muscle. But Kevin, along my three other FEGU friends did run. (Kevin we joked was our "plus 1" for the FEGU team). Then that evening, by a random conversation about running as a relay team and passing a baton, we immediately decided to sign up for the Capital City Marathon, Relay, 5K and 10K. We hustled to make tshirts, sort out who would run which leg, and make a plan. I, personally, am now hooked on running these kinds of relays. Especially now we have matching tshirts. So I foresee another relay in our collective future.

Skunk Family

We have a skunk family. In late July, Kevin went out to discard the compost into the bin, it was dark, and he came back in and said he startled a skunk and a raccoon in the back yard. For a few evenings after that, we saw both the skunk and raccoon, but over a period of time we only really saw the skunk. And I admit, I love skunks. I think they're quite attractive little animals (except for their beady little eyes I am reminded). The other amazing thing is that we had two ground hornet nests along the house, and one day we came out and it was all dug up. The hornet nest scattered all over and a big hole left. Then two days later, the other nest dug up. With some research, we learned that skunks will go after hornet nests. Good news for us!

Then a few nights ago, as I walked out to the deck to join Kevin for an evening chat around 9pm, our little skunk came strolling along the back fence and proceeded to chow down on the bird seeds that drop from the feeder. Kevin and I squealed, and admired the little skunk. And I grabbed my phone and took pictures. Then, about 7 minutes later, another skunk came up from the same side, then another, then another. And soon, there were four skunks in our backyard, obviously youngish ones because they proceeded to pounce on one another and make a funny little squeaking sound. And they didn't stink at all. It was weird and wonderful. But now, I admit, that two nights in a row they have been unseen but OH MAN can we smell them from our bedroom window. I've come to like these little skunks. And I've leanred they give you fair warning if they are about to spray (they stomp their little feet and flare their tail - not that we have been sprayed, but we've done our internet research). For now, I peek out the back door to the deck each night now, looking for our little skunk family, but we haven't seen them all together again. Except when I get that whiff around midnight.

It's kind of hard to see all four skunks on the right, but you can kind of make out their shapes

Room by Room

Same fan, but much better.

Now that our bathroom is done (I'm just going to call it done, even though we still haven't put the vent fan in) we are moving on to the next room. The spare bedroom next to the bathroom was our staging room as we redid the bathroom, and now we are finally putting it back together. Putting it back together means putting up new trim because all the trim was super gross quarter-round from 1984, and fixing up the closet and putting a fresh coat of paint on. Additionally, it meant doing a little DIY on the ceiling fan. We have four atrocious ceiling fans in this house, and are doing something about it. Finally. For the spare bedroom, we removed the fan and replaced it with a regular dome light shade. Then we took the entire ceiling fan and I took some spray paint to it, chose new shades, flipped the fan blades, and added Edison bulbs and actual pull chains and voila! A ceiling fan we can live with, now in our bedroom. Hopefully by the end of next weekend we'll be ready to set all the furniture back into the room, and put the TV in there, where we have a spot for it along the wall. It will officially be our spare bedroom/TV room!

Spare room/TV room with everything shoved to the center so we can paint. Look at
that lovely new trim! So modern! And the wall color we are in love with (although
this picture doesn't do it justice). It's called "Oats and Honey" :)

It Begins

Yesterday I had my first day of class. During the morning at home, before I left for campus, I apparently was sighing a lot. I came into the kitchen while Kevin was making lunch and let out a big sigh, and didn't even know it until he pointed it out. I felt a little like Pooh Bear, "Oh Bother." But once I got to campus, I started to feel a little better, knowing that this had to happen. I have finally found a best way to get to and through campus on my bike, and I'm really happy about it. After two years of slightly tweaking my route, I have found the one with the straightest path, and the least amount of possible mis-haps with phone staring students and drivers. So, that's a big plus about going to campus now.

My books this semester, aawwww yeah.

First on my agenda yesterday was a meeting with my supervisor. This year I started a new assistantship with the Assistant Dean in the College of Education. For the last year I was working in the Institutional Studies (IS) department on campus. It is in the administration building, and is basically like a big information data hub. I had the opportunity to move my assistantship back to the College of Education and I jumped at the chance. Not because my assistantship with IS was particularly bad (although there were some spells when I wondered, "what the heck?!?") but because I really missed being around my own college. I felt disengaged from people, and knowing that I will soon be finished with coursework, I want to have a way to stay connected. Physically being back is great. I'll go more into my work with the Assistant Dean, but for now, I'm happy to be back.

Second on my agenda for the day was my first class. I'm taking a course called Case Study Research. It is a methods class, one that will teach me a particular way to gather data, organize, it, and prepare research. I'm excited about this course because it will help me get close to completing a research study from this summer. Best of all, the professor is amazing. I've had her before, and am so glad to be back in class with her.

Last on my list for the day was doing some reading for my independent study. I am taking two courses this semester, the Case Study Research course, and also an independent study. For this one, I developed a syllabus where I will read through sociological theory. I need to have a good grounding in theory because, well, I'm super interested in it, but I also want to have knowledge about it to know which will be the best for my dissertation. So when I got home, I curled up with Karl Marx.

It's going to be a packed semester. I'm also a teaching assistant in a master's level class with my advisor, although the class is online so it's rather interesting. But in terms of my course work, even though I'm only taking two courses, I have a lot to write, and a lot to finish, and then a lot to prepare for if I am to begin writing my dissertation proposal in the spring. For now, I'll focus on reading and writing for assignments.

#onelastweekend

Kevin doing the fishing thing on Lake Michigan

This past weekend Kevin and I were invited to go car camping with my friend Heather and her two boys. We didn't have any plans for the long Labor Day weekend, aside from house projects and my own complaining because the semester is starting. I also had plans to spend at least one night waking up every two hours with anxiety about school. But other than that, not much planned. So when Heather invited us, we thought, sure! We went for one night (because we still needed to do some house projects) and had a great time. Granted, this is not the typical car camping of the Blalock-Tracy household. This was an entirely new Midwest experience. We're talking campsites on top of one another, small beaches packed with families and sunbrellas, and lawn chairs, lots of RVs, and most of all, ORVS. Yes. Off-Road-Vehicles. We went to a place called Silver Lake, about two hours away that is just near Lake Michigan. Between Silver Lake and Lake Michigan are the giant sand dunes that I've come to love about Michigan. (It's one of the secret wonders of this state).

At these particular sand dunes, there are lots of off-road vehicles. LOTS. TONS. So we went to the beach one afternoon, then the next morning we walked up and down some of the dunes, and then spend about an hour sitting on top of the dunes watching the ORVs scream down the hills with their 'Merica Flags. And some unfortunate Confederate Flags. And one Don't Tread On Me Flag. Heather and I joked that we should get a big truck, paint it hot pink and wave a giant "I'm With Her" Flag. That might shake things up a bit.

Other than ORV watching, we did enjoy the sand dune hiking, along with some evening fishing thanks to Kevin, and since we had Heather's kids, (ages 9 and 11) we indulged in go-cart racing too. Not a bad way to spend part of Labor Day Weekend. I thus dedicate my last summer weekend to the economic achievements of American Workers! Thanks Workers!

First Day Back

Where papers go to die. Or be reborn.

I've been resisting writing a blog post about the start of school. Obviously, I don't want school to start. Sure, I enjoy being here, being a grad student, writing, reading, researching. But when the semester actually starts, the stress increases, the deadlines become more treacherous, the pressure presses much harder. I feel this way not because I'm hard on myself, which I readily admit I am (and I am and have dealt with this need to be perfect by having a very messy, unorganized, chaotic, sloppy way of doing other things, like crafting. And my clothes don't always match). I feel this way about the start of school because being back in class means being around for criticism. Class equals: reading, writing, and researching and then turning in a paper for FEEDBACK. And I must admit, that I am actually quite good at receiving feedback. I appreciate that my professors want me to improve, and some show me that by slashing my papers. But every time I turn something in, it still feels a little like I'm tossing The One Ring into Mount Doom. My paper is so precious! I've spent hours on it! Please don't just burn it up! Unlike Frodo, I get my papers back, even after it's been scorched a little, and have an opportunity to make improvements.

Indeed, today is the first day of classes. I'll be on campus for a meeting, and my first class doesn't start until next week. So in addition to dreading the deadlines, the criticism, the work to improve, I also dread riding my bike into campus because there are 11,000 new freshmen who don't know where the heck they're going, don't know the little rules of staying out of the bike lane, and don't know that it's actually very dangerous to play Pokeman Go with 45,000 student drivers. Other than that, welcome to the start of my third year as a PhD student!!

I Learned to Can Because I Don't Believe in Divorce

While our backyard has been going through a slow transformation, one thing we did not attempt this year was to put in a vegetable garden. I would have loved to have my own supply of lettuce and be up to my ears in zucchini, but it was not meant to be. Instead, we were given two tomato plants from our friend in Grand Rapids, and we put them in a container on the back deck. One plant was a regular tomato plant, the other a cherry tomato plant. They both started out well, although the regular one started to fade, and we only really got two off of it because the dry summer weather wrecked a lot of them, and also we noticed that one looked like a bite had been taken out of it. Overall, that plant just didn't offer tomatoes we wanted to eat. The cherry tomato plant is still going gang-busters. I just plucked four more off today.

Our little plants of tomatoes are just the right amount for us. Our back neighbor, on the other hand, is literally shoulder deep in tomatoes. He canned 24 quart sized jars a couple of weeks ago. Yes, you heard that right, 24 QUART SIZE JARS. I was chatting with him the other day and when he sees us he hands us some tomatoes. I commented on his canning extravaganza, and he replied, "well, I had to learn how to can because I don't believe in divorce." I imagined his wife saying, "It's me or the tomatoes!!" Then just two days ago Kevin and I were admiring the grass and hanging out in the backyard, and he said, "Are those tomatoes sitting on our side of the fence?" Sure enough, four little tomatoes lined up in a row were sitting just on our side of the fence. It appears our neighbor is now just placing them there for us because he can't get rid of them fast enough.

Manistee and the NCT

Last weekend Kevin and I went on our first backpacking trip since we moved to Michigan. We had planned to do this the summer of 2015, but instead went car camping with some friends who drove over from Chicago. I do love a good car camping trip, but what I really love is backpacking, the kind of backpacking when I can hike in a few miles, stay the night, hike in a few more miles, stay another night, maybe even a third night, and then come back. When we left Seattle, we went to one of my favorite spots in Washington state, the Elwha River and packed in a few nights. Not since 2014 have we been able to do this until last week. What it took was putting on our calendars that we would go backpacking on this particular weekend, and then protecting that weekend from other plans.

After exploring places to go, we decided on the Manistee River Trail, which is about 2.5 hours north-west of Lansing. It is a trail that connects on two ends of the river, and is about 23 miles around. One side is the Manistee River Trail, the other the North Country Trail (NCT). I almost don't want to write this, because then everyone will know the secret, but Michigan is quite beautiful. It's like a hidden gem of Midwest beauty. The further north on the lower peninsula, the more hilly the landscape. Also, the region here means there are so many different kinds of trees, and thus, fall colors are amazing. Don't get me wrong, I love (and miss) the rugged majestic landscape of the NW, but Michigan offers a more rural, rolling, nuanced landscape, with spots of lakes everywhere, rivers, and geological variation (hello Petoskey!) to keep me happy in the outdoors.

Our Friday through Sunday trip was the perfect getaway, even though it rained a little and despite being slathered in bug juice I came out of the woods with about 30 mosquito bites. It was a much needed time outside before the indoor word of school begins.

To Do List Update

Well, the summer is almost over. The semester has officially begun, although classes don't start until August 31st. When the semester starts it just means that assistantships start, which means that I've begun work in the assistant dean's office in the College of Education. (I'm very excited about this! More on that later). I'm recalling that I made a to-do list at the beginning of the summer. And since I obviously haven't been keeping up with my blogposting as much as I hoped, I felt a good place to start after a two week hiatus from posting was checking in with that to-do list. Let's begin:

Read Patricia Hill Collins. I did not read this book. I have a copy, but I didn't even crack it open. Instead, I read a book called American Higher Education, Leadership, and Policy: Critical Issues and the Public Good by Penny Pasque. I know, it sounds amazing, right? It's actually quite good. I read it because it provides a really good example of research design. And since I was going to be doing an observation over the summer, (and that is how the author performs her research for the book) I wanted to get a really good grounding in how someone else does it.
Sew. Uh, Nope. Didn't do it. Didn't even wash the fabric or iron it.
Finish my article. YES! I did this! And I submitted it! I submitted it in late July, and good news, is that it wasn't flat out rejected at the editorial desk. This means it is currently under review by reviewers at the journal. Hopefully in a few months I'll get an answer. So, what I hope for is something called a Revise and Resubmit, or R&R. This means that they give me all this feedback, and tell me everything that is wrong with it, and tell me how to fix it, and then I fix it, and then they might do that again, and then it gets published. If I don't get an R&R, then I'll get a flat out reject. Even with a reject, I'll get feedback, which means I can make adjustments and submit it to another journal. But, good vibes for an R&R. That's what I want.
Begin Case Study Research. Yep! Did that! Read this post.
Run. YES! I ran. I ran in Paris. I ran in Amsterdam. I ran in Maastricht. I ran in Lansing! I just ran yesterday! Still running. I'm signed up for a little 5k and a 10k in September. Little legs are still churning.
Hike. AWWW YEAH!!! Big backpacking trip happened last week. Stay tuned for the post soon.
Write write write. I did do some writing. I finished the article, and I have been doing some writing for my dissertation ideas and epistemology statement. I am also working on two other projects that require writing outside of coursework (because publish publish publish) and although I haven't made a lot of headway, I have made some.

All in all, not bad. :)

Part 3: Texas, Detroit, Friend Visits, Summertime, and Beyond (Summer Review in Parts)

Chillaxing at the Beach in Holland, MI

Now that today is the last day of July (the best month of the year!) it is timely that I wrap up my posts about summer, or at least the things I did in July. Now, I realize that Michigan is a long way from almost anything. Many people don't realize that Michigan is in the Eastern Time zone. When you look at it on a map, I'm sure you first think, "wow, it really IS pretty far east". And for this reason it means so much to me when someone dear to my heart comes for a visit. My bestie from the westie came to visit me again in July. We decided it would become some kind of summer fun-trip for ladies to vacation. Whether or not she always comes here, we know it is increasingly important for she and I to have long visits with one another every year.

I love my friend Brenda. She is one of my oldest and dearest friends, and she has seen me through some of the most difficult parts of my life. And our frank, loving, supportive, and honest relationship is what has endured and grown our friendship. So when she comes to visit it means we get to laugh at how silly I am, because she is the same way, I get to indulge in all of my goofiness because she loves that about me, and I get to have long long long conversations that span from "maybe we should be wearing make-up" to "educational philosophies" to "design research" to "why we love the movie Bridesmaids." I am so thankful for girlfriends who come visit the Mitten state, the middle of nowhere state it feels like, from the far away west coast.

Part 2: Texas, Detroit, Friend Visits, Summertime, and Beyond (Summer Review in Parts)

I have no shame in posting this RIDICULOUS photo
of me on my 11th birthday. In Nebraska. Looks like
I got a donut and cocoa from a vending machine.
And if you're wondering, yes, that is a cassette tape of
Debbie Gibson's "Out of the Blue" I'm holding up.

A couple of weeks ago I had a big week. I celebrated my (gulp) 39th birthday, and rang in my last year in my 30s with some nature walking, birding, eating out for both breakfast and dinner and LOTS of relaxing. My birthday came right after I returned from Texas, and it was a nice weekend to spend in Lansing, particularly because of my *interesting experience in Texas. Plus, I got to just lie low for my birthday, something I always prefer. I've never really liked celebrating my birthday. This could come from years of having my big day in July, which meant no one was ever around. Sometimes I wasn't around. I think the ultimate birthday was spent in Hastings, Nebraska. I always remembered this birthday being in Wyoming, but upon looking up this choice picture of myself, I see it was taken in Nebraska. I also remember never getting a classroom celebration. No cupcakes for me. No forced birthday cards from my classmates. I think more importantly, however, is the celebration of turning 39. It has been an incredible decade for me, and I still have 11.5 months left in my 30s! I'm excited to see what this next July to July has in store for me. I can guess a few things (ahem, coursework and probably writing my dissertation proposal) but outside of my life as a PhD student I know there is a ton more in store.

Birding and a Bosch book for the 39th.

Texas, Detroit, Friend Visits, Summertime, and Beyond (Summer Review in Parts)

The last few weeks I've been having that feeling of "I don't want to write" which means I've been disengaged with my reading and writing. This isn't necessarily bad, it just means that my practice in writing, particularly for my blog, has been on hiatus. And now July is almost done and I haven't written barely anything about the first half of the month. And it was a wonderful and interesting first few weeks of July for sure. I'll first begin with my trip to Texas.

About two weeks after I returned from the Netherlands, I took a trip to College Station, TX to Texas A&M, aka AGGIELAND. I went there initially to present a paper I had written with my previous faculty advisor at Seattle University and another former student from my master's program. It was a great opportunity to present at a different kind of academic summit, and also gather some data. I decided a few months before I went to the summit that attending would be a great chance to collect some data because I will be taking a qualitative methods class in the fall and I want to be ready with a project already started. I was incredibly nervous, to say the least. Even though everyone there knew I would be doing what is called a "participant observation" I was so nervous! I had to both participate and scribble down notes and record everything at the same time (and remain ready to answer questions). It was indeed intimidating. But now I have hours, HOURS of data. And I will be transcribing for triple the amount of hours I recorded.

In addition to the presentation and research project, I was able to partake in some seriously good barbecue, and also see some new birds! (Scissor tailed fly-catcher, great tailed grackle, and brown thrasher).

BBQ dinner, the 'Merica flag at the Bush School of Public Policy, and Khanh, Maureen and I
in the super hot summer sun.

I Am A (Bad) Homeowner

The tomatoes survived and
are about to pop!

I've come to the conclusion that I would make a terrible homeowner if I did not have the help of my lovely homeowner partner, Kevin. During our first year in Lansing, he was gone a lot. Yet, because the house was a rental, I never felt overwhelmed by the entire responsibility of making sure everything was "okay". Now, however, two years later and a homeowner, when Kevin does leave, things kind of fall apart. It takes all of my consciousness and energy to remember to water the plants. I have to leave post-it notes around the house. It takes all of my being to pick up things around the yard, like when a giant storm comes swooping in and tree limbs are hanging off our tree, or in our front yard. It takes a great amount of energy to mow the lawn. I convince myself I like weeds and, oh, aren't the dandelions so pretty? Not to mention things like, a leaking pipe. Uh, duct tape? If a light goes out, I just decide not to use it until I buy a new bulb and then take a few weeks to change it out. Thankfully, Kevin is back. Unfortunately, I'm headed out of town again for four days. But that means that someone who knows how to water plants and compost will be here to take care of everything.

Stirring: A Long Post After a Long Week

During the past two years I have mostly avoided social media. I switched to Instagram (because pictures) and also to Twitter (because academic news). One main reason I left other platforms is because I felt I lost the power to curate my own feed, and when I friended everyone it means I got bombarded by posts that I may not necessarily have agreed with. In short, looking at FB made me crazy mad, so I had to shut it down. This also means, unfortunately, that I have become too shy in expressing what I am thinking, that I became hyper aware of my presence and overly curated my own posts, knowing they weren't for me but for others to like and comment on. Consequently, I started this blog, not because I need a platform, but because I needed a way to write through my thoughts and my life, to practice putting these thoughts into public because as a PhD student, part of my role is to make public my thoughts, my scholarship. This is perhaps the irony of my life as an artist, I hated to publicize, and now here I am in another life where I absolutely must publish, or I will perish.

Needless to say, the past week's events have been stirring inside me. They have been stirring and scooping up my experiences in the Netherlands, and contrasting how American politics and European politics are so different and also so very much alike when it comes to matters of race. Last night, it was as if the nation's collective mourning turned into the Michigan skies and let out a giant cry. Giant hail, inches of rain, down trees, power outages, and whipping wind, came smashing through the middle of the state. And because my mind was empty with grief, I thought, "I guess I don't need to water the plants" and then I cried.

I am often between two worlds, one as a woman of color, and one as a privileged white woman. This makes me extremely self-conscious. But it also gives me the ability, in part, to understand the powers I have to know marginalization and express that marginalization to those who don't experience it. I can switch, I can pretend because I'm ambiguous. But I'm also aware that my ambiguity marks me. I am always aware of my positionality. And because of this positionality I feel compelled to write something, however I know that often the best way to say something is to listen. This morning, I decided to listen to a professor here at MSU, and this is what she said. While I am not in the same position she is, I felt her post said a lot of the things I think about yet am often unable to put into words.

Anne Frank House

Late Saturday night (although it felt like Sunday around 5am for me and I'd been awake for 26 hours) I returned from the Netherlands. As I think about my time there, one of the most salient experiences that comes up for me is my visit to the Anne Frank House. It was during my group visit to Amsterdam that we were able to visit. And not just visit, but have an almost two hour lecture and discussion about the history of Anne Frank and her family with an outreach staff member there, and discuss the events that led to the Frank family going into hiding. Most poignant for me were the similarities of current events to those for the Frank family. I am still (and likely will continue for many months) digesting the experiences I had while in the Netherlands. And here, I'm not writing about my tourist experiences, but the ones where I interacted with refugee and immigrant students and had discussions about immigration in Europe. I believe the realness of the immigration phenomenon in Europe is lost on most Americans. The US is too vast and too big for us to have to know exactly how immigration is playing out in our own country, much less on another continent. I'm sensitive that most of us (including myself) in the States live in a region where we don't have to talk about this subject except on a theoretical or idealogical level. This means there is a high probability we form opinions about immigration apart from any personal connection or interaction with those who are immigrants. (I do know that many are also VERY involved and aware of working with immigrants and refugees, but I'll make a general argument here that the majority do not have any personal connection).

No pictures are allowed
in the Anne Frank House.
I found this graffiti tag,
and many others, of Anne's
recognizable portrait.

The woman who worked at the Anne Frank House gave us a very detailed program about the house and also led a discussion about Anne Frank and her family, tying it closely to current events. As I listened to her, I kept thinking about the students I worked with in Maastricht, and their families. How were they able to come to Maastricht? What family circumstances did they have to allow them to get there? Like Anne and her family, did they get status to move to the Netherlands somehow? If not, how many of those students came there in secret? Like Anne and her family who were denied access to the US, how many of the students in Maastricht had also been denied access to the US or other countries? How many had to hide? How many will have to hide if circumstances change in Europe like they did for the Frank family? The similarities of a dictator in power and removal or mass migration of people seeking a safer place to live during WWII and its link to today was not lost on those in my group. The personal story of Anne Frank and a revisit to her words and her secret annex deepened the daily experiences I was having with students at ISK in a way I could not have imagined.

Netherlands: Unstructured Time in Amsterdam

As I mentioned before, there are two parts to the Netherlands trip I was on. The second part was unstructured time. During this unstructured time my traveling group and I went to several different cities, some of which I have already posted about. One city I haven't written about yet was our visit to Amsterdam. We spent three days there, one was devoted to visiting a school just outside the city, and one half a day was spent at the Anne Frank House. For the rest of the time, it was what we referred to as "unstructured" which translates to "do whatever you want." So, we did whatever we wanted in Amsterdam, which for me meant museuming and biking.

I have become enamored with the Netherlands. This adoration is mostly due to the biking culture that is there. It is simply astonishing. Really, I mean it, amazing. As a regular bike commuter both in cities that have large cyclist communities and those that have none (ahem, Lansing), I do have some experience with biking around. The Netherlands is an entirely different place for this. Of course I had always heard of the biking culture, but I wasn't entirely prepared for what I saw there. Bikes have their own lanes. They have their own stop lights. When it comes to the transportation hierarchy, bikes are at the top. (With the exception of larger cities such as Amsterdam and The Hague, the trams are at the top). But really, bikes are the top of the transportation food chain. All things stop for bikes. You get politely yelled at, or dinged by a bell if you step into a bike lane. Or walk in a bike lane. I'm sure I am a little too giddy about the biking culture there, but it really is, well, AWESOME. I want to learn Dutch so I can move there. And bike everywhere. My friend Heather came up with a term for bikes that have two kid seats and a kid trailer: The Maastricht Minivan.

So of course, I biked while there. In Amsterdam, Heather and I rented bikes (only 7 Euros a day!) and used them as our transportation to get around and hit museums. The 7 Euros a day got us single speed coaster brake bikes, and since it's pretty much flat in the Netherlands, you don't need much else. We rode around to the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, to a big park where we found some picnic sandwiches and chowed down. Heather got a little bell crazy and dinged almost everyone. She also came up with another term when we thought we could get to one road by crossing a little bridge, but alas, there was no bridge because there are so many canals they can't all be crossed in a straight line. Her term was "getting canaled." It was fabulous. Certainly there are other parts of Amsterdam, but well, it really is kind of weird. There are so many tourists in the Red Light district, and after about 8pm it starts to get creepy. But whelp, I was in Amsterdam so I needed to check out all the neighborhoods, but the best ones are just outside the center of the city, and the best way to get to those parts is by bike.

Netherlands: Structured Program Time

The trip I am a part of for the Netherlands consists loosely of two parts. The first is what the group has been calling program or structured time, the second is unstructured, or casually, free time. What the structured time means is we are based in the city of Maastricht, a smallish sized city at the southern "nub" of the Netherlands, only 20 kilometers from Belgium and Germany. In Maastricht, we are working with a school, called ISK, and at ISK we are working with students, the majority of whom are refugees from Syria and Eritrea. These students are at differing levels of English, and most don't know Dutch when they arrive (as an aside, it is quite humbling to learn Dutch from a 12 year old Syrian girl who can speak some English). We are creating some loose programs for assessing their English competence, because the school also teaches English along with Dutch. (Another aside, everybody speaks English). These activities, the organized time with ISK, the day trips to visit other schools around the Netherlands and Germany, are all part of the structured program part of this trip.

Admittedly, I was nervous about our close work with ISK. Although the partnership is considered "structured program" it is still extremely unstructured, ambiguous, and somewhat random. Some of us have developed an assessment, others of us have developed conversational English activities. And most days we are there, I just kind of kick it with the students. I talk with them during their breaks, join their classes (where I learn Dutch, but not very well), and learn about where these students have traveled from and what kind of music they like (there are many Beliebers here). While I can't say exactly how this is making me feel, I do know there are deep emotions stirring inside of me about the immigration and refugee phenomenon happening in the Netherlands and across Europe. This phenomenon is very present here for everyone, and everyone (Dutch or other national citizens) have strong opinions about it. Bumping up against this very real situation on a daily basis in the least has made me remember there are other, sometimes more pressing challenges facing our world than my own American politics, and also made me realize the thoughts and emotions I am experiencing will continue to percolate for many months.

My group with some of the ISK faculty

Travel in a Group

I arrived in the Netherlands ten days ago. Very jet-lagged and tired, the group I am traveling with made our way to Maastricht after landing in Amsterdam. Maastricht is where our "home base" is, although we have divided our time between Maastricht and other parts of Europe. So far, this "trip" has been amazing, confusing, educational, and emotional.

Traveling is something that has become a distant friend to me. I used to spend more time as a young person traveling, mostly alone. Going overseas just doesn't happen much anymore, much less going two or three hours away from where I live in Lansing. Basically, I just don't get out much, or if I do, it doesn't really feel like traveling. Now, as I travel through the Netherlands, to Belgium, France, and Germany, I feel like I have reacquainted myself with my old friend; a friend who gives me the feeling of alertness, of having to navigate things, learn quickly new phrases to try to get on in a different country. Yet this fellowship trip is also an experience I have never had before, a (dun-dun-dun) group travel experience that makes me want to tear all of my hair out. I used to mock big groups of tourists traveling through cities, and now I am a part of one of those big groups. It has taken me a while to feel comfortable walking with 19 other people. And actually, I still don't feel comfortable with it, I just kind of deal with it. Despite this, I am privileged to be here, and to be traveling to these places. Next post I'll write more about the work I'm doing here, for now, some pictures. (I'll add that I've been practicing my selfies a lot here too).

Cologne: The Kolner Dom, Love Locks on the bridge over the Rhine, little shops, selfie in the tower
of the Cologne Cathedral 533 steps! (Kolner Dom)

Paris: Heather and I at Notre Dame, little remote controlled sail boats at Jardins de Luxembourg,
Eiffel Tower, Louvre (I only did a visit to the Pompidou and skipped the Louvre) and finally
Sacre Coeur in Montmartre.

Brussels: The Atomium, the train to Brussels, the Great Market, and Manneken Pis

Saugatuck State Park Exploring

Over the long holiday weekend, we took a day trip to Saugatuck State Park. The park is about an hour and a half drive from Lansing, and one reason we went is because it is on Lake Michigan. I really love going to Lake Michigan, it is both really beautiful and really bizarre (I always think it should smell of the sea, and yet, it doesn't). I also love the soft soft sand of Lake Michigan, and we did enjoy the beach for a while. We walked along the strange lake lapping shore and laid out our blanket. I relaxed for a while and then thought "I'm getting kind of hot. I didn't bring my bathing suit. Kevin is going to burn." So we packed up our blanket and flip flops, and decided instead to take the 5 mile loop around the natural area of the park, figuring that most people would not want to do such a thing. We were right! We barely saw anyone on our hike, and enjoyed the overgrown dunes of Lake Michigan and its foliage. We walked out to a bluff, looked at the lake again, and then headed back on the other end of the loop, not knowing that the northern end of trail was all sandy dunes, and all in the sun almost all the way back to the trail head. But it was great! A wonderful way to spend a day off together in the outdoors, get a little tan before I head out of town (er, out of the country) and give thanks for such a beautiful country-side I live in.

T-Minus Four Days

In about four days, I will be catching a plane to the Netherlands. You may be asking, "how can a poor grad student such as yourself make it to the Netherlands?" Well, that is what fellowships are all about. I was given a fellowship along with 15 other students to go to the Netherlands to do research. I have mentioned this trip before, and now the time is finally upon me, when I am anxiously counting the days, and soon the hours before I leave. I am not entirely sure what I will be doing there, but there is some focus on helping with English language proficiency, (yes, even though it is Holland, they speak a lot of English), better understanding and learning about how the education system in the Netherlands is dealing with the immigrant phenomenon, and finally developing a larger curriculum for graduate students at MSU to take courses on global competency. Indeed, all very vague-ish.

One aspect of the program that was not initially part of our study plan is working with a school that enrolls students who have recently come to the Netherlands from countries in crisis. The majority of these students are aged 12 - 18, and are from Syria, Eritrea, and Afghanistan. Many of the students, from what we have learned so far, have not only traveled thousands of miles to leave their home countries, but are also alone. The Netherlands has somewhat of a system to integrate these children and young adults into their education system. Yet because of the instability of the system, and the relocation efforts, many of these students do not stay in one area longer than half a year, and 18 months at most.

Most of the work my group and I will be doing on this subject is in a city called Maastricht, down in the little southeast nubbin corner of the Netherlands. Admittedly, I am terrified. I have realized that most of the last several weeks I have been very inwardly focused on preparing for this "trip" and have somewhat forgotten what I will be doing once I get there. I have also been balancing the knowledge that once we land in Amsterdam, I'm sure everything will be just fine. However, I am also aware that I haven't been thoughtful about who I will be working with in Maastricht, both the teachers at the school, and the students. This will certainly be a journey that may seem to be set in a familiar place (a western country in Europe) yet contains extremely unfamiliar experiences with a very diverse community who I am sure, have many stories to tell.