So, this is weird.

http://anthrogeek10.blogspot.com/

How many "anthropologists in the making" are there in the cyberworld?

A reason to consider a career outside academia.

http://chronicle.com/article/At-What-Cost-/49253

From this month's Chronicle of Higher Education and written by an MA/PhD from Boston University.

Scott Brown wins Ted Kennedy's Seat!

I'm going to take a moment out of my dissertation complaining to whine about something else: the State of MA just elected Scott Brown - a Republican - to Ted Kennedy's Senate seat.

There are lots of reasons to be upset about this. Brown's opponent - Coakley - was one of the very few people that voted for Health Care Reform, for which I am VERY Pro. Ted Kennedy's legacy alone should have sufficed to keep the seat a Democratic seat. Scott Brown stands for legislation that allows emergency room staff to deny emergency contraception to women who come in that were raped. Massachusetts - a LIBERAL state - is not really able to make that case for themselves anymore. I worry that Gay Marriage will be repealed. Now filibusters can be the MOA for the Republicans. Argh!

No, no. The thing that infuriates me the most is this:
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/news/scott-brown-nude-in-cosmo

My US Senator posed nude in Cosmo in 1982.

Worse than Jesse Ventura or Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brown was a centerfold in COSMO.

I'm so disgusted. I don't even know where to start. Argh!

Dissertation Update

A new semester has started, and life as a PhD Candidate is, again, underway.

Being a PhD candidate lends itsself to a totally different pace of life than the PhD student did. For example, today is Friday, and rather than nearly falling over from the exhaustion of the previous 4 days, I was able to go to bed early last night (10:30!) and sleep in until 7:30am. I'm well-rested, mentally coherent, and probably much more pleasant to be around than I was during the first 2 years of Fridays at BU.

I guess I could change that. I could go back to the ridiculous schedule that accompanied the first two years in the PhD program here: sleeping 4-6 hours per night, reading hundreds of pages per day, and consuming much more caffeine than I do now. Eh. I think I'll pass.

Instead I find that I'm plotting out the dissertation writing - which, to be honest, I could be doing at a much faster rate - in terms of YEARS. Yes. YEARS. In the plural.

See, I have been selected to received a dissertation writing grant in Austria, Vienna, for the 2010-11 Academic year. Yup - I'm moving to Vienna this late summer/early fall in order to get paid to not work for a year (Jeez... It's like I'm an EU citizen already! :P). Instead, I have the luxury to simply write. It's a really amazing opportunity. And one that I am very much looking forward to.

What does all this mean for the dissertation writing this semester? Not much. Quite literally, not much. I am still working 3 jobs at BU - in the Residence Halls, tutoring in the Educational Resource Center, and now teaching. I'm teaching my own class. I think its going to be a blast. We had the first meeting yesterday, and it appears that some students will find it easier than others, just based on prior exposure to the material. But I have tried to gear it for all students with all kinds of experiences. I'm really exciting about it.

So, things continue. Albeit slowly. I'm still in this PhD thing. And I'm still making progress. And, at least for now, that's enough.

Islamic Finance Qualification

I passed! I just became the first person to take the test in Boston (at least according to the anecdotal reportings of the folks at the local Prometric Testing Center). I also became the 2nd non-Muslim (that I know of) to have obtained the qualification. Yes. These are highly scientific measures of popular trends. I know.

What is the Islamic Finance Qualification? It's a training course in Islamic Finance (http://www.islamicfinancequalification.co.uk/). It's essentially the first benchmark training in the field (http://www.secinst.co.uk/bookmark/genericform.aspx?form=29848780&URL=Foundation). Most of the people working at the Islamic Bank in Jordan have this Qualification. It is considered standard there.

And, now I am among their ranks. I'm trying to really strategize on ways to promote myself as a specialist in Islamic Banking and Finance. This is certainly one means to accomplish that!

January 1, 2010

My 2010 began at about 12:30am when I was returning home from a party at a friend's place. I was anxious to beat all the drunks to the T (that's the name of the Boston Subway System. Don't ask. It gets even more confusing...) and home. Bonus: public transportation was free last night! Word to the wise: You get what you pay for.

I kinda had to run to the T to make it. It's normal to have to 'kinda run' for the T. It's not normal for me to do it while in heels.

After getting on the T, I sat down a few seats away from a young, incredibly intoxicated guy. He was so blitzed, he had no idea where he was or where he was going. He tried sitting next to me. I made it no secret that I didn't want to talk to him. At one point he said, "I know I'm making you uncomfortable." To which I responded, "You are, and you should sit somewhere else." He didn't. So I got up and stood next to the T driver for the rest of the ride home. When I got off the T, another guy got off at the same stop. He said, "If you wouldn't have gotten up away from that guy, I was going to get up and stop him." It was nice to know that between the T driver and the random other guy on the T, there were people willing to help me out when accosted by some drunk kid.

And thus began my 2010.

It seems fitting, really. Those of you who know me well understand that when I'm in the midst of a difficult time or a period of uncertainty, I tend to process it pretty internally. When the blogging stops, something else is going on. 2009 was full of... "something elses."

Here are a few recaps:
* In 2009, I had my heart broken. Deeply and truly, I fell head over heels. For the first time in my life, I think, I understood the poetry of love. It was exhilarating and joyful and deep and meaningful. He felt the same way. But, he decided to become a Jesuit priest instead. Unable to manage both his feelings for me and his vocational calling, he cut off all communication. We no longer talk or keep in touch in any way. Yup. I was rejected for the celibate life (OUCH!).
* In 2009, I realized that I loved being a graduate student, but am not sure how being a PhD holder will play out. I love the intellectual rigor; the regular exchange of ideas; the intensity of theoretical and empirical life; and the fierce independence of my studies. However, what does being a PhD holder look like? Will I be able to publish or will I perish? What does it mean that I have chosen a career with such large stakes? (Sidenote: Nora calls it "The Imposter Syndrome." What would happen if everyone found out that I'm not as smart, intelligent, or competent, or well-read, or whatever as they think I am? What if everyone found out that I'm really an imposter!?!? A ruse revealed!!) I have come to understand that there is a career shift afoot. From student to...???
* In 2009, I gained like 10 or 15 pounds. I have gum recession. I have a few gray hairs (thank God for blond highlights!). I am no longer 21. Or 31, for that matter. The seeming suspension of time that grad school somehow, magically and mystically afforded me is no more. 7 years after first starting graduate school, I feel like I've come out of a cocoon and into my own body. It is sort of strange and foreign. It'll take some getting used to.
* In 2009, I realized that all these things, combined, point to some major life changes at play. I want some different things out of life than before. It's time to settle down, have kids, move out of the dorm, get a job, have health insurance, get my gums fixed, and start a retirement account. And a savings account. It's time to get this new life figured out, in order, and on track.
* In 2009, I learned that the possibilities for how I do all those things - while requiring hard work, some strategizing and planning, and lots of attention - are all possible.

Here's to 2010! May it provide every opportunity to accomplish everything you too want out of life.

Happy New Year!

Really? Could it be? A POST?!

Yep. I think that my blogging vacation is over. I need to get back at it. It's time.

I have been in hibernation for awhile. Most avid readers have dropped off by now. Those with the few remaining feeds to this link will be surprised to see a reappearance of my blog in their bloglines or google reader.

So, what have I been up to during my hiatus?

For starters, I returned to America in June. I took a couple weeks to travel around the Middle East a bit. I went back to Egypt to say goodbye to Sami and the rest of my Egyptian friends and "family." I went to Turkey - Istanbul and Cappadocia. It was fantastic. I really loved Istanbul, and Cappadocia was like a scene from a Star Wars movie. I traveled with a new buddy - Tommy - who is also my boss at one of my illustrious jobs at BU. We met when I interviewed, became fast friends, and have enjoyed a great mix of a professional relationship and friendship.

I moved into a terrible sublet over the summer. It made returning a bit of a challenge. I had mice in my bedroom, a mattress on the floor, and the most disgusting kitchen you've ever seen in your life. I couldn't even cook anything once.

I guess it set me up for some excitement during the fall semester. I started my job in Residence Life as a Senior Resident Assistant. Yup. I'm 32 years old and I live in a dorm. Obvious annoyances aside, the gig isn't bad. I work about 20 hours/week and get a free, all-inclusive apt in the middle of Boston out of the deal. Estimated savings per month: $1600. Boston's expensive people. I put a lot of time and money into the place to make it homey. I'll be here for the spring semester. I'm going to try to stay here over the next summer as well.

I also took on the position of Senior Writing Fellow and ESL Specialist at BU's Educational Resource Center. I was in a leadership role with the other Writing Fellows and responsible for all the special presentations and all the ESL workshops. I have enjoyed the position quite a bit. My supervisor - much like with Tommy - is someone that I would consider a good friend and confidante as much as a supervisor. She gives me much leeway and independence, which I appreciate considerably. Next semester I'll still be in the position of Senior Writing Fellow. Although my responsibilities with the ESL workshops will likely be transferred to someone else (it was a TON of work!), I am looking forward to spending more time in writing sessions and working 1-1 with students.

This fall, I tutored a 93 year old retired geriatric physician in Anthropology. Good times. It's done. That's ok too.

In the spring I'll continue doing my Senior RA and Senior WF jobs. To that, I'll also be adding Senior Teaching Fellow. I'm officially a Senior citizen around campus! I'll be teaching "Wealth, Poverty, and Culture." I just finished the syllabus yesterday and have nearly put all the documents together. Now - to read them and prepare my lectures!

All this points to the fact that I have written, well, very little when it comes to the dissertation. Unfortunately, working so much has made dissertation writing - the thing I'm SUPPOSED to be doing - virtually impossible.

To that end, I have some news: I'll be moving to Vienna, Austria, in August! I have received a dissertation-writing fellowship at the Institute of Human Sciences for the 2010-11 academic year. I'll be there through June 2011 and couldn't be happier. I NEED to write. I NEED to write sooner rather than later. This fellowship will hopefully give me that chance.

So, here's to a year full of changes, a present in flux, and a future of productive successes! Happy New Year everyone! May your 2010 be full of hope, joy, optimism, warmth, and laughter.