Refreshment

I have been distracted the last couple days, and I have wandered away from my packing. It was something I needed - I was really starting to stress. In fact, I couldn't go a day without making progress in the packing arena. I wasn't sleeping well, and my whole body ached. But now, after a 2 day break, I feel refreshed, relaxed, and ready to finish getting ready. All I can say is thank goodness for distraction. I feel like a new woman.

But now, I am looking forward to this New Year's Weekend - I can't wait to see Lamont and Simon again (yes, it's only been 2 weeks since I saw them in NY). I just didn't expect to see these wonderful men so many times in December/January before I left. What a lucky chick I am to have such wonderful people in my life!

And then, after the weekend, I am back to the packing (hopefully balancing my recent new distraction with my packing needs). I can't believe I am only 12 days from leaving! I know this is going to be a great week and a half. And I have to remember to live it up, stressfree, and have some fun.

No regrets.

Bring it on, Guinea.

My friend, Bryan, is a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kyrgyzstan (sp?).

He sent me this picture, and even though I am in Colorful Colorado, I am jealous:



Soon, I will be sending home pictures like this. Well, not of mountains like this, but of foreign lands. I can't wait to go!

Night with the Girls

I love my CC girls. Whenever we get together, I feel great. Even if the whole group isn't there, it is wonderful (although we did miss Aimee and Larissa tonight!)

Anywho... Abbey is in town for the holidays so we made sure to get together and do something special. Want to know what the special thing was? Make biscuit pizzas. I was not familiar with this method of pizza-making. When deciding to do this, I believe my conversation with Anna went like this:

(please remember, my brain isn't working properly. It is on Winter Break after a TOUGH final quarter at grad school)

Anna: We should make pizzas on biscuits.
Me: Huh? Like biscuits?
Anna: Yeah, we used to do it in 4H. We can get those rolls of refrigerated biscuits and make pizzas. You just put your sauce and cheese and toppings on top and bake it!
Me: Ummm. Ok. Sounds good.

(long pause)

Me: Do you like roll out the biscuits?
Anna: Yeah, of course.

(still processing)

Me: Ok, can we get turkey pepperoni to put on top?

End scene.

But I wasn't the only one. When Abbey, Anna and I went to the grocery store, Anna recited the list of things we need for pizza: sauce, cheese, biscuits, turkey pepperoni, and Abbey interrupts with the same kind of questioning:

Abbey: Wait, why do we need biscuits?
Anna: For the pizzas.
Abbey: Oh, ok.

(pause)

Abbey: Wait, huh?
Me: I had the same problem.

It was a great night and I feel ready to leave.... no. That's a lie. But I will see Abbey and Anna for breakfast and a movie tomorrow morning, so I can squeeze in some more CC girl time before January 10th.

Here are some pictures from tonight:

Abbey, Sarah, and Anna:

Anna:

Sarah, the Sous-Chef:

Me, Mya, and Anna

Milton Friedman on Charlie Rose Tonight on PBS

Tonight, after a day of eating out and shopping for Guinea, I stumbled upon the Charlie Rose show on PBS and the guest tonight was Milton Friedman. This made me put down the remote control and hang around channel 6 for awhile. Here are some observations:

Milton liked to pick his nose every couple minutes. After awhile, you would see him raise his finger towards his nose and then the producers would switch to a different camera shot where we couldn't see it. But we all knew what Milton was up to.

Best quote of the evening:

"The biggest mistake Ronald Reagan made was selecting George Bush as his running mate."

Second best quote:

In response to the question, "so, in essence, are you a libertarian?" Milton says,

"I like to say that I am a republican with a capital 'R' and a libertarian with a lower-case 'l'."

When asked if he thought anything about Jimmy Carter, he said he never met him and then, when asked about his thoughts on Carter's post-presidency work, Friedman brought up "that house building thing." I think a man who has received a Nobel Peace Prize deserves more respect than that, don't you?

Surprisinly, we agree on numerous topics, but we come to these conclusions through very different lines of thinking. Things we agree upon:
*High government spending is baaaaaad. Although I only think that high govt spending on certain things is baaaaaad (ie, military spending or fresh lilies on the White House Xmas tree) .
*Milton and I agree on the elimination of farm subsidies
*We also think that legalizing but regulating all drugs would actually be better than the current system
*Flat tax rates are the way to go - ok, we have the same reasoning on this one. In fact, I quote good ol' Milton when i discuss this topic.
*Alan Greenspan is a god.
*George Bush Sr. and George Bush Jr. both suck.

Overall, it was a great show. I would love to sit down and chit chat with Milton myself, but for now, the Charlie Rose interview will have to do.

I am going to miss olives.

Got my flight to Philly

I am leaving January 10th, 12:48 pm from DIA. Direct to Philly. Staging starts the next day!

I am so excited!

Pittsburgh

This past weekend I went to visit my family in Pennsylvania/Ohio/West Virginia. The last few times I have spent time with them have been amazing. Although my mother and I are VERY different from those back near the Ohio River, and although I am pretty sure a few of them think I am CRAZY, I can relate to them in a way I just don't relate to the other people in my life. I guess most people feel that way about their family.

Anyway here is what I did this weekend:
-I got to see Heidi's wedding dress (she will be married this summer, and I won't be there)
-I got to know her fiancee a bit better. After all, he will be family next time I see him
-I got to play Mario Cart with Alicia.
-I got to eat Lee's spaghetti and meatballs, sans meatballs (we got there too late).
-Oh, and most excitingly, I got to go to the Ohio State High School Football Championships, where my cousin, Nick, played starting Linebacker for the WINNING TEAM! He's 6'4" and over 200 lbs (at age 16). In the picture, he makes all of us look like dwarves:

Ok, the picture isn't uploading, but imagine this: a bunch of tiny people next to two gi-normous football stars smiling whatever is beyond ear to ear (Joe on the left, Nick on the right).

Overall, it was the perfect trip.... until our flight was cancelled yesterday. I was lucky enough to spend 12+ hours in the Pittsburgh airport. At least they have great shopping. All I can think is that maybe I got the bad-airport kharma out of the way before this week's trip to DC!

It's weird to really start saying good-bye. I am going to miss them.

Biking in Guinea

Many of you have heard me talk about my ideal site in Guinea - a small village within biking distance to a town. Here is Bonnie's story about her 45 km bike to Labe:

"First time away from Home. We had to go to Labe for girls conference mtg. I was kinda dreading it, because I'm comfortable here and would much rather stay than either biking or ride bush taxi to Labe. We had no choice but to bike, because there is no car going to Labe the day we had to go. I had to first bike 17km to another village and stay over at Toni's (another volunteer who teaches English), then the next day we left for Lave at 7:00am. There is a mountain b/w her and I, and I have to push the bike up and down at some part, because I am just not Lance Armstrong. We didn't get to Labe until 2:00pm in the afternoon. The distance isn't bad, 45km, but the terrain is a killer. 2 large mountains, water puddles, gravels that seems to glue the tires to the ground, large rocks seems like steps that we must walk to get pass, I finally got a taste of mountain biking. The scenery is beautiful, especially through the yellow wheat (?) field that is waist high, imagine biking through sea of soft flowing wheat of mountains in the distance. We passed through a few small villages, and was fun to greet people along the way. Didn't like it once we got to Labe, all the people, calling us "Portos" (white people in pular), noisy, fumes, oh-la-la, I much prefer my small and friendly village. Stay at Labe wasn't too exciting, exchanged some stories & talked about what we do for girls conference, then we just sat around. The highlight is that I got to talk to my family on the phone and reassured them things are going well at site. We stayed for 2 nights and came back to site on our bikes also. The return trip only takes 5.5 hrs, as the first leg is all downhill. We are hoping we'll get better at it each time we go. What happens to hole in tire you ask? We are equipped w/ patch kit, so it shouldn't be a problem. Although we were lucky not have encountered it in our 1st trip. I was worried about it, but now I qualified to adjust breaks. Perhaps in 2 years, if nothing else I'll be at least good at fixing bike. So I biked almost 130 km in 3 days. Very proud of myself."

Phantom Limb Sensation

Last night I had this dream, and it has haunted me throughout the day. Basically, without going into too much detail (because the details make me wanna hurl), I was at the dinner table with my family (mom, dad, grandma) and I was talking to my dad. We were getting ready to eat, and I realized that my pointer finger on my left hand was massively injured (I won't tell you how - that's the super-creepy-gross part). So, my mom finally got my dad to realize and he stopped talking finally. My mom, being a nurse, got her medical kit out and began taking care of me, but it wasn't working. She was using this weird kind of band-aid that could heal anything if you just made the colors line up. But we couldn't get the pink to match the pink and the purple to go to the purple, so I mentally accepted the fact that I was going to loose my finger. I woke up and freaked out! But I still had my finger, fortunately, and I fell back to sleep holding my pointer finger in my other hand to protect it. All day today, I have felt very conscious of my pointer finger. It's almost as if I am surprised it is still there - the dream was just so vivid. But typing this, I am very aware of each key I strike with that finger. It just feels weird to have it actually be there and still working. I guess this is the opposite of what docs call "phantom limb sensation." That's when you loose a limb and still feel it there and still try to use it and such. I still have my finger, but I feel like it's not there. Strange. That's all I have to say. Hopefully this will go away by tomorrow.

caoutchouc!

No, that's not a sneeze, it's French for rubber. How do I know that? Mr. Rubberhands told me so.

For those of you who have met Mr. Rubberhands, here's a link to a BBC News photo journal showing the Firestone Rubber Plantation (the biggest in the world) in Liberia. It made me laugh. It also got that song stuck in my head again. Damn.




ps - (It also made me angry that a Japanese (formerly US) firm is paying the workers $3/day. I wonder what their executives make over in Tokyo. But let's not go there.)

Leather Elbow Patches

Last week, I went to an inspiring dinner with three friends in my (former) grad program. Three of the four of us are pretty sure that we want to go on and become professors. I guess this says a lot about the people I hang out with, huh? We're all a bunch of nerds. Which is alright by me.

Anyway, we came to discuss the odd habits of our GSIS professors, including DeMartino's habit of filling up a mug with hot water (no teabag or anything) and proceeding to drink it before he crosses the threshold back into his office. MK says he does this a few times a day. We also spoke of professors that jingle the change in their pocket while they lecture - to the point where you could guess exactly which coins were in there. I still giggle about PVA's overuse of the endearing term, "friend," as in "good job on that paper, my friend" or his use of "guy" in the same manner: "great point you brought up in class today, guy!"

This was followed by a discussion of our future odd habits that our students will notice (and then sit around the same table and discuss). Jim definitely had the most pronounced habits. First of all, his head-tilting habit lets you know what he is thinking. His flipping-pen syndrome is also pretty apparent, although sometimes he mixes that in with the pen moustache (holding a pen tightly between his upper lip and nose before trying to let it fall and catch it in his mouth--we caught him doing it in class). I recommended that he not do the pen-moustache while listening to students' presentations.

Does the fact that Jim has these strange habits make him more likely to be successful at this whole teaching thing? Since this conversation last week, I have been trying to notice my strange habits that will carry over into the classroom. I am sure that they exist, but I just can't recognize them yet. If anyone has noticed any of my habits or has any ideas of habits I can try to incorporate into my repertoire, let me know.

Today's Emotion

I am not really sure if I am done or just beginning.

I handed in my last paper today. Done with grad school. Now I can focus on Peace Corps. Now I can focus on saying good-bye. Leaving the life I have gotten pretty good at.

Stupid me, I thought this would be easy.

Driving the cities of West Africa

This is what driving in Monrovia, Liberia looks like. It's a picture from BBC News, and has the caption: life returns to normal.

Normal? Now, I am a girl from Jersey. I know traffic circles, let me tell you. But I am still not sure what exactly is going on driving-wise in this picture. Who has the right of way, and don't those two yellow cars look like they are about to crash? Oh, and there are two more yellow cars about to clear the intersection that look like they already have! Yes, those two yellow ones right in front of the Red Cross SUV. And there are people scattered throughout the street. How, in heaven's name, do they know when to cross? And which cars are parked and which ones are moving? I guess if I were there in real life, this might make a bit more sense?

Now, I know that I am supposed to be writing about utilizing "intergrated development" to better solve the long-term problems of refugee populations, but I am instead rereading the BBCNews Africa page, like I do way too frequently. I always find some picture to stare at and try to imagine myself there - listening to the sounds, smelling the scents, truly placing myself within the picture. And this picture has made me feel one way only: thankful. Thankful that I will NOT be living in Conakry or Monrovia or Dakar or whatever other city's traffic must look like this. I prefer to cross the street without feeling the need to pray.

An Update:

The list of things I cut off the post-it note in my planner and crumpled up yesterday and today (aka the list of things completed!):

-Applied Field Methods Final exam (18 pages)
-Political Economy of Inequality final paper (16 pages)
-Book review for PE of Inequality (7 pages)
-Statistical Analysis for PE of Inequality (6 pages)
-Group presentation on "the future" (1.5 hours)

I so earned the right to snort wasabi up my nose if I please!

Please Note....

That on Nov 10th, I had 41 pages left to write.

Today, Nov 18th, I have 18 left. I rule.

By tomorrow, I will have 12 left. All due Monday at noon. Not a problem.

You know you're an econ nerd when....

-You would rather continue reading about flat vs graduated income taxes as a means to redistribute wealth than take a break with a friend.

-You tell your friend, "Come look at this before you leave - this MNC tax is AMAZING!"

-You get excited about vertical integration of agro commodities in developing economies.

-You write this and it makes you happier than anything in the world:

"The West will not, out of altruism, reverse the system of trade that continues to exploit the developing world. It is Africa, Asia, Latin America that must fight to force the needed change. As long as the South remains a price-taker in the world economy, especially for agricultural commodities, it will continue to be exploited and global inequality will continue to persist."

Ok, back to taxes and world trade!!!!! Yippeeeeee!

Mind Control

What I am Trying NOT To Think About:

-my future market in Guinea
-stupid boys
-shoes
-not so stupid boys
-packing
-my trip to NY and DC
-Turkey (I wait all year for Thanksgiving)

What I am Trying TO Think About:

-gender justice in the realm of capabilites and income inequalities

C'mon, Brain, work with me!!!!

Sheisse....

The eye twitch has begun.

I only get it when I am stressed. It's kinda like my body's way of focusing my attention on the stress. C'mon, body, like I didn't know I was freaking out without the signal!

The Planner

I am forever indebted to a simple pile of papers held together by a wire spriral. It is my planner, and I love him. Let me show you what this week looks like:





















You can see that it is finals week, and therefore, I have no life. Please note the little green post-it on the right page (the second half of the week). It has a list of all that needs to get done, along with the pages it is and when it is due. For everything I finish, I get to not only scribble it out on that little green post-it, I get to cut it out and RIP IT UP! How much of a stress-relieving symbolic ritual is that?!

To be honest, I go through kind of manic-depressive stages with this list of to-do papers. At one moment, I am on top of it all - so ready for this week - in charge of my own A+ destiny. At the next moment, I feel like I will never make it through - that I am not made for grad school - that I am going to just shrivel up and die still clutching that green to-do list.

So, bear with me these next few days. You may want to stay out of my way (especially when I am driving - I tend to not care as much about pedestrians when stressed).

But I will be DONE with grad school by next Tuesday! How crazy is that?!

Da Punchies Part II

Ummm.... to explain Da Punchies Part I, my lazy butt is going to link to Heather. She wrote it up so nicely!

http://swandive00.blogspot.com/2005/11/when-crazies-get-punchies.html

Oh, and yesterday I successfully wrote 4 pages, not the 8 I had planned. Oh well.