Coming to a state near you

My round the world post-JET tour is coming to a close. I'll be leaving the sunny British Isles tomorrow, but that doesn't mean I'll be unpacking the bags and calling it quits for good! I'm coming 'home' (a.k.a. Portland, OR) and will settle in, but will have the bag by the door ready to travel most of the summer. Here is a list of places I'll be headed from May-August, if I happen to be passing through your neck of the woods, maybe we can meet for coffee or a meal.

New York City
Washington, D.C.
Birmingham, AL
Minneapolis, MN

The Quad Cities, IA & IL

Fargo, ND
Fort Collins, CO
South India
Vancouver, B.C.
Seattle, WA

And hopefully there will be a hike, a few camping trips, and a weekend or two at the beach in there as well. But oh...I can't forget, I still have a bloody dissertation to write! Frick!

As soon as the dissertation is sent off and submitted, I'm officially headed back to India from September-June as an AIF Service Corps Fellow! Exciting news!!

So much to be thankful for these days!

Another 4,000 written, only 12,000 words to go!

That's it folks! I've finished my 6th module or assessment essay for my MA course. Feels good to have that out of the way. Just have to run to the library and print it and submit it and I'm done!

This one was about the global spread of English, otherwise known as 'englishization' which I might add is not in any dictionary or referenced by hardly anyone other than academics (and mostly linguists at that)! So, in my mind it doesn't even really exist as a word, at least not in mainstream media yet. So, if you haven't heard of it...don't worry, neither has anyone else!

Time to pack up, say good-bye, fly home and start the dissertation! Eeps!

In Memory of my Great Uncle Vern

My love, hugs, thoughts, and condolences to family as they celebrate Vern's long and full life. I am reflecting on and remembering all the wonderful visits my family has had to the lake cabin. We always enjoyed our visits and always looked forward to seeing Vern's latest gadget, gizmo, creation, or garden. Of course one of my favorite times was helping collect the tree sap and watching it being boiled down to the most delicious maple syrup I've ever tasted. Making it was fun, but enjoying it on pancakes was always a treat!! As we sat and ate, we listened to his stories which was always a highlight of each visit. In his last week, he was able to get out and watch the guys boiling down the syrup for this year's batch. He also enjoyed sitting in his chair overlooking the lake, enjoying the view and making plans for his next project.

In honor and celebration of Vern's life I made a big pancake breakfast with REAL maple syrup in his honor. It's not the liquid gold he is famous for, but it's the best I could find here! I think my sister and parents are doing the same in their respective corners of the globe. Thinking and remembering Vern's life! He is missed and will always be remembered!

Snow from Tibet

This week protesters have stood in support of Tibet and Tibetans at the Olympic Torch Relays in London, Paris, San Francisco and will stand again in Buenos Aires on Friday.

When I woke up Sunday morning (April 6th), for the first time all year, there was several inches of snow on the ground! It was like waking up in the Himalayas of Dharamsala or the plateaus of Tibet. It was a beautiful scene and it felt like the snow Gods of Tibet were watching over the UK that day. It continued to snow on my 3 hour bus journey to London and off and on throughout the protest. I arrived at the 3rd of the protest meeting points along the torch relay route. It was a very large and active demonstration, probably 2000-3000 people at the point I saw. As I stood there chanting with the crowds slogans of "Free Tibet", "China Out" and booing as the Olympic sponsors like Coca-Cola drove by, I also watched several people jump the security fence and be taken down by the police. As the torch came closer, the crowd grew louder, the police more nervous and the tension was high. It was impossible to see the runner, only the top of the flame go by because there were so many of the 'blue men' or Chinese paramilitary running around the torch as well as the police surrounding it on all sides. It was only when I stood up on a wall that I could see the expanse of the crowd. It was an endless sea of of Tibetan flags, banners, and signs with messages of 'Free Tibet', 'Stop the Killing', 'Save Burma', etc. And an endless sea of police trying to keep the peace. But in the end over 30 people were arrested.


It was striking to see the diversity of people standing together for Tibet. There were families who held signs together. A father with his young daughter stood on a high wall and chanted together, even when the crowd stopped. Teenagers wore hand-painted T-shirts and had painted there faces with the Tibetan flag. Couples held each other with the Tibetan flag wrapped around the shoulders to stay warm. A group of Buddhists sat on the steps to a building in silent meditation. And while everyone was chanting in English, you could hear different languages throughout the crowd.

Later at the rally, several politicians from the British government, an actress, musicians and Free Tibet organizers spoke in support of Tibet. The Tibetan Freedom torch was lit and will follow the official Olympic torch on it's course around the world. I hope that the protests continue and that they continue to gain the attention of the media, governments and citizens around the world. But I also hope that it continues to be peaceful.

I'm not a professional photographer, but here is the link to all the photos I took in London: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94801434@N00/sets/72157604459296337/

Peace to you, your families and for Tibet!

Another 4,000 written, only 16,000 to go

Finished one more assessment for the MA. This one was the most boring of them all. It was a critical analysis of two articles from the Journal of Intercultural Communication. Blah!

Only one more essay and then I can start the dissertation. And if I write the next paper the way I want to, it will be the lit review and background for the dissertation! Ah hah!!