Thursday, June 29, 2006

More importantly...

I graduate tomorrow!!!

Not graduate in the sense of actually finishing school, but graduate in the sense that they will fork over a blank sheet of paper simulating an actual diploma! You see, my program finished 6 weeks after everyone else's (just the way of things here) and our theses aren't done. Once that minor 23,000 word hurdle is vaulted, my time here will be complete and my academic career finally, thoroughly, irreversibly over (for now).

Ah, the thesis. I have but 8,000 words left to pen, and each comes slower than the last. But gradually daylight is beginning to creep over yonder hills... I'll be done soon enough. Anybody who actually wants to read the dang thing (80 pages on the evolutionary psychology of suicide terrorism! Joy!) is more than welcome to do so.

But wait- there's more! On Monday I'll start two weeks of intensive Spanish classes, wherein I'll attempt to achieve in 10 meager days what I should have focused squarely on for the last ten months - Spanish fluency. Wish me luck!

Still more! In less than three short weeks I'll make my triumphant return, having exchanged a year and thirty thousand dollars (not counting opportunity cost) for a piece of paper that will hopefully serve me well. I'll be back on July 19th... and starting work on the 20th, oddly enough. The same PR shop that helped fund this trip will thankfully be sponsoring my next one...

... to sunny Thailand! In mid-September, subsequent to Bree and Will's nuptials, I'll be departing for Chiang Mai,Northern Thailand, to begin a job teaching Burmese activists. Good times, and it'll do wonders for my development street cred! But I'll need a new blog name... any suggestions?

Ok, much to do, and graduation starts in 8 hours. Up next - pics! Joy!

In which I return to the world's most neglected blog...

Wow, it's been a while. I make no apologies, however: school's been sucking up my brain and little of particular interest has happened in the last three months other than a procession of classes of wildly varying quality. Watched a bunch of movies, went to a handful of birthday parties (including my own) and toiled away on my thesis. Not exactly the stuff bloggy dreams are made of.

Let's see... classes...

Understanding Terrorism: The name says it all. Taught by two profs: one for Islamic terrorism, and one for everything else. The "everything else" prof presented a pleasantly comprehensive picture of terrorism the world over, but the Islamist terror guru really shied away from answering my questions, preferring instead to give a general history of the Middle East from the days of Isaac and Ishmael. A minor disappointment.

Middle Eastern Studies: Pretty much what you'd expect, but taught by a trio of profs (Iraqi/American/French) with some impressive experience between them. All of them have been to Iraq lately - one even served there with the US military... just the kind of perspective you can't really get from the news. Well worthwhile.

Urban Violence: Utter drivel in which our prof explained in droning detail that there was some sort of a "Cold War" between so-called "Superpowers" during the latter half of the last century.

Conflict Resolution and Mediation: Downright nifty class on negotiation and makin' folks get along, by a visiting professor from Israel/Turkey. Good times - highly inventive, lots of different techniques covered, and oodles of video clips from the Emperor's New Groove. Should have done this at the beginning of the year.

More news to follow!