In a Dear Green Place

Should I feel guilty for not writing for awhile? It’s odd how once you start one of these blog things you feel a certain compulsion to write. On the very off chance someone was looking forward to an entry over the last few weeks, I apologize. Well, there hasn’t been a lot going on in the last few weeks. (Great, now I’m starting to justify myself to non-existent readers). Just working rather boring temp jobs. And I’m sure you’d rather not have details of my various adventures as a temp receptionist or accountant. Not exciting stuff.

But I haven’t written just to say I have nothing to write. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve gotten a lot of questions about studying abroad and why I chose to do my postgrad work in the UK. So if that kind of thing sounds interesting to you, read on. If not, I leave on September 7th and maybe there’ll be more exciting stuff after that (although that’s a big maybe).
[read on]

Hello and welcome!

So, the time has come to introduce this thing and make first impressions. Hmmm. In case the title isn’t explanitory enough…

I’m from Minneapolis and recently graduated from the University of Minnesota at the ripe old age of 27. “Is this girl a total slacker?” you ask, “Why on earth would it take 10 years to finish a Bachelor’s degree?” Well, I started off in Biochem, drastically changed my mind to Humanities, left for a couple of years to be a missionary in France, finally figured out was I was doing and started at the University of Minnesota. Now I have a pretty degree that says I studied Religions (with a focus in Jewish Studies), French, and Hebrew. Everyone wonders what one does with a degree in Religious Studies and I respond, “More school”.

I will leave in September to begin a Masters program at the University of Glasgow. The course is called Literature, Theology and the Arts (which is pretty much as broad as it sounds). It is a 12 month course which will consist of three year-long classes and a nice big dissertation. I’ll be adding on a class in Teaching and also hopefully student teaching undergraduate classes while I’m there. It is shaping up to be a pretty big load (they don’t mess around with school in the UK) but I’m hoping to get some travel in as well. It isn’t my first go at study abroad. I did a term a the University of Stirling in Scotland a couple of years back. That’s where I found out about the Centre for Literature, Theology and the Arts and I filed it away as a cool “if only” possibility. When it came time to apply for grad school I gave it a shot and here we are.

I hope to teach at a community college one day but for now I don’t have to worry about “real world” concerns like that.

The main function of this blog is to communicate during this year abroad without sending loads of group emails. (Yep, the sound arguments at Bootsnall convinced me I should join the blogging world plus I can be one of the cool kids now instead of just reading about them.) Hopefully it will be of passing interest to more than just my family (not that I’m knocking family support). Yay family!!