'When we love, we always strive to become better than we are.' -The Alchemist
So you are going to have to bear with me a little today because this post has to cover a lot. This is mostly due to my general busyness that resulted in losing track of when I lasted posted on the blog.
To make it a little easier I'm just going to break it into three sections and you can jump to which one you want to read first:
1. Back to school, assessments, and dissertation
2. Other upcoming news
3. Scotland & you know getting engaged...
Back to School
Now that I have been back at classes for 6 weeks I have to say that I really do love SOAS. While it has been one of the most challenging academic experiences I have ever had, I can firmly say that I have produced some of the best work I have ever done.
I've had the opportunity to write on subjects that I never would have anywhere else. Some of my favorite papers have come from classes that I knew absolutely nothing about until I started them.
One of my good friends asked me if I had a top five of the topics I had written on so far at SOAS and I had to think about it but I think I can safely list them below.
1. The Political Economy of Counter-Urbanization: The Cambodian Case Study
2. Transitional Justice as a Normative Structure: Moroccan Case Study
3. Nautical Borders and Why They Matter (Op-ed/Blog-post)
4. The Shared Question and Fundamental Differences: Dependency Theory, Alternative Development, and Post-Development Approaches
5. Education as a form of conflict commemoration and its impact on peace and violence
In terms of assessments I really feel like I have had the privileged to write on a really diverse field of topics and been able to take really impressive classes.
I was lucky enough to find out that for my term one course 'Violence, Justice, and the Politics of Memory' taught by Dr. Phil Clark, I had received an overall distinction.
I am still waiting on total assessment grades for my other courses but I will likely know the majority of them by May.
Speaking of the spring, I also have found out that term 3, for SOAS MSc. students, is meant to be time spent working singularly on your dissertation I will have officially completed the taught components of my course at the end of March! This news is also followed by the fact that because my research will be investigating the Southwest US-Mexico borderland I will be coming back to the states in April.
I am so excited to start work on my dissertation and to prepare for the independence and challenge that comes with it. Presently and with the advice of several advisers, I will be focusing on migrant mortality and border policy dynamics. More specifically I want to investigate whether there is a causal relationship between deterrence based strategies and increased migrant mortality.
However, due to the nature of MSc. dissertations there is a decent chance that my topic focus point will change.
Either way I am excited to work on a piece that is singularly my own like my UW-L political science honors work was.
Upcoming News
I am so excited to be be hosting not only my best friend Taryn in March but also my amazing mother! Taryn has decided to use some of her precious spring break time (she is currently pursuing her Physician Assistant degree at UWL) to come and visit me. I honestly cannot say how excited I am to see my best friend after the past few months.
That same sentiment rings true for my mom who has been working extra hours ansd been putting in so much work towards saving for a trip to visit me. I honestly can't believe how lucky I am to share some of my experience here in London with her.
She is also crazy enough to be willing to help me move back and will help move me out of my London abode April 2nd and fly back with me.
In more news outside of visiting family, Shane will be starting his coaching position at Onalaska High School on March 12th and will be substitute teaching for the remainder of the 2017-2018 school year. While I am sad that Shane is leaving earlier than I am, I think it may actually be conducive for the quantity of work that I will have to do in the span of 4 weeks.
Also, I know my dad is super excited to have Shane on his coaching staff.
Scotland and well this....
But before I get to that, I really should tell you about Scotland first.
I personally had been so excited to go to Scotland over my reading break this term. There is just something magical about going to such an incredible country where you can find places like the cafe where J.K. Rowling began writing Harry Potter next to 16th century alleyways near coastal ruins of cathedrals.
Our first two days in Scotland we spent out in Glenrothes which is about 17 miles from Edinburgh. We had an amazing time staying a this beautiful B&B-Hotel with our first day spent exploring the hiking trails in Glenrothes and getting to relax in the pool and sauna.
The second day we decided to go explore the 'Kingdom of Fife' and traveled out to coastal St. Andrews which is home to Scotland's oldest university (1413). To be honest, I fell completely in love with St. Andrews, the castle and cathedral ruins, the beautiful streets, and the energy of the small city. Half-serious/Half-joking Shane and I both started looking at PhD and MSc programs that the University offers.
Our next 4 days in Scotland were spent in Edinburgh which is perhaps my favorite place in the entirety of the UK (that I have visited). The character of the city along side its cosmopolitan people creates a place that seems to just be bursting at the seems with potential and excitement. While in Edinburgh we got to see the castle, Prince Harry and his fiance, won free wings when we got second at pub quiz, went to a beautiful Ash Wednesday service presided over by (funnily enough) a young priest from Alabama, and climbed an extinct volcano and saw St. Anthony's chapel ruins.
Which brings me back to the above pictures.
On Wednesday, Shane, myself and our friend Sergio decided to climb Arthur's seat and see St. Anthony's chapel ruins (14th century catholic pilgrimage site) which was built basically on the side of the old volcano.
While our climb was slightly dangerous due to gale force winds nearly blowing us off the side of the cliffs, it was beautiful and really a moving experience.
(I will try to steal some of the pictures Shane took off of his phone to post later because my phone died)
When we started to make our decent down towards St. Anthony's ruins I remember thinking how absolutely blessed I am to have the opportunity to study, travel, and live in the UK with my best friend. Shane has been an incredible companion over the past two years and at the times where I have faced the most frustration, stress, and challenges he has been the source of strength, patience, kindness, and respect.
When we began to walk around St. Anthony's ruins, I broke apart from Shane and Sergio to see if I could find St. Anthony's well and I looked on the outside of one of the broken walls. When I couldn't find it, I came back around the wall and came over to Shane who was holding out his hand.
Shane and I have a game we play constantly. We try to ask each other new questions everyday. Generally it ends up with me reminding Shane that it is his 'turn for a question'.
After Shane grabbed my hand and we looked out on the city and coast for a little while, Shane turned to me and said 'My turn for a question' and I think I remember say 'okay sure' and thinking 'cool, I don't have to remind him today'....still completely unaware of what was about to happen and having lost sight of Sergio who was evidently recording the whole thing.
Shane then said 'Will you let me take care of you for the rest of my life?'
What happened next was such a blur but I remember Shane turning in front of me, getting down on one knee and asking 'Will you marry me?'
My surprise is fairly evident from the video that Sergio took (which I will try to upload here sometime very very soon).
Of course somewhere in the blur of that moment while the wind was roaring around the cliffs and I was looking at the man I always knew I would marry on his knee, I said yes.
The next few months are going to be fairly busy with school, moving, assessments, dissertations, applying for PhD programs and planning a wedding but I know I wouldn't want to go through all of this without Shane by my side.
God is so so good. His blessings are abundant.
