Elaine's First Presentation: 19 Sep 2005
Bonjour!
Rachel had a good walk to school today. She was excited by the fact that our alarm clock failed to wake me this morning and we were half an hour late to her school as a result. Knowing her school day was just that much shorter had Rachel skipping the whole way. This of course means we won't make it this year on to the school poster of highest honor that has a photo of only a few kids with the label underneath pronouncing "ZERO RETARD!" ("no lates!")
When we got to her school we used up another ten minutes as I had a sign language conversation that consisted only of "No. No nuts. No peanut butter. NO peanut butter." over and over again. Trying to come up with a sign to communicate "jar" was a challenge. Last week I'd found a spread at the local grocery store that purported to be made not only without nuts but also in a nut free facility. I carefully copied the French from the label onto a note I believed to be saying, "This sandwich is made without nuts" (in French) and sent that to school in Rachel's lunchbox. The fact that the sandwich looked just like it contained peanut butter and the fact that Rachel kept saying, "It tastes just like peanut butter but it's not peanut butter but it TASTES just like peanut butter." resulted in Rachel having to eat "in isolation" to avoid infecting the other kids with nuts. I was irritated that my note didn't save her from the loner table but this morning I went over my French note again. In it I explain very carefully that the sandwich is "sans sel ajoute" which roughly translated means "This sandwich contains NO SALT."
My school is now in its third week. My first presentation is this afternoon. That's part of why I'm emailing this morning rather than this evening. The timing insures that I can write a positive note rather than the one of sheer terror I may have to compose after revealing to my graduate program that I know nothing about philosophy. I told a friend of mine the other day that I felt positive in knowing that I know nothing, at least I know THAT much. Then I realized that that attitude would be really helpful if I was here studying EASTERN philosophy. Just to clarify, the philosophy professors at NAU did a remarkable job at teaching me (I'd recommend them to anyone). It just feels sometimes, when faced with an entirely new group of experts in their field, that I somehow forgot to pack that NAU experience in the U-Haul Rachel and I drove from Arizona. Of course I still cling to the idea that this feeling actually gives me greater room to learn.
Really though, my program has been incredible. The department is very supportive. Rachel has already had several play dates with the children of professors and students in the department. People are keeping an eye out for a couch for us. And we've had dinners and afternoon tea with people too. The classes are rigorous and interesting. One in particular feels like the hardest class I may ever take. For my presentation today I spent two hours carefully outlining one paragraph of the material we're reading. In a week and a half I will have to lead a two hour session on the material we're reading for another class.
Someone was asking me yesterday what kind of food we regularly see here. Mostly things that I would buy in the states I can also buy here. There are some little things I haven't been able to find, like Quaker Oats Maple and Brown Sugar instant oatmeal and decaffeinated green tea (there isn't much decaf anything here). Potato chips come in flavors like "bacon", "pickle" and "all sauce" (which means everything that you can think of that could be put on potato chips is on these potato chips). I don't really eat potato chips but I had to try the "lime and black pepper" flavor and they were good. The grocery store two doors down also sells things like ground horse meat, blood sausage, and bacon and cheddar sausage. Not to mention the liver, and head cheese you'd be able to find in the states too.
We're thinking about all of you. Sending you all the best!
Keep in touch!
Love,
Elaine
Rachel had a good walk to school today. She was excited by the fact that our alarm clock failed to wake me this morning and we were half an hour late to her school as a result. Knowing her school day was just that much shorter had Rachel skipping the whole way. This of course means we won't make it this year on to the school poster of highest honor that has a photo of only a few kids with the label underneath pronouncing "ZERO RETARD!" ("no lates!")
When we got to her school we used up another ten minutes as I had a sign language conversation that consisted only of "No. No nuts. No peanut butter. NO peanut butter." over and over again. Trying to come up with a sign to communicate "jar" was a challenge. Last week I'd found a spread at the local grocery store that purported to be made not only without nuts but also in a nut free facility. I carefully copied the French from the label onto a note I believed to be saying, "This sandwich is made without nuts" (in French) and sent that to school in Rachel's lunchbox. The fact that the sandwich looked just like it contained peanut butter and the fact that Rachel kept saying, "It tastes just like peanut butter but it's not peanut butter but it TASTES just like peanut butter." resulted in Rachel having to eat "in isolation" to avoid infecting the other kids with nuts. I was irritated that my note didn't save her from the loner table but this morning I went over my French note again. In it I explain very carefully that the sandwich is "sans sel ajoute" which roughly translated means "This sandwich contains NO SALT."
My school is now in its third week. My first presentation is this afternoon. That's part of why I'm emailing this morning rather than this evening. The timing insures that I can write a positive note rather than the one of sheer terror I may have to compose after revealing to my graduate program that I know nothing about philosophy. I told a friend of mine the other day that I felt positive in knowing that I know nothing, at least I know THAT much. Then I realized that that attitude would be really helpful if I was here studying EASTERN philosophy. Just to clarify, the philosophy professors at NAU did a remarkable job at teaching me (I'd recommend them to anyone). It just feels sometimes, when faced with an entirely new group of experts in their field, that I somehow forgot to pack that NAU experience in the U-Haul Rachel and I drove from Arizona. Of course I still cling to the idea that this feeling actually gives me greater room to learn.
Really though, my program has been incredible. The department is very supportive. Rachel has already had several play dates with the children of professors and students in the department. People are keeping an eye out for a couch for us. And we've had dinners and afternoon tea with people too. The classes are rigorous and interesting. One in particular feels like the hardest class I may ever take. For my presentation today I spent two hours carefully outlining one paragraph of the material we're reading. In a week and a half I will have to lead a two hour session on the material we're reading for another class.
Someone was asking me yesterday what kind of food we regularly see here. Mostly things that I would buy in the states I can also buy here. There are some little things I haven't been able to find, like Quaker Oats Maple and Brown Sugar instant oatmeal and decaffeinated green tea (there isn't much decaf anything here). Potato chips come in flavors like "bacon", "pickle" and "all sauce" (which means everything that you can think of that could be put on potato chips is on these potato chips). I don't really eat potato chips but I had to try the "lime and black pepper" flavor and they were good. The grocery store two doors down also sells things like ground horse meat, blood sausage, and bacon and cheddar sausage. Not to mention the liver, and head cheese you'd be able to find in the states too.
We're thinking about all of you. Sending you all the best!
Keep in touch!
Love,
Elaine
posted by hawkbrwn at 8:29 p.m.
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