Settling In (and Down): 26 Sep 2005
Bonjour!
Have I mentioned that the McGill philosophy department is located at the top of the nine-story, white-cement Leacock Building that overlooks all of McGill campus, and, being placed atop a hill, peers directly into the skyscrapers of downtown? It is said that academia is life spent inside an ivory tower. With the geographical placement of McGill's philosophy department as it stands, atop a nine-story building, atop a hill, I effectively climb that ivory tower of academia everyday. My ivory tower has been tinged brown literally by the rains of Montreal, and figuratively by my own desire for everyday practicality. How do we make philosophy relevant to everyday life?
Being only four weeks into a doctoral program in philosophy I can't claim to have an answer to that question. Instead I focus on being productive in school and productive at home too. This amounts to excessive reading every week coupled with breaks for making pie, scrubbing the bathtub, and making Rachel peanut butter free sandwiches for school.
It does seem that philosophy has influenced my approach as a mother. Or, perhaps, philosophy and my approach as a mother just seem to resemble each other some how.
Rachel has been riding hard against her five-year old version of challenging life questions. This morning we began the day with her explaining to me her panic over the idea of her school catching on fire and the reality that if it did she'd lose which ever one of her favorite pets (stuffed animal) she'd brought with her that day. I talked to her about the idea that there are always things that COULD happen but that we have to instead face the things that ARE happening. This morning that amounted to her putting on her pink, mousey-faced rain boots and walking to school.
Last week Rachel and I talked about the impermanence of fun. That fun is a state we have to keep an eye out for. It doesn't happen constantly but instead occurs mixed in with our worries, our lunches, and our naps. We have to keep an eye out for it but that means she can have fun at school too.
This weekend we dealt with the worry that maybe neither of us was pretty and decided that even if we're not pretty, we don't have to feel bad. We decided that what is important about people as individuals is not any one trait, but instead how all the different parts of ourselves come together and balance to make us who we are. And that finding that sense of balance gets to include having fun by doing what we enjoy "like wearing pretty jewelry."
School has started to go well for both of us. That presentation I had last week turned out. I have another one on Wednesday. That amounts to me leading a two-hour class. I've already got two of my three final paper topics for the semester. That is progress. Rachel can count all the way to fifteen in French and can spout off all the major colors in French too. She can say "thank you very much" and "you're welcome" in French and she's gained several girlfriends that give her huge hugs whenever they see her.
Basically, things are okay. We're settling in. I realized today that I was coming home from McGill far too comfortably. We've gotten settled enough that some of the things about a place that are surprising at first blush have begun to fade into an everyday view of Montreal. Before I forget all the things that strike me as interesting, I thought I'd mention a few of them in this e-mail. And I promise to be more comical in the next e-mail.
Horse meat is very dark in comparison to beef.
Anglo-phone bookstores in Montreal have a fabulous philosophy selection and an even better poetry one.
The grocery stores package meat with large labels that announce in both French and English what animal they come from. "Chicken!" "Pork!" "Beef!" "Horse!" etc. I went to the store the other day and found a large package of what looked to me exactly like 12 chicken legs marked with a giant sticker that said "PORK!"
It is illegal to make a right hand turn on a red light in Quebec.
Parks can be found every four blocks in Montreal. Chocolate shops can be found every ten. Wine stores can be found every six.
Canadians apparently never throw their own birthday party. If you throw one for them, they are very grateful and wonderfully happy.
A few nights ago I was standing in the kitchen having a conversation with a couple from Costa Rica, a woman from the Netherlands, a man from Geneva, two men from Canada, and me, an Alaskan.
People in Montreal dress in a very unique manner. I've never seen two people with the same outfit. People are willing to wear their hair in very wild ways. Tanning is not popular though there are tanning salons. Barely anyone wears makeup.
Big hugs to all of you!
Lots of Love,
Elaine
Have I mentioned that the McGill philosophy department is located at the top of the nine-story, white-cement Leacock Building that overlooks all of McGill campus, and, being placed atop a hill, peers directly into the skyscrapers of downtown? It is said that academia is life spent inside an ivory tower. With the geographical placement of McGill's philosophy department as it stands, atop a nine-story building, atop a hill, I effectively climb that ivory tower of academia everyday. My ivory tower has been tinged brown literally by the rains of Montreal, and figuratively by my own desire for everyday practicality. How do we make philosophy relevant to everyday life?
Being only four weeks into a doctoral program in philosophy I can't claim to have an answer to that question. Instead I focus on being productive in school and productive at home too. This amounts to excessive reading every week coupled with breaks for making pie, scrubbing the bathtub, and making Rachel peanut butter free sandwiches for school.
It does seem that philosophy has influenced my approach as a mother. Or, perhaps, philosophy and my approach as a mother just seem to resemble each other some how.
Rachel has been riding hard against her five-year old version of challenging life questions. This morning we began the day with her explaining to me her panic over the idea of her school catching on fire and the reality that if it did she'd lose which ever one of her favorite pets (stuffed animal) she'd brought with her that day. I talked to her about the idea that there are always things that COULD happen but that we have to instead face the things that ARE happening. This morning that amounted to her putting on her pink, mousey-faced rain boots and walking to school.
Last week Rachel and I talked about the impermanence of fun. That fun is a state we have to keep an eye out for. It doesn't happen constantly but instead occurs mixed in with our worries, our lunches, and our naps. We have to keep an eye out for it but that means she can have fun at school too.
This weekend we dealt with the worry that maybe neither of us was pretty and decided that even if we're not pretty, we don't have to feel bad. We decided that what is important about people as individuals is not any one trait, but instead how all the different parts of ourselves come together and balance to make us who we are. And that finding that sense of balance gets to include having fun by doing what we enjoy "like wearing pretty jewelry."
School has started to go well for both of us. That presentation I had last week turned out. I have another one on Wednesday. That amounts to me leading a two-hour class. I've already got two of my three final paper topics for the semester. That is progress. Rachel can count all the way to fifteen in French and can spout off all the major colors in French too. She can say "thank you very much" and "you're welcome" in French and she's gained several girlfriends that give her huge hugs whenever they see her.
Basically, things are okay. We're settling in. I realized today that I was coming home from McGill far too comfortably. We've gotten settled enough that some of the things about a place that are surprising at first blush have begun to fade into an everyday view of Montreal. Before I forget all the things that strike me as interesting, I thought I'd mention a few of them in this e-mail. And I promise to be more comical in the next e-mail.
Horse meat is very dark in comparison to beef.
Anglo-phone bookstores in Montreal have a fabulous philosophy selection and an even better poetry one.
The grocery stores package meat with large labels that announce in both French and English what animal they come from. "Chicken!" "Pork!" "Beef!" "Horse!" etc. I went to the store the other day and found a large package of what looked to me exactly like 12 chicken legs marked with a giant sticker that said "PORK!"
It is illegal to make a right hand turn on a red light in Quebec.
Parks can be found every four blocks in Montreal. Chocolate shops can be found every ten. Wine stores can be found every six.
Canadians apparently never throw their own birthday party. If you throw one for them, they are very grateful and wonderfully happy.
A few nights ago I was standing in the kitchen having a conversation with a couple from Costa Rica, a woman from the Netherlands, a man from Geneva, two men from Canada, and me, an Alaskan.
People in Montreal dress in a very unique manner. I've never seen two people with the same outfit. People are willing to wear their hair in very wild ways. Tanning is not popular though there are tanning salons. Barely anyone wears makeup.
Big hugs to all of you!
Lots of Love,
Elaine
posted by hawkbrwn at 8:30 p.m.
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