The hard, hard life of a Ph.D. student

I wanted to share my November/December in pictures. I have been so blessed these past few months: my brother Dave came to visit me and, as always, my friends loved him and want him to come visit again. I got to spend Thanksgiving break with my amazing friend Lizzy, my soulmate aka sister Kerry, an incredible guy who takes me on awesome adventures. I listened to the St. Olaf Prairie Home Companion from an iPhone while hiking around Mt. St. Helens (and yes, Garrison made me cry...), and I signed over my lease, ready to move into an AWESOME house with WONDERFUL housemates. My research is slowly taking shape, and I completed my GRFP proposal, plus I my abstract was accepted to go to a fun, informal conference in Alberta! (See? I TOLD you I am in school, although its hard to believe looking back at all of the recreating I've done in the last few months)....

Then, there are the things I can look forward to: driving 28 hours home to Wisconsin, stopping at OLAF and/or Minneapolis on the way, seeing my family, going to Chicago and Brillion, New Years, and learning to ski at Bridger Bowl on the way home! There are only a few small tasks standing between me and Christmas break!

There have been hard times, of course. Especially missing people I love that were my whole life last year. Its hard realizing that someone who means so much to you is so far away.... and reconciling with changes that you can't reverse. Plus, not seeing my parents for four months is not easy, though I am incredibly grateful that they sent Kerry and David to bring some Galbraith love my way. 

I wish I could focus on the important things, and write like my more eloquent blogger friends. But, honestly, I am too overwhelmed by the task! Here are some pictures, they sum it up best:

My brother and I in the Selkirks. David, here are some inside jokes for you: projectile vomit, ripped pants.

Doughnuts are SO FUN! We had a lot of great friends that made Portland a blast.

Seriously. Look at this woman. She is amazing. Thanks for the mimosa <3

This is one of about three pictures I took with my camera in Seattle. Let this be motivation to you, Kerry, to post the pictures we took with your camera.

Team Hojancha! Although we miss Oscar, who was at AGU. Also we missed Santa, who was there a few hours earlier.

My new housemates. As you can see, they are kind of mean, but I think I'll manage.

MAGICAL BLOG

Oh, hi, mid-October. It's too bad that I equate you with an impending onslaught of due-dates and deadlines. On the bright side.......

I have a magical blog! When I wish for something on my blog, it comes true. I realize that I have to be careful with this kind of power. If you have a request, feel free to post a comment on my blog and I will integrate your wish into my next post. Here is how I know my blog is magical:

1. Dinnertime friends. On my very first blog, I hoped to soon be, "nestled in the comfort of a new community, with friends around a dinner table like those heavenly nights at the Wendell Berry House." With a disclaimer that there could NEVER be a gathering of women like at the WBH, I will say that I had a beautiful Friday night last week, when I made dinner with a house of friends, and we sat around a giant table, drinking Cuba Libres and laughing all night.

2. Fall adventures. Last week, I mentioned that I was yearning for applepicking adventures of a Midwest fall. GUESS WHAT I DID ON SUNDAY!?? Apple picking and cidering! If you have never gone cidering, you should do it before the apples are gone. Here is why:

I mean, just look at the blurring motion of the apple crushing. What a hoot.

3. Multiple times, I have referred to missing my family. And now my sister is coming for Thanksgiving! We are going to tromp around Seattle in rubber boots and probably drink many-a-latte and giggle about things that aren't necessarily that funny to your average person.

So, in closing, I just want to mention... I wish I could find a cheaper living situation. This apartment is nice but way too pricey. *****come on magic blog, do your thing!!!******

I know its cliche to say this, but I can't believe summer is over. It is October already! And I can't tell you how much I'm aching for fall on the hill: bright leaf colors contrasted with white limestone, going to the apple orchard and trying to bake crisp in the tiny dorm kitchen, the WB corn roast and spectacular view from the fourth floor of Regents.

I'm also yearning for home. No matter how long it has been since I had to catch the bus every morning, I still equate fall with the frosty yard in the morning, watching my breath form a cloud as I squinted towards the intersection of Echo Rd. and Eau Claire River Rd, where the bus would pull out and turn towards my house. In Moscow, fall means rain. It is a different type of cold- not the clear, crisp Midwest cold, but a wet, soggy, Northwest cold. I feel a bit out of sorts.

Fortunately, there is also a whole new world of fall scenery here! Last weekend, I went to the Seven Devils Mountains with some of my friends. Behold, fall in Idaho:

How's that for Famous Potatoes? Also, we hit a deer in Zion's car- it was just like being back home!!!

Anyway, in other news: school's great, I've met some amazing people, and I have way too many meetings a day. And... my interdisciplinary team is the best:

A little reflectin' on community

Wow. What a great couple of weeks. Right now, I'm sitting in my office, and I just can't get rid of this warm, fuzzy feeling that I have been incredibly blessed. Here is why:

My whole life, I have found myself part of wonderful communities. It all started at Bethany Lutheran Church, where no matter how naughty I was during the Christmas program, everyone showered me with love and encouragement and told me I was special and capable and loved. Then, I went to Riverside Elementary and became friends with a group of good people who would go on to be some of my best friends still when we got our High School Diplomas many years later. We weren't the coolest kids in school, but we built a tight community that helped me become who I am.

Not long after that, I went to St. Olaf College, and by my senior year, I was surrounded by these amazing, strong women at the Wendell Berry house, as well as the Ultimate players and "Hoyme boys" that together made up my college family and ensured that I would never, ever feel alone. I was ensured this week that this community would be a life-long blessing when an Olaf alum took me out to dinner and shared some great conversation with me and even gave me a big hug at the end.

Now, I am in the IGERT program and so many times I have realized that this is a community that I am so lucky to be a part of. On Thursday, I helped throw a birthday party for one of my teammates and the food, dancing, talking, and laughter all jammed into their house made me so happy. Then, today, I bought a futon from a lady in Moscow and the two men on my team as well as one of the women in another IGERT team all came to help me move it into my apartment- no hesitation at all. It seems like such a little thing, helping me move furniture, but the fact that in two months I have gained such great friends that would be willing to take some time out of their Sunday to help me is just a great feeling.

Anyway, I just wanted to take some time to reflect on what I have come to realize is probably the most important factor in my life. It is incredible to think of how many things I would NEVER have been able to do if it weren't for these communities of family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. Now if only I could have them all in one place :)

September Highlights

School keeps moving along, and I find myself feeling less like a kid pretending to be a Ph.D student and more like I belong here. My classes are going really well and I have a real vision of what I want to do and when I can get it done- which is much more than I could say a few weeks ago. In addition, I've done so many fun things in the last few weeks! Here are some of my highlights:
-Went contra dancing. This is one of those things that I can add with cake decorating and curling. It was love at first strange meeting.
-Went trail running on Moscow Mountain. This was really hard, as I can't actually run up hills very successfully. Still a positive experience because you can always walk, right!?
-Became a regular at sunrise Yoga. Monday and Wednesday morning I get flexible and peaceful. Both things I need in my life.
-Rode on Hector's bicycle handlebars through downtown Moscow. Brought back memories of India and went off without a hitch! Great way of transportation.

Gettin' Busy

I'm officially really really busy! Here are some reasons why:
1. I am applying for the NSF GRFP! It is a 3 year fellowship, and with that grant money I would be able to finish my Ph.D. without any more money-searching. I really want this so bad it makes me sort of panicky to think about. Deadline is November 18th so I really need to make progress starting now!
2. I went backpacking! One of the women from last year's IGERT cohort, Renee, invited me to tag along with her awesome friends backpacking in St. Joe National Forest in the Idaho Panhandle. My booty is suuuuper sore from a few intense uphill climbs!

Renee and I on our way up!

3. Class. It has homework and stuff.
4. Having an apartment. I like to make my life more difficult by refusing to buy things. For example, here is my laundry system:

The strings include: the drawstring for the blinds, a bungee cord I found on the sidewalk, a broken lanyard, and the That Guy Badge (a badge I won for leaving my tennis shoes at Erik's grandpa's house on our trip home from Colorado.) I also have yet to purchase anything to sit on in the living room. Or a vacuum cleaner. Am I cheap... or just lazy.... or really busy? You decide.

Sunshine Weekend

What a weekend. My friend Lizzy came to visit me, and it was amazing getting to have a piece of my St. Olaf life spooning with me in my twin bed, making African peanut stew just like we did nights at the WB house. There are really no words to describe what an incredible woman Lizzy is. She moved to Portland after graduating and has carved her own nook in the city. Hearing about her friends, her adventures, and her new experiences gave me a load of inspiration. And it was just nice to have a hug. How have I survived almost a month without a warm, cozy, meaningful hug?

Lizzy and I stopping for shade during a bike in the 90 degree heat.

On top of that, we had an action packed weekend. We biked somewhere around 25 miles on Friday to a little town called Troy, cooked our favorite meal together that night, woke up Saturday to the Farmer's Market, went swimming in the Spring Valley Reservoir, and then were treated to an AMAZING dinner cooked by Oscar, one of my teammates. And last night we got to do some dancing- both Salsa at Oscar and Hector's house, and less organized dancing at John's Alley where they had live music.

One big difference between cooking at my place and in Lincoln Manor: utensil availability. Opening a can is always a challenge.

Biking along the golden hills of Northern Idaho.

I also feel a big change in my heart now that the Hudson Bay Bound ladies made it to the Bay and are on their way back to Minnesota. It is a strange feeling- part relief that they are safe and they reached their goal, and part sadness that they are back in MN soon and I'll be way out here. Life keeps moving on no matter where you are, and sometimes it is a drag to remember that.

First Day of School

Well, all fifty minutes of my Monday classes are over and I've been slaving over a presentation for a few hours in the student union (about 70% of that time was spent procrastinating....like blogging and Facecreeping). Working on this presentation made me think I should write a little about what I'm doing here in Idaho. Also, then I can look back in four years and say wow, I was so naive.

Campus! That is the library on the right.

So, this year I will be going to classes at the University of Idaho and then will be moving to Costa Rica to do research in the summer. I'll get to CR as soon as I can and take a Spanish immersion course because my Espanol is a biiiit rusty. Then, after one more year of classes in Idaho, I will relocate to CR for two full years of research!

My Costa Rica campus!

The program is called IGERT- Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship. I am working with four other teammates to produce a study with both disciplinary and interdisciplinary aspects. We are an economist, a landscape ecologist, a hydrologist, a social scientist, and an entomologist. The region we are working in is called Hojancha, and its in the Nicoya Peninsula (south CR, on the West Coast.) The community there is incredible and they have been working for 35 years to improve farming methods, reforest land, and enhance livelihoods. We are going in to learn more about how the different economic incentives have made a difference in the region. My part will be related to studying biodiversity, using insects as an indicator species between different land use/land management types.

Four of the team plus my adviser.

Now I am off to go for a jog and get a bunch of my stuff from the guys' house. I have already started leaving all of my junk at their place, isn't that awesome!? Bffs.

Se va a volver loca

the mascots from the annual lentil festival in Pullman. they also had a beer garden, but people dressed as lentils were what made it worth a 20+ mile bike ride

bilingual bananagrams....hector can only use english words and i can only use spanish words. not fair because there are a bunch of letters hardly ever used in spanish.

we made an awesome dinner! look at hector, he is pumped. 

 

These pictures represent some of the things I've been doing before classes start tomorrow. I have also gone to the awesome Moscow farmer's market and last night I played pool with some rowdy Puerto Ricans. Tomorrow I have class from 1230-220, so it should be a pretty easy day. That means that I can have as much fun as I want tonight at the Pot Luck!

Starting Out

In Steamboat Springs at Fish Creek Falls

The view from the Visitor's center at Monte Alto in Costa Rica

I'm going to keep a blog. My life is changing so quickly and I really want to remember it all exactly how it happened. In the last few months, I have spent time in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, Idaho and Costa Rica. I have floated in responsibility-free bliss, then plunged into the pressure of being a 22-year-old Ph.D. student in a new place, with a lease and a credit card bill and an immediate need to be a bilingual insect expert.

At our cabin in Tomahawk, WI. Lay on your left side to view.

Something tells me that in a few months, I'll be nestled in the comfort of a new community, with friends around a dinner table like those heavenly nights at the Wendell Berry House. Until then, I'm sitting in a cafe (because I don't have internet at my apartment yet), living on oatmeal and lentils until my first paycheck, and starting to meet some new people when the opportunity arises.