No one ever said that grad school applications would be easy. Everyone, ever, has always said that they are a pain in the patoot.
Even so. They're a pain!!! Roughing it in Peru is nothing compared to meticulously filling out all of these forms, running aroung getting money orders and envelopes and reference letters and passport pictures, and--wait, attending school and running the CLC and being a student assistant hall director as well?!? Get out of town. It can't be done.
Oh, and that pesky little GRE. Yeah, he's getting taken again, as well.
But you know, other than that, things are good.
This is all just a matter of hanging on. If I make it to January, I'll be home free. Well, first to Columbus day (Cambridge app), then to Fall break (GRE), then to Winter break and the rest of the due dates.
But don't worry. It's nothing I can't handle.
:-)
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Friday, 31 July 2009
Despedida
I am going to be home in one week.
I am going to be home in one week.
I am going to be home in one week, and then leave again almost immediately to go back to Ripon. Ripon, where I haven´t been in eight long months.
No way.
I can´t process anything that´s about to be happening right now because the pressure in Moquegua is officially on. Tomorrow is our last day of excavation, and the season is coming to a close. All loose ends need to be tied, and we need to hustle! Jump drives and drawings are passing hands as if the field house is our own private black market. Pirated movies are not part of the trade, as there is no time to watch them. Maybe some day.
In other news, our jeweller is preemptively mourning our absence from Moquegua, as is Ripon Matt, who doesn´t want to be left behind in Moquegua to finish all of the work that Misty and I will have no choice but to leave behind. We´re going to miss that Mateo, who is abandoning those of us in Wisconsin and going to California this fall (for grad school--but still!).
I really feel as if this summer has been dandy for meeting many of the up-and-coming archaeologists in the valley. Misty and I have been bullied into promising to attend the SAAs this coming spring. Hopefully we can swing it; if we can´t, there will be a lot of angry Andeanists sharpening their trowels. That´s a nasty way to go.
All right, the grindstone is calling me. Apparently I have to put my nose to it now. Let´s hope I survive this week. I think it will be smooth sailing after that. I hope!
All the best,
Lucy
I am going to be home in one week.
I am going to be home in one week, and then leave again almost immediately to go back to Ripon. Ripon, where I haven´t been in eight long months.
No way.
I can´t process anything that´s about to be happening right now because the pressure in Moquegua is officially on. Tomorrow is our last day of excavation, and the season is coming to a close. All loose ends need to be tied, and we need to hustle! Jump drives and drawings are passing hands as if the field house is our own private black market. Pirated movies are not part of the trade, as there is no time to watch them. Maybe some day.
In other news, our jeweller is preemptively mourning our absence from Moquegua, as is Ripon Matt, who doesn´t want to be left behind in Moquegua to finish all of the work that Misty and I will have no choice but to leave behind. We´re going to miss that Mateo, who is abandoning those of us in Wisconsin and going to California this fall (for grad school--but still!).
I really feel as if this summer has been dandy for meeting many of the up-and-coming archaeologists in the valley. Misty and I have been bullied into promising to attend the SAAs this coming spring. Hopefully we can swing it; if we can´t, there will be a lot of angry Andeanists sharpening their trowels. That´s a nasty way to go.
All right, the grindstone is calling me. Apparently I have to put my nose to it now. Let´s hope I survive this week. I think it will be smooth sailing after that. I hope!
All the best,
Lucy
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Getting a bit Chile in here . . .
Well hello, again.
A few things have changed since last we met. To begin with, the field students have all left the project and gone on to fun touristy things and home. Those lucky so-and-sos! I must say that we are all deeply saddened by the loss of their work-force and charm. Some of them are more missed than others, but such is life.
The other thing that has changed recently is that I´ve gotten myself a fancy new stamp in my passport. That´s right, folks, I went down to Chile for the weekend with the lovely Misty, the delightful Matts, and one Mr. John Hicks.
After the girls left on Saturday morning, the three grad students, Misty and I all hopped on a bus down to Tacna, Peru. From there, we found a collectivo and hopped across the border to Arica, Chile. Arica was, frankly, not that great of a place; I think Moquegua is much more picturesque and clean. However, what Arica has going for it that Moquegua lacks is shopping. We were all able to pick up a few odds and ends that we wouldn´t have been able to find in humble Moquegua, as well as a hilarious splurge of McDonald´s. Misty got two Feliz Cajas (Happy Meals--really!), and we all enjoyed getting out of town for a night.
Aside from spending a few pesos--a currency which I have come to loathe, by the way--we got to enjoy our lodging and a few of the local sites. Saturday night, we stayed in a hostel called the ¨Surf House,¨which was run by a charming (if dazed) fellow named Kurt. Misty particularly enjoyed the scenery (read: surfers) at the hostel, while we all enjoyed sleeping on real mattresses for a night.
Sunday morning, we tackled finding food for breakfast and landed in a bakery. After that, we got a ride out to the local museum where we saw a great many fabulous things, including crazy mummies, lots of instruments, and so forth. Then, we headed down to see Eiffel´s Cathedral, which is beginning to look a little shabby. We ended the day with a trip to the shore, where Misty and Matt P. enjoyed seeking sea lions. After that, we were headed home, and back to work.
Monday in the field was decent, although a bit peculiar because all of the girls are gone. We have a whole bunch of new Peruvian workers, one of whom is named Beatrice Pisco Pisco. Donna is afraid that UIC will think she´s making up names, since pisco is the drink of the region. We are all amused.
Monday was fairly uneventful, in spite of the new workers, though the weather has been acting really strangely down here. It keeps looking as if it will rain, which is practically unheard of in Moquegua--except in El Nino years. Guess what this year might turn out to be? You´ve got it. Be that as it may, there is no rain yet, just much cooler weather than we are accustomed to.
Last night, our bus driver came to the house to inform Donna that the transit workers had decided on a 48 hour strike. Rather than being sad about not going to the field, or worried about the strike, I have to admit that I was just relieved to have the opportunity to catch up on lab work. Those girls left a lot to do! It was also a blessing not to go to the field today because Misty has been severely under the weather. She needed today to rest. Probably tomorrow, too, but in predictable Misty fashion, she´ll probably go to work anyway. Let´s wish her luck!
Today was another unseasonably cool and damp day until around 10 AM, when the weather got warm and pleasant again. Also, apparently the strike didn´t really happen today--not here, anyway. Donna was upset to hear from her friend who is excavating across the way that she had been able to get to work today. Oh well. I am convinced that our ¨Peruvian Snow Day¨ did the project a lot of good. Going back to the field tomorrow, nearly caught up on lab work, sounds just fine to me.
Other than all of this, no news to report. I´ll be going back to the grind for the rest of my time here, I think, struggling to finish all of my obsidian stuff on top of this season´s lab work. It´ll get done, but it might not be pretty.
I hope you´re all doing well! I´d love to hear from you! And Grandma--thanks for the letters!
Much love,
Lucy
A few things have changed since last we met. To begin with, the field students have all left the project and gone on to fun touristy things and home. Those lucky so-and-sos! I must say that we are all deeply saddened by the loss of their work-force and charm. Some of them are more missed than others, but such is life.
The other thing that has changed recently is that I´ve gotten myself a fancy new stamp in my passport. That´s right, folks, I went down to Chile for the weekend with the lovely Misty, the delightful Matts, and one Mr. John Hicks.
After the girls left on Saturday morning, the three grad students, Misty and I all hopped on a bus down to Tacna, Peru. From there, we found a collectivo and hopped across the border to Arica, Chile. Arica was, frankly, not that great of a place; I think Moquegua is much more picturesque and clean. However, what Arica has going for it that Moquegua lacks is shopping. We were all able to pick up a few odds and ends that we wouldn´t have been able to find in humble Moquegua, as well as a hilarious splurge of McDonald´s. Misty got two Feliz Cajas (Happy Meals--really!), and we all enjoyed getting out of town for a night.
Aside from spending a few pesos--a currency which I have come to loathe, by the way--we got to enjoy our lodging and a few of the local sites. Saturday night, we stayed in a hostel called the ¨Surf House,¨which was run by a charming (if dazed) fellow named Kurt. Misty particularly enjoyed the scenery (read: surfers) at the hostel, while we all enjoyed sleeping on real mattresses for a night.
Sunday morning, we tackled finding food for breakfast and landed in a bakery. After that, we got a ride out to the local museum where we saw a great many fabulous things, including crazy mummies, lots of instruments, and so forth. Then, we headed down to see Eiffel´s Cathedral, which is beginning to look a little shabby. We ended the day with a trip to the shore, where Misty and Matt P. enjoyed seeking sea lions. After that, we were headed home, and back to work.
Monday in the field was decent, although a bit peculiar because all of the girls are gone. We have a whole bunch of new Peruvian workers, one of whom is named Beatrice Pisco Pisco. Donna is afraid that UIC will think she´s making up names, since pisco is the drink of the region. We are all amused.
Monday was fairly uneventful, in spite of the new workers, though the weather has been acting really strangely down here. It keeps looking as if it will rain, which is practically unheard of in Moquegua--except in El Nino years. Guess what this year might turn out to be? You´ve got it. Be that as it may, there is no rain yet, just much cooler weather than we are accustomed to.
Last night, our bus driver came to the house to inform Donna that the transit workers had decided on a 48 hour strike. Rather than being sad about not going to the field, or worried about the strike, I have to admit that I was just relieved to have the opportunity to catch up on lab work. Those girls left a lot to do! It was also a blessing not to go to the field today because Misty has been severely under the weather. She needed today to rest. Probably tomorrow, too, but in predictable Misty fashion, she´ll probably go to work anyway. Let´s wish her luck!
Today was another unseasonably cool and damp day until around 10 AM, when the weather got warm and pleasant again. Also, apparently the strike didn´t really happen today--not here, anyway. Donna was upset to hear from her friend who is excavating across the way that she had been able to get to work today. Oh well. I am convinced that our ¨Peruvian Snow Day¨ did the project a lot of good. Going back to the field tomorrow, nearly caught up on lab work, sounds just fine to me.
Other than all of this, no news to report. I´ll be going back to the grind for the rest of my time here, I think, struggling to finish all of my obsidian stuff on top of this season´s lab work. It´ll get done, but it might not be pretty.
I hope you´re all doing well! I´d love to hear from you! And Grandma--thanks for the letters!
Much love,
Lucy
Sunday, 5 July 2009
Memoirs of a Gringa
I have decided that my presence in Peru this year has been nothing but bad luck for the celebrity community. First David Carradine, then Ferrah Fawcett, and now this? The King of Pop? Not to mention Billy Mays. The world is a sadder place with only the ShamWow guy left for our infomercials.
I realize that this is somewhat old news for those of you Stateside, but allow me to assure you that Peru has definitely not forgotten about ol’ MJ. Everywhere I go, I hear Thriller or Billy Jean. The marketplace also has a stellar compilation disc of Michael Jackson performances, which is ironically set to Carmina Burana. Go figure. My favorite Michael Jackson memorial moment here, though, has to be sitting in the balcony of Bandidos and watching the entire Thriller video with some Pisco sours, mid-Moche poker. It took some eye-batting, but we were finally able to convince the DJ to do it, and it was every bit as good as you’d think it would be.
So let’s back-track to last week, a little bit. The field week passed much like any other, Friday was MJ memorial night, followed by dancing with Donna and the boys. Saturday was a regular lab day, and Sunday was a day trip to Arequipa. I spent the day in Arequipa with Misty and Mateo (Emo), where we were able to see the ice mummy “Juanita” in a very cool (read: actually cold) museum, see some intact Inca walls in the middle of town, and enjoy some fine touristy shopping.
This past field week was another hectic dose of Mejia, and I can’t say as how I have much to report about that at the moment. Yesterday, Misty and I finished getting scads of ingredients for the Fourth of July celebration, did a little bit of lab work, and hit the kitchen. At 2:00 yesterday, the whole crew, students included, went up to Dr. Moseley’s for barbecue, cake, Frisbee, basketball, and poppers. It was more American than half of the Independence Days I’ve celebrated in my life. Delightful! A lot of work to prepare, but quite lovely.
Today, Misty shipped off to Puno to work with Dr. Ryan on a project involving basalt sourcing. I’m still here in Moquegua, roommate-less, but managing. I photographed obsidian aaaaall day long, and now I’m sitting down to look at some scholarship information and enjoy contact with the outside world. Being here is . . . an insulated experience, I suppose. It’s a fast pace, and it’s nice to have a moment to reflect. I’ve been here for over a month, and I’m leaving in just over another month. Halfway home!
I hope that you’re all doing well, and that you had a lovely Fourth of July! All the best!
-Lucy
I realize that this is somewhat old news for those of you Stateside, but allow me to assure you that Peru has definitely not forgotten about ol’ MJ. Everywhere I go, I hear Thriller or Billy Jean. The marketplace also has a stellar compilation disc of Michael Jackson performances, which is ironically set to Carmina Burana. Go figure. My favorite Michael Jackson memorial moment here, though, has to be sitting in the balcony of Bandidos and watching the entire Thriller video with some Pisco sours, mid-Moche poker. It took some eye-batting, but we were finally able to convince the DJ to do it, and it was every bit as good as you’d think it would be.
So let’s back-track to last week, a little bit. The field week passed much like any other, Friday was MJ memorial night, followed by dancing with Donna and the boys. Saturday was a regular lab day, and Sunday was a day trip to Arequipa. I spent the day in Arequipa with Misty and Mateo (Emo), where we were able to see the ice mummy “Juanita” in a very cool (read: actually cold) museum, see some intact Inca walls in the middle of town, and enjoy some fine touristy shopping.
This past field week was another hectic dose of Mejia, and I can’t say as how I have much to report about that at the moment. Yesterday, Misty and I finished getting scads of ingredients for the Fourth of July celebration, did a little bit of lab work, and hit the kitchen. At 2:00 yesterday, the whole crew, students included, went up to Dr. Moseley’s for barbecue, cake, Frisbee, basketball, and poppers. It was more American than half of the Independence Days I’ve celebrated in my life. Delightful! A lot of work to prepare, but quite lovely.
Today, Misty shipped off to Puno to work with Dr. Ryan on a project involving basalt sourcing. I’m still here in Moquegua, roommate-less, but managing. I photographed obsidian aaaaall day long, and now I’m sitting down to look at some scholarship information and enjoy contact with the outside world. Being here is . . . an insulated experience, I suppose. It’s a fast pace, and it’s nice to have a moment to reflect. I’ve been here for over a month, and I’m leaving in just over another month. Halfway home!
I hope that you’re all doing well, and that you had a lovely Fourth of July! All the best!
-Lucy
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Shake, rattle and roll!
Splendid! Misty and I have the museum’s lab to ourselves on our day off . . . This means one thing: we get to touch the internet!
Three weeks out from France and here I am, surrounded by ceramics, botanics, and lithics (oh my!). I still haven’t had a chance to pull my obsidian artifacts out from the collection, and I very well may not have that chance for a while, given that the field students arrived last night. Cue the ominous music.
Aside from that, not much has changed since my last little note. Of course, not much time has passed, either. We did find out that Donna’s excavation permit has been delayed even further, so it looks like we’ll be in the lab a bit longer than expected, which is fine for now since I seem to have a bit of a sinus infection. I’m blaming all the hours in planes. That’s fair, right? The bad news here is that Donna is now talking about having us excavate on Saturdays and do lab on Sundays, with no day off whatsoever. Mutiny is imminent.
So, a few more days of lab, and then we hit yesterday, which was a noteworthy day in a sense. It started off with a bizarre dream. I’ve been having many recently, as I apparently always do when I’m here. Misty gets to play Freud for me when I wake up puzzled. After dashing off to the feria to get some filet mignon for Dr. Moseley, Misty and I spent the rest of the morning buying house supplies in preparation for those students. Then, we grabbed lunch with Emo and went back to the house, where I hopped into the shower.
This is where the day gets interesting. Two minutes after flipping the breaker and getting under the water, I heard rumbling. Roof dogs started barking. My roof shower started shaking, and I ran to the doorway, panicked about the breaker, turned if off (receiving a big of a shock in the process), threw on my towel, and hovered in the doorway again. The roof stopped shaking, and I waited for an aftershock. When it didn’t come, I leapt from the bathroom doorway and ran to see if everyone else was fine. Misty was the first person that I ran into, and upon excited questioning from yours truly, it turned out that Misty hadn’t felt a thing. Nobody else in the house had. Fifty miles away, however, Donna and Dr. Ryan were in their car in a tunnel when rocks started flying everywhere, one of which broke the radiator. Bad luck. Very bad luck, in fact. But proof that the earthquake had actually happened.
I feel like the rest of the afternoon is a bit of a blur, probably due in large part to some adrenaline issues and fatigue. Perhaps I worked in the lab a bit. Oh! I know, I bought an MP3 player to replace the one that I lost on the mountainside/in a combi the other day. That’s what I did. Best thirty bucks I ever spent? We’ll see.
Then, the field students came. The jury is still out, and Misty and I really should be more sympathetic to their plight than anyone else, since we know where they came from. Still, seven more people around simply makes things more complicated. Last night was definitely a “staff” night out. Poker and pisco was had by all, and well deserved.
Today we got to sleep in until 8:30, which was delightful, and Misty, Emo and I had to dash to the museum to take out artifacts to show to the field students. The rest of the day has been passing at a drowsy pace, which is just fine by me, if we’re not going to have any time off for the next five weeks. We’ll see about that.
I miss you all and I send my love! I promise that someday I’ll be back in the States, really I will!
Warmly,
Lucy
Oh, also, while I don’t expect any correspondence or anything, this is my mailing address down here:
c/o Proyecto Cerro Mejía
Museo Contisuyo
Jr. Tacna 294
Moquegua, Peru
Three weeks out from France and here I am, surrounded by ceramics, botanics, and lithics (oh my!). I still haven’t had a chance to pull my obsidian artifacts out from the collection, and I very well may not have that chance for a while, given that the field students arrived last night. Cue the ominous music.
Aside from that, not much has changed since my last little note. Of course, not much time has passed, either. We did find out that Donna’s excavation permit has been delayed even further, so it looks like we’ll be in the lab a bit longer than expected, which is fine for now since I seem to have a bit of a sinus infection. I’m blaming all the hours in planes. That’s fair, right? The bad news here is that Donna is now talking about having us excavate on Saturdays and do lab on Sundays, with no day off whatsoever. Mutiny is imminent.
So, a few more days of lab, and then we hit yesterday, which was a noteworthy day in a sense. It started off with a bizarre dream. I’ve been having many recently, as I apparently always do when I’m here. Misty gets to play Freud for me when I wake up puzzled. After dashing off to the feria to get some filet mignon for Dr. Moseley, Misty and I spent the rest of the morning buying house supplies in preparation for those students. Then, we grabbed lunch with Emo and went back to the house, where I hopped into the shower.
This is where the day gets interesting. Two minutes after flipping the breaker and getting under the water, I heard rumbling. Roof dogs started barking. My roof shower started shaking, and I ran to the doorway, panicked about the breaker, turned if off (receiving a big of a shock in the process), threw on my towel, and hovered in the doorway again. The roof stopped shaking, and I waited for an aftershock. When it didn’t come, I leapt from the bathroom doorway and ran to see if everyone else was fine. Misty was the first person that I ran into, and upon excited questioning from yours truly, it turned out that Misty hadn’t felt a thing. Nobody else in the house had. Fifty miles away, however, Donna and Dr. Ryan were in their car in a tunnel when rocks started flying everywhere, one of which broke the radiator. Bad luck. Very bad luck, in fact. But proof that the earthquake had actually happened.
I feel like the rest of the afternoon is a bit of a blur, probably due in large part to some adrenaline issues and fatigue. Perhaps I worked in the lab a bit. Oh! I know, I bought an MP3 player to replace the one that I lost on the mountainside/in a combi the other day. That’s what I did. Best thirty bucks I ever spent? We’ll see.
Then, the field students came. The jury is still out, and Misty and I really should be more sympathetic to their plight than anyone else, since we know where they came from. Still, seven more people around simply makes things more complicated. Last night was definitely a “staff” night out. Poker and pisco was had by all, and well deserved.
Today we got to sleep in until 8:30, which was delightful, and Misty, Emo and I had to dash to the museum to take out artifacts to show to the field students. The rest of the day has been passing at a drowsy pace, which is just fine by me, if we’re not going to have any time off for the next five weeks. We’ll see about that.
I miss you all and I send my love! I promise that someday I’ll be back in the States, really I will!
Warmly,
Lucy
Oh, also, while I don’t expect any correspondence or anything, this is my mailing address down here:
c/o Proyecto Cerro Mejía
Museo Contisuyo
Jr. Tacna 294
Moquegua, Peru
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Au revoir, hola!
Hey gang! Long time, no hear, yes?
Well, there's a good reason for that. I've been in three continents over the last few weeks.
Whoa, horsey. Let me catch my breath.
Okay, so, the last time I had something to say here, I believe I was in Paris. On May 24th, I bade adieu to the City of Lights, and for eight glorious days I got to be home with my wonderful family. For six of those eight days, I got my Preston in Fort Collins, and all in all, I was a very happy Lucy.
Then, June 2nd came and I had to whip my passport out again to head to Peru. Here I am, working on an archaeological project for la doctora (Donna), while also collecting information for my own senior honors thesis. I’m going to get the chemical blueprint of our obsidian artifacts from last field season and this season in order to match them to four sources of obsidian in the area.
But really, that’s just a pretense to get me down here. The marvelous Misty and I are doubling as “Junior TAs” for when the field students arrive, and we form the ladies of the crew. Also present on the crew are Matt, Matt, and John. Matt (a.k.a. Emo, from Ripon) is doing botanics, while Matt and John (UIC) are being the regular TAs for the season.
I suppose we haven’t gotten up to much trouble down here so far. On Thursday, the day after I arrived in Moquegua, I climbed up Cerro Baul with Donna, Monika (the Peruvian archaeologist with whom Donna coordinates) and the field crew (both UIC guys, me, and Misty) which was probably not the best idea I’ve ever had. Baul is on the vicious side, especially when dealing with jetlag.
On Friday, Donna drove the field crew up to Mejia (Baul’s friendly neighbor), and we went on up to the summit and drew rocks. All day. Friday night was Erin from Fort Collins’ despodida party, so we went to Bandidos for pisco sours and poker night—a very fun night. Saturday was a lab day, and I spent it coding ceramics. Sunday was the pago, where we gave Cerro Mejia some gifts so that she wouldn’t mind us excavating on her, and Monday it was back to the field.
I have spent every day this week drawing rocks and putting in nails. I cannot wait to be done drawing this unit.
On the plus side, though, Misty and I have been getting to do afternoon errands together, and being roomies with her again is wonderful. You can’t beat a gal like Misty. She’s superb.
It looks like this is all I have time to say for the moment, but hopefully there will be new updates soon, like finally getting to excavate, the news on the field students, who arrive on Saturday, and so on. I’m sure there are some good stories already that I haven’t even had time to think of!
All the best,
Lucy
Well, there's a good reason for that. I've been in three continents over the last few weeks.
Whoa, horsey. Let me catch my breath.
Okay, so, the last time I had something to say here, I believe I was in Paris. On May 24th, I bade adieu to the City of Lights, and for eight glorious days I got to be home with my wonderful family. For six of those eight days, I got my Preston in Fort Collins, and all in all, I was a very happy Lucy.
Then, June 2nd came and I had to whip my passport out again to head to Peru. Here I am, working on an archaeological project for la doctora (Donna), while also collecting information for my own senior honors thesis. I’m going to get the chemical blueprint of our obsidian artifacts from last field season and this season in order to match them to four sources of obsidian in the area.
But really, that’s just a pretense to get me down here. The marvelous Misty and I are doubling as “Junior TAs” for when the field students arrive, and we form the ladies of the crew. Also present on the crew are Matt, Matt, and John. Matt (a.k.a. Emo, from Ripon) is doing botanics, while Matt and John (UIC) are being the regular TAs for the season.
I suppose we haven’t gotten up to much trouble down here so far. On Thursday, the day after I arrived in Moquegua, I climbed up Cerro Baul with Donna, Monika (the Peruvian archaeologist with whom Donna coordinates) and the field crew (both UIC guys, me, and Misty) which was probably not the best idea I’ve ever had. Baul is on the vicious side, especially when dealing with jetlag.
On Friday, Donna drove the field crew up to Mejia (Baul’s friendly neighbor), and we went on up to the summit and drew rocks. All day. Friday night was Erin from Fort Collins’ despodida party, so we went to Bandidos for pisco sours and poker night—a very fun night. Saturday was a lab day, and I spent it coding ceramics. Sunday was the pago, where we gave Cerro Mejia some gifts so that she wouldn’t mind us excavating on her, and Monday it was back to the field.
I have spent every day this week drawing rocks and putting in nails. I cannot wait to be done drawing this unit.
On the plus side, though, Misty and I have been getting to do afternoon errands together, and being roomies with her again is wonderful. You can’t beat a gal like Misty. She’s superb.
It looks like this is all I have time to say for the moment, but hopefully there will be new updates soon, like finally getting to excavate, the news on the field students, who arrive on Saturday, and so on. I’m sure there are some good stories already that I haven’t even had time to think of!
All the best,
Lucy
Sunday, 17 May 2009
The Final Countdown: One Week Left
Well hello, there, stranger. Looks like I haven't been here in a while, have I? Allow me to explain . . .
During the past week, one of my good friends (of over a dozen years!) came to visit Paris. Kate came to Paris last Friday and was here through yesterday. We both stayed at her cousin Diane's apartment. Fortunately, the apartment is only about two blocks away from Madame Poupon's. Even with the convenience of it all, I still spent a good deal of the time before her visit getting assignments for my courses out of the way--though I still had to contend with a final exam during her visit, but such is life.
I suppose I did a few notable things before her visit, such as visiting the Parc de Bagatelle, checking out the Picasso Museum, and partially breaking my camera. Luckily, the camera seems to be rallying a bit these days. It's not going to make it to Europe again, but the old sport is doing well enough considering his age. To say I broke it is a bit inaccurate; frankly, it's just wearing out. It's seen a lot of the world. It's earned it.
The first day of Kate's visit, I took her around the Notre Dame/St. Germain neighborhood to see some busy Paris backstreets. It was enough to keep her awake, at least. The next day we went on the Hemingway walking tour of Paris and visited some of the author's favorite haunts, including Shakespeare and Co. (ex-pat bookstore) and the riverside booksellers. On Monday, we went to Monet's garden in Giverny. Tuesday I stayed home and studied for my exam on Wednesday, and by Thursday we were hitting the town again. We saw Sacre Coeur and Mont-Martre and the Champs-Elysees. Friday was class for me in the morning, and then Kate and I met up at Hotel de Ville to view Paris once again, this time taking in a boat tour. Friday night, the lovely Diane took us to see the Eiffel Tower. I'm sure I'm forgetting and conflating a great many things, but this is the impression I have of the last week.
In short, I feel like I saw all of Paris again, only this time, smashed into the space of one week. Ouch. Also, I've diagnosed myself with a sinus infection. I think it's getting better, though. But probably largely because I crawled into bed after dropping Kate off at the airport. It was lovely to have a visit, but it sure tired me out!
Now I have just one week left before heading back to Colorado. I don't have much on my agenda, though Madame Poupon has told me and Claire that she's going to take us out to lunch on Thursday. She's so sweet. She's been one of the best parts of this experience (the continued strike at the Sorbonne and consequential thrown-together classes being the absolute worst part).
I'm sure I have many more reflections in this head of mine, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to realize them for quite some time. Mentally, I'm afraid I'm already elsewhere. It will hit me. Maybe not until I'm in Peru, though. June 2, it's "hola" Peru.
Wish me luck for hammering out my last few assignments and for packing up these suitcases! United States, here I come!
Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017102&id=1076370049&l=08d8256aea
During the past week, one of my good friends (of over a dozen years!) came to visit Paris. Kate came to Paris last Friday and was here through yesterday. We both stayed at her cousin Diane's apartment. Fortunately, the apartment is only about two blocks away from Madame Poupon's. Even with the convenience of it all, I still spent a good deal of the time before her visit getting assignments for my courses out of the way--though I still had to contend with a final exam during her visit, but such is life.
I suppose I did a few notable things before her visit, such as visiting the Parc de Bagatelle, checking out the Picasso Museum, and partially breaking my camera. Luckily, the camera seems to be rallying a bit these days. It's not going to make it to Europe again, but the old sport is doing well enough considering his age. To say I broke it is a bit inaccurate; frankly, it's just wearing out. It's seen a lot of the world. It's earned it.
The first day of Kate's visit, I took her around the Notre Dame/St. Germain neighborhood to see some busy Paris backstreets. It was enough to keep her awake, at least. The next day we went on the Hemingway walking tour of Paris and visited some of the author's favorite haunts, including Shakespeare and Co. (ex-pat bookstore) and the riverside booksellers. On Monday, we went to Monet's garden in Giverny. Tuesday I stayed home and studied for my exam on Wednesday, and by Thursday we were hitting the town again. We saw Sacre Coeur and Mont-Martre and the Champs-Elysees. Friday was class for me in the morning, and then Kate and I met up at Hotel de Ville to view Paris once again, this time taking in a boat tour. Friday night, the lovely Diane took us to see the Eiffel Tower. I'm sure I'm forgetting and conflating a great many things, but this is the impression I have of the last week.
In short, I feel like I saw all of Paris again, only this time, smashed into the space of one week. Ouch. Also, I've diagnosed myself with a sinus infection. I think it's getting better, though. But probably largely because I crawled into bed after dropping Kate off at the airport. It was lovely to have a visit, but it sure tired me out!
Now I have just one week left before heading back to Colorado. I don't have much on my agenda, though Madame Poupon has told me and Claire that she's going to take us out to lunch on Thursday. She's so sweet. She's been one of the best parts of this experience (the continued strike at the Sorbonne and consequential thrown-together classes being the absolute worst part).
I'm sure I have many more reflections in this head of mine, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to realize them for quite some time. Mentally, I'm afraid I'm already elsewhere. It will hit me. Maybe not until I'm in Peru, though. June 2, it's "hola" Peru.
Wish me luck for hammering out my last few assignments and for packing up these suitcases! United States, here I come!
Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017102&id=1076370049&l=08d8256aea
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