Life updates and stuff...

Back to grindstone....writing another newsletter for my office today and trying to finalize a few tasks before heading down to campus later this afternoon.  Then, I have to get back to writing and revising my final Comprehensive Exam paper...and I have 2 other short papers to write before tomorrow's class on International Environmental Law and Policy.  It's pub night tonight at Rogue Hall with the new batch of student leaders.  I can't help but think of the Inklings group (made famous by Oxford scholars like C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, and J.R.R. Tolkien) as they gathered once a week at their local pub to discuss their work and life.

Just sent out invitations to the graduation party in June. Finally graduating with my master's degree in Educational Leadership & Policy, with a focus on Leadership for Sustainability Education.

I'm getting excited about starting my doctoral studies in the fall and I'll be completing a graduate certificate in Service-Learning.

As much as I want to go home and visit everyone this summer, I dread the road trip.  Three solid days of driving by myself to Mom and Dad's, then the trip to Houston.  But I'll try to stop over in Arkansas and Tulsa on my way down to Houston...I can go see Beth (my oldest and dearest friend) and then head over to Tulsa to see old friends before I visit my brother and sister.  Then, I'll go over to Austin for a day or so to see Nancy, Phil, and Don (more good friends).  

Then, it's the long trek back to Oregon with my belongings....or maybe I can find a way to ship my stuff to my home in Portland.  Not sure my car can take another trip across the mountains fully loaded down with books and belongings.  So, I should be in Illinois in August for a couple of weeks or so, then down to Texas for a couple of weeks, then back to Oregon by mid-September.

I love how life is so serendipitous at times.  You know how things seem to revolve around a theme at times?  I've fallen in love with living adventures and pilgrimage treks.  There's just something about walking a new path, exploring the possibilities, discovering something about yourself along the journey... and as you know, I've been contemplating walking the Camino in Spain.  I just talked to my friend Kristin in San Francisco (Oakland).  She is Ruth Marie's cousin.  Anyhooo, Kristin and her other cousin, Julie, just went out to New Mexico for a weekend getaway.  Apparently, Julie lives in Hollywood and has a weekend cabin in New Mexico.  So they were down there last weekend and guess whom they met?  You won't believe it.  Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen!  Emilio was turning 50 and they bumped into them at the family vineyard.  Too bad Kristin hadn't seen 'The Way' yet!   I almost fell out of my chair when she told me.  Happy 50th birthday, Emilio!  Loved the movie!  It's been a big year for friends and family turning 50 this year.  Seems like a watershed kind of year for folks.  

Now Kristin is determined to watch "The Way"...and maybe she'll consider walking it with me next summer, 2013.  I'm still aching to walk another pilgrimage, but I suppose it can wait another summer.  I remember when I first read about the via francigena (the old Canterbury Trail) in 2007.  I read some young guy's blog and I thought, "Wow!  I'd love to do that some day..."  Well, I was able to complete that 1,100 mile trek in 2010.  Now, I'm ready to experience the road MORE traveled, since I've already walked the road less traveled.  Hopefully, I'll be able to convince a few friends to join me along the way in summer 2013!  The more the merrier!

Here's hoping this summer is full of promise, faith, and dreams fulfilled for you and your family...and that your trails are happy ones.

Cheers,

"Gigi"

Dreaming of the Camino

I just saw "The Way" with Martin Sheen and written and produced by Emilio Estevez.  LOVED it!  Just ordered copies for everyone in my family.  I know my family does not understand this drive, this desire to walk pilgrim treks.  Maybe if they watch The Way, they will discover that everyone who walks a pilgrimage walks for his/her own personal reasons.

I remember seeing this quote along the via francigena in 2010 by Antonio Machado, "Caminante, no hay camino.  Se hace camino al andar."  (Translation: Travelers, there is no path, paths are made by walking.)

It's true.  Over the last three years, I've been learning step-by-step to let go of destinations and to embrace the process.  The only way to know the road is to walk it, to discover it by experience. And what I've learned along the way is that people may pleasantly surprise you if you give them a chance.

Like the main character in The Way, I found an amazing kinship with perfect strangers as I walked the old Canterbury Trail.  From the Dutch couple to the fabulous, kindhearted Belgians and French people who took me in along the way...to the gracious Italians who welcomed me with open arms and bottles of cold water and food for me and for my dog...and stories shared over cups of cappucino...I found my faith restored.  I didn't start out as a religious pilgrim.  But I found my faith in God, in his design for the universe, and in the kindness of strangers which exceeded all of my expectations.  And the friendships which were forged through the hardship of that pilgrimage continue to take deep root in my heart.

No matter which pilgrimage trek you choose, I wish you Buen Camino (Bonne Route) and endearing friendships along the way.

My mind is whirling...

I don't know about you, but between the amazing TED talks on TED.com, the incredibly eye-opening and mind-expanding discussions at school, and just the glut of resources I read daily, I'm finding it hard to stay focused on one area of interest.

I've just completed a seminar course on Conflict Resolution research methodologies and walked away with some great ideas for my final comprehensive exam project in the spring: I'll be exploring the concept of resilience in higher education and proposing that my own niche department (Leadership for Sustainability Education) begin to truly embrace an interdisciplinary approach to the subject, incorporating Conflict Resolution, peace education, spiritual leadership, urban studies, and student leadership activities to expand the curriculum and offer more opportunities for growth, skills development, and collaboration in social sustainability. (They've already got the gardening and farming and environmental part down).

Also up this term is a long-term strategic assignment for the Oxford symposium: World Politics. In it, I argue the case that most tensions seem to rise around the issue of who will be the top 2 superpowers in 2050. India is often overlooked and underappreciated though it will have the largest population, the largest democracy in the world, and the third largest economy. India is pursuing a policy of soft power (spreading its cultural influence through music and dance, media, and food) and winning the hearts and minds of the world, while also balancing hard power (economics and military). Though the US and China will continue to dominate through hard power, India is well on its way to establishing a new kind of pluralistic democracy, exemplified by tolerance and joy!

Finally, I'm getting some hard skills in applied demography. I've had to do a crash course in statistics just to keep up. My project is a look at refugee populations in Portland and access to community gardens (either in backyards, schools, or neighborhood gardens). Data shows that within one generation of arriving in America, refugee populations lose their close connection to nature, forgetting the names of plants and animals. I want to find out if they have found a local garden where they can celebrate their own cultural heritage (by growing familiar plants and preparing traditional foods and ceremonies), while also assimilating into the American way of life through language and social networks. And if they have not found a garden, how far away is the closest garden or green space which might accommodate multicultural needs?

I'll complete my Master's degree in Educational Leadership and Policy in June. Then, hopefully, I'll get a chance to vacation with family a bit up here in the great northwest. Then, I'll pack up the car, head back to Illinois, Oklahoma, and Texas as I get ready to ship my belongings to wherever my new home is. I hope I'll have enough time and money left over to walk for a few weeks along the camino to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Another pilgrimage would be a great way to start my sojourn in Europe, if I decide to pursue the European plan.

I don't really want to leave Portland....it's been a beautiful, magical, healing place for me. I'll miss the sheer natural beauty of the mountains and rainforests and the wonderful citizens who are passionate about the earth and people.

P.S.  See subsequent blogs for an update on my doctoral studies..