26 July 2005

How's your Sanskrit?

Oooh, almost forgot to report my Philpott sighting at the British Library my last week in London. Made eye contact but didn't say 'hi'. I probably should have, as I have actually carried around in my backpack (for some reason) a nice thank you note he sent to the JCR after we prepared a spaghetti dinner for the senior members. It was really sort of sweet, believe it or not. He probably didn't recognize me sans beard anyway. I knew him by the tell-tale querry as to the security guard's dead-language-speaking abilities, as the poor guy searched the senior tutor's bag to make sure his Diet Coke and Cadbury Fruit and Nut weren't bombs. You never know, a suicide bombing campaign might be the only way to stop those propogators of the 'feudalism' misnomer...

25 July 2005

Out with it, already!

To the three chief executive ladies of the Canterbury administration: I think it's high time there was a 'leak' of the identity of the undercover operative known only as the 'ambassador'. The list of possible suspects is pretty narrow at this point, given that all but four (or five?) Canterburians are accouted for on this exclusive e-gentlepersons' club. Certain suspects are a bit more likely that others, but even if we all pretty much 'know' the identity of this stealth agent, the game is up. It's time (s)he was 'outed'. Or perhaps when said individual is not away on business, (s)he could post and do the job for us?

new address

i'm not very good at replying to post, but hope that my new dwelling will provide me much needed time to write to old friends.

Flat 2, 410 Kingsland Road
London E8 4AA
United Kingdom

**ps - thank you missy for the birthday card :-)

24 July 2005

Miniature Reunions


Carrie and I decided to have a tiny little reunion in Dupont Circle last weekend for everyone who lived in our Canterbury room--hooray! Between the bites of Lebanese food (which I devoured with embarrassing intensity), we had a beautiful moment to catch up and remember the value of dear old friends. Carrie and Ryan stopped through DC on their East Coast Excursion (on the hottest, most horrifyingly swampy day of the year, bless them) and made time for dinner with Jason and me. I concur with Jill that Ryan is the whole bottle of wax, and how deeply wonderful to find out that we can still laugh just as hard as we did back in the day! Jason figures I have some pretty decent Oxford-folk in my past. :)

I like so much that we can pass through each other's lives in such a pleasant way--it was also fabulous to have lunch with Ryan a few months ago when he was in town. (Note: If you are coming to DC, remember that "a quick visit with Missy" comes right after "Lincoln Memorial" and "the Capitol Building" on a list of must-see items in Washington, DC.)

As for my life, it's less than three weeks and counting to wedding day... That basically covers most of the details. :)

13 July 2005

Still alive

Hey everyone! After much guilt and many, many experiences of reading the blog and getting so caught up in everyone else's posts that time ran out and I never got to do my own, I am finally venturing into the world of posting. I will try to do this with a reasonable amount of brevity and many hard returns, as to not annoy Chelsey.

There, I used one. Cool, huh? So. Chelsey, Missy, and Ana Maria, this was a terrific idea. I have stopped in so many times to check in on you guys, and as someone said a few weeks ago, done a bit of living vicariously through your experiences. You are all doing such worthwhile, important, stretching things with your lives that I have to admit feeling a little bit of jealousy and an overwhelming amount of admiration. As I'm currently feeling like I'm going through something of a vocation crisis, this comes up frequently and Brian, my boyfriend, turns a interesting shade of green when I begin any sentence with "My Oxford friends are really changing the world and here I am..."

Not that things are bad. Not at all. Since I've been so frightfully poor at keeping in touch with so many of you, I should go back a bit. Most of you knew that after Oxford, I spent several months in Philadelphia working for Independence National Historical Park and then left for Amherst, Massachusetts to begin an MA in American History. I finished my MA in 2003, having learned, as a real surprise to myself, that I actually wanted to get a Ph.D (I had thought that idea was dead.) Having been so pleased with my experience at UMass and found several professors who were real mentors, I applied to the Ph.D program, was accepted, and started Ph.D work in September 2004. This past May, I passed my comprehensive exams, a truly byzantine form of academic torture, and am now ABD, working on my dissertation. I specialize in African American history; 20th century U.S. social & political history; and public history (museums, historic sites, history that is for & by the public and gauges its importance by its relevance to living in the present), and my dissertation is on America's worst case of resistance to Brown v. Board. This happened in Prince Edward County, Virginia, where the white power structure abolished public education (entirely) for five years rather than desegregate. The case had to go all the way to the Supreme Court to strike down the county's actions. I'm focusing on the role of the American Friends Service Committee, a still active and truly visionary Quaker social justice organization, in aiding the black community throughout the crisis, lobbying in Washington for federal intervention, and working to build a pro-public schools coalition in the white community. I probably have 2-3 more years to go - I'm hoping for two.

Besides school, I've spent three years working with the National Park Service on creating a program that will link historical issues with their contemporary dimensions; make history more relevant; and activate engagement and civic involvement within the American public. This summer, I've branched away from the NPS a bit and am working for a nonprofit in Concord, the Walden Woods Project. As the name suggests, this is a land conservation/environmental organization that preserves and interprets Thoreau's Walden Woods. I'm supposedly creating a lecture series tying together Thoreau, conscience, and contemporary issues, but the project's kind of stalled at the moment. Obviously all of this stuff - my dissertation and my public history work - is very close to my passion of improving the present by cultivating a deeper, more complex understanding of the past that helps us approach current events/trends/problems with more sensitivity and deeper understanding. And as a theory, I still believe in it wholeheartedly, but in practice it's been a difficult road. Project after project has stalled or failed and we've really accomplished very little in terms of improving society. More and more I've felt impatient and frustrated and wondered whether maybe this isn't the niche for me, that maybe God is calling me to serve more directly after I finish my degree, like in a social service job or a social justice organization.

Outside of my professional life, I've gotten kind of politically active - I was a hardcore Deaniac and spent the Democratic primaries banging on doors and staying up till all hours of the night in New Hampshire. If you haven't seen it, New Hampshire during the primaries is like nothing you'll ever see before or since. I went to the Massachusetts State Democratic Convention as a delegate, which was interesting, and served as the History Department steward for the graduate employees union on campus. I've also been exploring my first real relationship (it certainly took long enough!) - I met Brian through the Dean campaign, and we've been together for about 10 months. He's an 8th grade social studies teacher and he's absolutely fantastic, although I'm probably a little prejudiced. I still stare at him sometimes and can't believe that we're actually together.

Well, that's more than enough about me. To report in on other members of Canterbury Road's significant others, I can say from firsthand experience that Carrie's Ryan is a wonderful human being and his presence in her life should be applauded by all members of the blog. Has anyone heard any news of Andrea or Sean?

Sorry for taking up so much space - I promise to post more often now and not run on forever when I do. So great to be having these cyber-conversations with all of you.

07 July 2005

Nicole and Zack are okay

hey folks, we're alright here in London, although the city is a mess. i am sure some of you who were in DC on 9/11 can identify.

02 July 2005

I still use my canvas bag!

How is it that Canterbury Road got such a hold of us? We've all done things- we've all connected with new people around us- it seems we all know to look for such sincerity in expereinces- but there is something about that time, that mix of us, and place- that just can't be beat. As I've wandered through you comments- I have fallen in love with you all over again. And I vicariously live through your blogs by reading about Istanbul, Washington, London, Maryland.... now you too can live a little of my life in Sinclairville, NY.
I recently became a homeowner in a small town near my hometown. It is a raised ranch with 5 acres and millions of projects to experiment on. We live up the road from where my husband works and we come home to three dogs that eagerly want our attention. Two Alaskan Sled Dog Huskies that we ski behind in the winter, bike behind in the summer, and one Great Dane that spends her day finding new places to lie down. I teach English to 7th and 8th graders and am very surprised by how much I love it. I have lots of freedom and have been trying to do everything I can to make reading relevant and useful for 13 year old minds. It's good to be close to home- and while most of it is all so familiar- looking at things as I do today- it all seems pretty new as well. I live simply- and quietly- and try my hardest to not merely just do things- but really experience them. I'm happy to be near family- to enjoy my backyard garden- and to figure out a way to connect with those around me. I'm experiencing my first summer as a teacher- and last week I started grad school with a class on the European Union. Now, I'm no Political Scientist by any means- but I can tell you that I enjoyed the week long intensive mostly because my professor reminded me of our endearing friend Nigel Frith. This man, Neil Nugent, was a Brit. with enthusiasm, quarkiness, and a grunting laugh that took me back. It took me about 12 hours to refamiliarize myself with his accent- and if I had a few more days with him- I believe he too would have had his class over for tea and a curious artwork tour of blonde beach beauties with the right amount of sheen on their figures. It was refreshing to feel academic again. And I feel I haven't since our tutorials and seminars.
I'm very proud of all of you. I miss you terribly. And while I know a reunion would be hard to coordinate, I'm thankful for you correspondence gurus out there who figured out this blog thing. Thanks for bringing me back. I'll talk to again soon.

Trusting,
Betsy