GenCen was absolutely lovely. I got a tour of the pens, rubber bands, paper, and staples, of course. And then a walk through on the mail, vacuum, coffee pot, copier, and phones. And then got a chance to make my computer station a bit more homey. Changed my background to a picture of Jorgen, of course. And then cleaned out the desk shelves. They clearly hadn't been done in a while...there were papers with the office staff from 2007 and absolute ancient computer parts. I think that the "intern desk" became the "everyone's desk" and was used as a dumping ground for stuff people were too scared to throw away but didn't want cluttering up their space. But it's happily arranged now. Answered my first phone call and got to do the incredibly thrilling action of placing the caller on hold for our director.
Today was just training, technically, so it was pretty low-key. The real fun starts Tuesday, when I'm officially working!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Independent Study
I'm all set with my Madison Independent Study on Food and Water Security in the Middle East. Mark Axelrod and I met today to go over the reading list, and immediately after I received an email stating I was enrolled in the course (the administration has to do it after student and prof fill out a fancy form discussing the substance of the class). Looking forward to it!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Driver's License
The actual, legitimate plastic card came in the mail today. There it sits, in my wallet. What with that and my first day in the office tomorrow, I think I'm a big girl now...
Ally Visit!
A friend from Battle Creek visited me today. Mum had to run an errand in Lansing, so the three of us had lunch at Panera. And then Ally and I made peanut butter krispies and no-bakes...
Generally enjoyed ourselves...
And Skyped a friend. My favorite facial expression:
Made all the better by my father's response to Eric's outfit: "Eric, really - the brim & stripy shirt with the headset are just a bit much. You look like an air traffic controller from the 1970..."
Generally enjoyed ourselves...
And Skyped a friend. My favorite facial expression:
Made all the better by my father's response to Eric's outfit: "Eric, really - the brim & stripy shirt with the headset are just a bit much. You look like an air traffic controller from the 1970..."
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Tomato Bros.
Had lunch today in Howell with Granna and Belinda. We chatted about Israel and life in general. It was lovely to meet Belinda in person. And the chicken parmesan was mighty tasty.
: )
: )
Monday, August 23, 2010
Work Schedule!
I have officially received my working hours:
Tuesday 10-2
Wednesday 12-2
Thursday 10-2
Woohoo! That will be fun. I'm very excited. I'll be working in the Center for Gender in a Global Context, or "GenCen." We look at gender roles and justice internationally - a lot of women and development work. I will be doing basic office work like answering the phone and making copies, but I also pick a project to work on. I can do something like an annotated bibliography, resource database, etc. I'm still trying to figure out a topic...I need to get that settled. Ideas?
Tuesday 10-2
Wednesday 12-2
Thursday 10-2
Woohoo! That will be fun. I'm very excited. I'll be working in the Center for Gender in a Global Context, or "GenCen." We look at gender roles and justice internationally - a lot of women and development work. I will be doing basic office work like answering the phone and making copies, but I also pick a project to work on. I can do something like an annotated bibliography, resource database, etc. I'm still trying to figure out a topic...I need to get that settled. Ideas?
Cooking!
I cooked for the first time since Israel last night...my friend V is staying with me until the dorms open, as she has harp lessons and whatnot this week. I made us homemade pasta sauce (let me tell you, the fresh mushrooms were a fantastic addition) topped with goat cheese. And yummy, yummy salads inspired by Panera's Strawberry Chicken Poppyseed - spinach, mandarin oranges, blueberries, strawberries, homemade granola (courtesy of V, not me), and an orange-lemon dressing that I made. Apparently I now know how to make homemade dressings. That was new...and yummy! V, an avid Trekkie and Star Wars fan, had not seen "Galaxy Quest." So I sat her down and made her watch it. Life was good.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Summer Grades
The grades from Israel finally came in...4.0s all around. My 4.0 in Madison remains pure.
: )
: )
Friday, August 20, 2010
Beautiful, Wonderful Day
I have just had the most gloriously productive day.
I drove Mum to Lansing (and no one died, and no property was damaged!). We ran an errand for Dad, and then we made it to the church on time to meet a friend real quick to do a paperwork transfer. She's headed off to Egypt for the year and had some goodies for a peace group on campus. It was good to see her quickly before she leaves the country.
Ate at Panera (the seasonal strawberry poppyseed chicken salad with blueberries, mandarin oranges, pineapple, and pecans is mighty fine).
Came home, dealt with a few crucial things at the condo (primarily garbage), and got ready to head on campus for some errands.
Took care of my hiring paperwork at the GenCen (Center for Gender in a Global Context). It required writing down my PID to have someone run through the system to see that my I-9 was all set. Let me tell you, it was difficult.
Dropped off some paperwork at the College of Arts and Letters (evaluations from one of the classes in Israel).
Stopped by Eustace-Cole (the Honors College building), saw Bess German. Made an appointment for next Tuesday at 4. (Originally, I set it for 1, and then remembered I have a very fun lunch date with two lovely ladies on Tuesday.)
Met Dick (Peterson, chair of the department of philosophy) just outside Kedzie - the building we were supposed to meet at - rather early. He was going to get coffee before our meeting, so I walked with him to Erickson, and then we sat outside and chatted. I'll be continuing our work on teaching peace and justice and a website this year through an independent study. We weren't able to complete the paperwork since his assistant was out today, but it was good to catch up.
And then...the true glory started.
I've been struggling with the option of an honors thesis in Madison (the public policy college at State) for a while now. Do I want to spend the credits? What should my topic be?
So, I decided to wander through Madison's offices today, just to see who was around. Given that it was 4 on a Friday, I was not expecting to find anyone. But lo and behold, there's Matt Zierler - who just that morning had been assigned as my academic advisor. I had to sit through another round of "Apply for the Truman," but we eventually got around to thesis.
Becca: I'm debating between food security/hunger/agriculture and Israel/Palestine.
Zierler: Well, why don't you do food security in the Middle East and look at water too?
Becca:...oh. Duh. Go, Advisor. You have just pointed out the painfully obvious, which I had somehow managed to miss. Good idea. Now, should I do Yael Aronoff or Mark Axelrod?
Zierler: Well, Yael knows Israel and has more experience with theses. But Axelrod is pretty familiar with the region and does a lot with food security and political economy...
At this point, I'm pretty sure I want to do it with Mark as my official advisor and Yael as a resource, especially since I wrote a paper on food security for Mark last spring.
Yael is not in her office (which is right next to Zierler's). And it's now 4:15 on a Friday. And Mark Axelrod is an observant Jew. So there's no way in heck.
But wait! Mark had a bug problem in his house, and so had to spray and then vacate. And there he is. And he'd love to do my thesis. And sure, we can start the required preparatory independent study this semester.
And Jeff Judge, the academic registrar, is in his office. And prints off the form for me to start and leave in Axelrod's mailbox. And, for some absurd reason I really don't know, he knows my name...(Seriously. He shouldn't. He's met me once. For a basic academic major sign-up.)
And so I fill out the paperwork, and head home. To write lots of emails, plan my independent study, and feel generally contented (read, ecstatic) in a day well spent and incredibly successful.
I drove Mum to Lansing (and no one died, and no property was damaged!). We ran an errand for Dad, and then we made it to the church on time to meet a friend real quick to do a paperwork transfer. She's headed off to Egypt for the year and had some goodies for a peace group on campus. It was good to see her quickly before she leaves the country.
Ate at Panera (the seasonal strawberry poppyseed chicken salad with blueberries, mandarin oranges, pineapple, and pecans is mighty fine).
Came home, dealt with a few crucial things at the condo (primarily garbage), and got ready to head on campus for some errands.
Took care of my hiring paperwork at the GenCen (Center for Gender in a Global Context). It required writing down my PID to have someone run through the system to see that my I-9 was all set. Let me tell you, it was difficult.
Dropped off some paperwork at the College of Arts and Letters (evaluations from one of the classes in Israel).
Stopped by Eustace-Cole (the Honors College building), saw Bess German. Made an appointment for next Tuesday at 4. (Originally, I set it for 1, and then remembered I have a very fun lunch date with two lovely ladies on Tuesday.)
Met Dick (Peterson, chair of the department of philosophy) just outside Kedzie - the building we were supposed to meet at - rather early. He was going to get coffee before our meeting, so I walked with him to Erickson, and then we sat outside and chatted. I'll be continuing our work on teaching peace and justice and a website this year through an independent study. We weren't able to complete the paperwork since his assistant was out today, but it was good to catch up.
And then...the true glory started.
I've been struggling with the option of an honors thesis in Madison (the public policy college at State) for a while now. Do I want to spend the credits? What should my topic be?
So, I decided to wander through Madison's offices today, just to see who was around. Given that it was 4 on a Friday, I was not expecting to find anyone. But lo and behold, there's Matt Zierler - who just that morning had been assigned as my academic advisor. I had to sit through another round of "Apply for the Truman," but we eventually got around to thesis.
Becca: I'm debating between food security/hunger/agriculture and Israel/Palestine.
Zierler: Well, why don't you do food security in the Middle East and look at water too?
Becca:...oh. Duh. Go, Advisor. You have just pointed out the painfully obvious, which I had somehow managed to miss. Good idea. Now, should I do Yael Aronoff or Mark Axelrod?
Zierler: Well, Yael knows Israel and has more experience with theses. But Axelrod is pretty familiar with the region and does a lot with food security and political economy...
At this point, I'm pretty sure I want to do it with Mark as my official advisor and Yael as a resource, especially since I wrote a paper on food security for Mark last spring.
Yael is not in her office (which is right next to Zierler's). And it's now 4:15 on a Friday. And Mark Axelrod is an observant Jew. So there's no way in heck.
But wait! Mark had a bug problem in his house, and so had to spray and then vacate. And there he is. And he'd love to do my thesis. And sure, we can start the required preparatory independent study this semester.
And Jeff Judge, the academic registrar, is in his office. And prints off the form for me to start and leave in Axelrod's mailbox. And, for some absurd reason I really don't know, he knows my name...(Seriously. He shouldn't. He's met me once. For a basic academic major sign-up.)
And so I fill out the paperwork, and head home. To write lots of emails, plan my independent study, and feel generally contented (read, ecstatic) in a day well spent and incredibly successful.
Driver's License
I'm a big girl now! Took my driving test yesterday at 4 and managed to run over to the Secretary of State's office at like 4:55 to get it all taken care of.
Huzzah! One fewer thing hanging over my head.
Huzzah! One fewer thing hanging over my head.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Happy Birthday, Papa!
Happy Birthday to the bestest Papa there ever was!
(He even taught me how to use proper grammar and proofread, though I frequently ignore such trivialities.)
But in all seriousness - Thank you, Papa, for existing. You do quite a good job of it, if I may say so myself!
(He even taught me how to use proper grammar and proofread, though I frequently ignore such trivialities.)
But in all seriousness - Thank you, Papa, for existing. You do quite a good job of it, if I may say so myself!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Welcome Back!
Life is back to normal. Or at least as normal as my life ever gets! I'm back in the US and adjusted to the time zone, etc. I am working on cleaning the house and arranging furniture for the arrival of two roommates - Lindsey (who I roomed with last year and thoroughly enjoy) and Kelsey (who lived across from me my freshman year and I adore). I will be traveling to Mount Pleasant next week to (finally) get my driver's license. Classes start September 2nd...the blog is likely to be slow until then, but I will try to throw up interesting things as they come!
Lots of love to you all!
Lots of love to you all!
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