Final Weekend

When I left my home in Florida, almost a month ago, it seemed like my time away would last forever. A month is a long time to commit to one thing  -- and to be so committed as to live it and breathe it, seven days a week for four weeks, borders on scary.  Back then, there was reasonable anxiety.  There were all the people I didn't know, people with whom I would be interacting every day and every night.  Looking back, I'm surprised I wasn't more anxious or more afraid.  I guess I was fueled by the excitement of the opportunity.

Inside "The Rock" Stadium

Here, at Kellogg, each of us has been living and studying with the best of the best in the field of Developmental Education.  Everyone here is super-committed, quite intelligent (if not purely intellectual), and as excited as I am to be here. And as much as we have had down time and gotten to know Boone and the surrounding communities, conversation always seems, well, worth having.  We talk about educational theory, we discuss novels we have read recently, and the English teachers speak of literature and poetry and our choices to teach developmental writing, instead.  We discuss amazing past experiences, classical music pieces, and art and things that we often do not take the time, in everyday life, to talk about.  Most of the people here at Kellogg are fairly cultured and bright and passionately committed not only to what we do, but to life-long learning and the quest for knowledge. Nobody is snobby -- not at all -- and there is no pettiness and no drama, ever.  It has been an amazing community of caring, like-minded people from a vast continuum of backgrounds and experiences and cultures -- all of whom share a common goal and commitment.

Though I have referred to this in previous posts, I have truly grown to like most of the fellow Kelloggers, and as we enter our last week here, it is hard to not be a little anxious about saying good byes.  I guess I cannot say that enough to prepare myself that it will happen.  Things end. (But, email will always be there!)

A ubiquitous Appalachian "A"

It is Saturday of the final weekend, and I have so much to do!  Kellogg is wonderful, but Kellogg is a lot of work and reading and research and writing.  Perhaps I have bitten off a few extra pieces, and have maybe gone for more stuff than was really necessary, but it's not more than I can contemplate chewing - oh, pardon the tired cliche!

Right now it is in the 50s outside, and the high, today, may not get out of the 60s.  It's very foggy; that's normal when you are this high up. It's like being surrounded by clouds.  Or, maybe it IS being surrounded by clouds.

Over the next year, I have the practicum to complete, which just sounds like fun (well, I loved everything about my dissertation process) and I am concurrently working on a research project for Patrick Saxon that he would like me to get published and that may require that I return to App State. The two projects have no relationship whatsoever. I guess I could have tried to make it easier.  Oh well.

 I still can't believe it's almost over!