So how have I been spending my time? Well, I've been hesitating to mention publicly that I applied to a graduate program last fall (for fear of not being accepted and everyone knowing, of course). This particular program runs its admission process somewhat differently than most: they invite the top 10 candidates to the school for a weekend of interviewing, meetings, get-to-know-you events and such. At the end of the weekend they decide which 5 to keep. Survivor weekend. So, that weekend is this weekend, and I'm stressing out about it. I need to prepare a 5-minute presentation and for an interview with the selection committee. I had to go shopping for clothes because I need to be in a jacket and tie for the entire weekend (um, some wardrobe gaps had to be filled). To be perfectly honest I hate jackets, mostly because I feel like a little kid wearing adult clothes. They're always too big even when they are "my size." The jackets at thrift stores are okay, but man -- is everyone that much bigger than I am? I guess so. Anyhow, here's the jacket that makes me feel all slim and trim:
Pretty great photo, huh?
While I've been out and about in the city, I've been going to free lectures at the Philadelphia library and Academy of Natural Sciences. One was on Haiti and environmental degradation; honestly, I was more informed about reforestation/deforestation than either of the presenters, but I just sat quietly and didn't say much. I was surprised that most of the photos were "borrowed" from this photographer. Granted, neither of the presenters work in reforestation (one was a sociologist and the other a herpetologist), but I still expected more.
Afterward one attendee asked me why I was there, and told me that he goes to Haiti for 2 weeks every year and has done so for over 25 years. When he asked if I go back to Haiti regularly, I told him I had no plans to return. He asked why, and I said that to always stand out as a white/Westerner is not easy for someone like me. He replied that he felt very comfortable in Haiti and then walked away. This made me somewhat mad, as I spent two years in the Haitian countryside living and working through floods, earthquakes, etc., and this guy goes for two weeks a year with his supply of money and aid projects, where he is most likely treated like a movie star, and then he leaves. Why wouldn't he like Haiti? Yes, apparently this is something of a raw nerve for me.
The other talk I attended was about the race to the south pole in the early 1900s. It was somewhat interesting, but it really make me realize how different our world is today. These guys spent years preparing for the trip, years on the trip, and then many died in the process. Today people fly down in helicopters and go to Antarctica on cruises.
I've also been trying to find small gardens in Philadelphia to explore, and I found a nice little historic garden at the Pennsylvania Hospital. It's a "Physic" garden, and while not in its prime right now, it looks like a nice place to come back and check on again in the spring or summer:
It's mostly an herb garden, which is nice, as I have been admiring small herb/kitchen gardens for a little while and definitely like finding them in the city. There is something very nice about the interaction of city life and plants that I just don't see in the suburbs or in rural areas. The persistence of plants growing in urban areas is always encouraging to me. When I see a similar plant growing in the suburbs without a care in the world, (besides being tended too much by an overzealous gardener), I want to take it on a field trip to see how its city cousins are doing. Cities + plants = happy me.
I will hear back from the program selection committee shortly after the interview weekend, so by this time next week I should know about the program -- and be a few days into my actual recovery process. Wish me luck!
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