UAF Rocks!

Now that I have dial-up at home, I have a lot more time to read the current news and peruse the internet. That's how I found a recent article [link] in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner congratulating the first graduate of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Peace Corps Master's International Program!

Hey! That is the same program I am in!

Even better, I got a brief mention in the article:

Another pair of UAF students studying for rural development degrees are serving, respectively, in Macedonia and Azerbaijan, said School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences spokeswoman Nancy Tarnai.

Pretty awesome if I do say so myself! Check out the entire article at http://newsminer.com/news/2009/may/11/uaf-peace-corps-program-has-first-graduate/ [link].

The Neutral Road

Keeping my mouth shut is not one of my strong suits. I am a commentator, an opinion-sharer if you will. I like a healthy discourse on just about any topic and will play devil’s advocate if no one is stepping up to the plate.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), my org (Peace Corps) is a-political. I constantly have to remind myself that I am a representative of Peace Corps and not just Lökiland.

Now, why is any of this important? Well, I think we can all agree that in the US, half the population makes its paycheck by criticizing any number of topics (left-wingism, Bristol Palin’s life choices, the merits of the new Star Trek movie).

That ain’t the case in Az.

My job is to help young people develop critical thinking skills through discourse and knowledge quests. Figuring out how to do that while staying neutral is a hard feat, especially when a person likes to jab as much as I do.

Movin' Day

I am a movin’ machine. By my calculations, I have moved 14 times since 2001. Well, make that 15 times because I am on the move again. Except this time, I am not moving home or to a dorm or into a communal living situation. Nope, I am moving into a companionless, unaccompanied, solitary apartment.

That’s right, I found independent housing! My new digs boast instantaneous hot water, gas, electricity, and a telephone line. I am so stoked about cooking, cruising the internet at 2 a.m. and walking around in shorty shorts, that I’ve been playing Sarah Hanson’s song, All My Stuff, non-stop. I think my sitemates are going to string me up by the toes.