U.S.: Grad School (starting year 2)

I think many folks pause to reflect on Labor Day weekend and two common questions are asked: 

1. Where did the summer go? 

2. Why and how does time fly by so quickly?

I suppose when you are having fun running week after week of Spanish-immersion summer camp the explanation is quite simple. From mid-May through the end of August I spent my 5th summer working with Concordia Language Villages, and boy, was it a whirlwind. I didn't expect anything less running overlap and back-to-back 1-week, 2-week, and 4-week youth and family programs. This summer was particularly full of movement, as we closed the academic year site, opened our summer leased site, switched leadership and received new staff halfway through the summer, closed the leased site, opened our family program site, and closed it two weeks later. Add to all of this a last-minute marketing trip to Miami for four days in July, and you get one tired duck. Oh, and did I mention that I also got married? It was a pretend wedding, I promise. 

As the new school year has crept upon us, I cannot sincerely say that I am excited for summer to end and for my second year of grad school to begin. Knowing that the next 9-ish months will be filled with reading insane amounts of literature, writing innovative findings on Spanish linguistics, and that all the knowledge that I have gained throughout the past two years will be measured in four exams taken within a two-week span in April to determine if I am "Master-worthy" or not is enough to cause a bit of anxiety. Nevertheless, here we go! This semester I will be studying phonology and morphosyntactic varieties of the Spanish language, as well as Golden Age literature. I am also teaching two early-morning sections of third-semester Spanish for undergrads. 

This past week I made the move from northern Minnesota to Madison and thankfully had lots of help getting settled into my new apartment as I came down with a nasty bug. I am happy that this year I have (a little) more space and I don't have to cook two feet from where I sleep. It took Luna a few days to adjust, but after a bit of time in the new place she started purring again so all is well. Here are some shots of our new home:

Notice that Luna only likes water-less baths.

Notice the nice rope lighting that will surely be destroyed once Luna figures out how to get to the top of the cupboards.

Notice the spoiled kitty on her window hammock. 

Notice my bookshelf. What a nice, full bookshelf. 

Souvenir from the summer: the Milo Lockett replica that I painted.

Somebody helped me decorate the kitchen. Guess who?

Alas, not all can be Argentine.

Continuing with the theme of time flying by, I am hoping that this school year passes by quickly (all the while successfully) and that graduation is here before we know it. Here's to a productive fall semester!