If I don’t bum myself out thinking how I’ve bypassed the holiday and didn’t participate in any Halloween parties…I’ve had a productive weekend. I also signed up for a 6 day “Art of Living” Course that will start this Thursday. I am intrigued and skeptical. The concept is to learn a 20minute breathing technique for stress reduction, but the whole thing is also tied into an NGO that does work in international communities. There is a community of people that are involved in the organization’s activities and I can’t understand the dynamics yet. You can Google them online and see statements about how the course opened-eyes and got people off depression medication and taught them to be in the moment. A little too flowery. And, participants are not allowed to disclose the course contents to anyone. They follow the spiritual path (if you will) of a white-robed guru. A bit cultish? Still, students have had a positive experience and I found out the course fee goes toward community improvement projects. So, I signed up on a bit of a whim and didn’t give myself time to overanalyze it. I have always been interested in meditation as a possible conduit for stress reduction, but I have never undertaken a consistent practice.
Graduate Student Life
Remind me why I am doing this again? It is 10:30pm. I am tired and in tears and want to go to bed and sleep ‘till noon. I have to be up at 8am. I still need to take a shower and do 1 hour of comprehensive exam studying – oh—and I really should go over statistics lab for another 2 hours, and, yep, I haven’t touched my Thai studying for 2 months. I am not having fun.
Fulbright Future?
Here is the email I’ve been meaning to record for some days now. I literally posted it on my fridge to remind me that I am doing good work. I need something for a lift.
Subject: Fulbright Scholarship
From: Undisclosed for web posting
Date: Tues, 10 Oct. 2006 10:31:02
To: My advisor and Program head
“I have been serving on the Interview Committee for the University Fulbright Committee for the past 8-10 years and I just want to report that I read one of the most impressive proposals I have ever read this past week. It is a proposal from Kate Jenks and her interest in studying dholes in Thailand. The proposal was very well written and certainly impressed the committee—we have no control over the funding but do get to send the proposals along to the next step….In addition to congratulating Kate and Todd for the excellent proposal I want to encourage you and your colleagues to investigate the Fulbright…”
However, Update as of 18 March 07: REJECTED
Subject: Fulbright Scholarship
From: Undisclosed for web posting
Date: Tues, 10 Oct. 2006 10:31:02
To: My advisor and Program head
“I have been serving on the Interview Committee for the University Fulbright Committee for the past 8-10 years and I just want to report that I read one of the most impressive proposals I have ever read this past week. It is a proposal from Kate Jenks and her interest in studying dholes in Thailand. The proposal was very well written and certainly impressed the committee—we have no control over the funding but do get to send the proposals along to the next step….In addition to congratulating Kate and Todd for the excellent proposal I want to encourage you and your colleagues to investigate the Fulbright…”
However, Update as of 18 March 07: REJECTED