mid-December, 2019

I submitted my first manuscript to a journal last night! Now we wait. Then revisions. Hopefully I'll get something printed next year. Getting it submitted in 2019 was a big deal.

I gave my last lecture in my first undergraduate class today. It's been a blast. I got a really good group of students my first semester, and I got to teach a topic I'm passionate about. And I fulfilled a lifelong dream and taught as Ms Frizzle on Halloween.

I guess I'm moving right along in this Ph.D thing....

Linguistic minority

I take a Discourse Analysis course in the Applied Linguistics department. Most of my classmates are international students, many of whom are studying teaching English as a second language. The computer in the classroom is set to display Chinese in most places that I expect English. Last night, the professor showed a YouTube video, before which an ad played. I saw a character with a Doge head and a three-piece suit, and all of my Chinese classmates started laughing. Everyone else looked confused. I thought about asking someone to explain what was going on, but I decided against it. I sat with the discomfort of being in the linguistic minority, for just a brief moment. My opportunities to experience that are few, and the discomfort is important.

Everyone was laughing, except for me. I didn't get the joke.

There are people who live with this all day long. Imagine if it wasn't just a joke. Imagine if it was class.
May I continue to check my privilege and strengthen my empathy.

second semester, first year

i'm busy. i miss you all. school is good and life continues to happen. change remains the only constant.