crunch time

i hope everyone had a very nice thanksgiving. i had a relaxing time, pretty much doing homework by a woodstove the whole time. central massachusetts is more beautiful than people give it credit for...or at least the old houses are.

as always happens this time of year, i feel like i'm just swimming in final projects. social science students get slammed not with final exams but huge papers every semester. i gave two twenty-minute presentations today (one of which you can see online at http://students.goucher.edu/auhus001) and have to write a paper on a 1000-page novel. i also have a major qualitative analysis paper lurking over my head. what i dislike more than the work itself, however, is how everyone gets so wrapped up in our own little world of homework and finals. our perception of what is important in life gets totally out of whack as everyone obsesses about the number of hours they'll be stuck in the library. i find myself doing this too.

an alarming reminder of this phenomena: the recent attacks in mumbai. what an atrocity. the situation was terrifying, deadly, symbolic. i really cannot fathom how haunting the scene would be for the people of mumbai. this could have serious global consquences. yet as i returned to school on sunday, awareness of this event seemed to have vanished from everyone's mind. we were all running around stressed out about getting the newspaper published and finishing up assignments. i'm not quite sure how to break out of this pattern, how to be reminded of the real world around us, but i look forward to the end of the semester so that i can more actively participate in life outside of school.

and speaking of life after this semester, i am thrilled and a bit worried that my excursion to denmark is coming right up. by and large i really can not wait, because i know it will be one of the most eye-opening, fun and unique experiences of my life. the program i'm going on seems very well-coordinated to maximize students' time in copenhagen. this week they sent me a map of the city, a luggage tag, cell phone info, and arranged bus transportation from the airport. i'm impressed! i have concerns about traveling so far from my comfort zone for so long, but i know this will just end up boosting my independence and familiarity with the world. i'm also worried about running out of money-- i've heard copenhagen is wildly expensive-- but i hope to avoid that problem.

i'm really looking forward to being in seattle and seeing my family at christmas. i'm also excited to have some free time-- any at all!-- to catch up on reading, seeing friends, doing some art projects, watching movies, etc. i'll be in seattle december 18-30, baltimore december 30-jan 16 and copenhagen jan 17-may 17....