IEDP is the graduate program I’m currently in at the U of Penn. It’s the International Educational Development Program. It has rocked my world when it comes to thinking about education and the globe.
I’m back here at Thus Bloggeth Raines after spending the past hour-point-five reading my old blog posts. I started way back with my first year of teaching in Korea, went through Georgia, and a few China posts. Now I’m here, updating my future self and you other readers about where I am three quarters of a year after leaving China in 2015.
Well, I’m happy to tell you that I am as inspired as ever. I am surrounded by truly amazing people. I am healthy, I am well-fed. I am reading and writing a lot. I recently went to Canada and am headed to Kenya this summer. I’ll be back in Philadelphia to take a light course load and hopefully get a research gig in 2016-17. After that, I’ll do my best to help people with education in whatever ways the benevolent job-danglers of the world see fit.
My life, my head space here at Penn is something remarkable. I am mostly finding myself self-evaluating quite often, unsure of where I stand in this context. There’s a lot of brilliance being volleyed around me, and I feel something is brewing within me as all the knowledge synthesizes. And it’s not indigestion this time.
I’m learning Swahili. Last time I posted here, I was unaware that I would be receiving a fat scholarship to study Swahili during the 2015-16 academic year. So yeah, I’ll be headed to Kenya and actually able to tell people that Mimi ni Mmarekani. Mimi ninapenda kula chakula. (For the uninitiated, that’s I am American. I like to eat food.)
#realtalktho, I have wavered between being intimidated by the content of my courses, the bigness of the ideas, the brilliance of the people, the culture shock that I felt upon my return to the US…. But I’ve tried to remember that being here is an immense privilege, and somehow act upon that thought with humility. We’ll see…I’m trying, but I am not sure how well it’s communicating…. Wait, does humility need to be performed?
Americans, though. You guys/y’all are solutions-oriented, direct, confrontational, and kind of amazing. It was scary at first, but I think I am slowly starting to know how to interact with you again. Thanks for your patience during this period of transition. Don’t be offended if I say the wrong thing.
THUS BLOGGETH RAAAAAAINESSS!!! 