Some other beginning's end.

2007 is coming to a close, and as one is wont to, I am looking back at all the changes, the ups and downs this year has brought to me. I started 2007 (literally, 01.01.07) at a funeral -- I remember hoping at the time that it wasn't a harbinger of things to come. No worries there, I think the year gone by was simply as to and fro as any other.
How can I sum up the year that was? I am not sure I can. And this blog, existing in particular to keep folks up to date on the Hawaiian adventure, is probably not the place to go into too much gory detail -- let me simply say that the move out here was at once the best and hardest thing I have ever done/am doing. Changes, man, and palm trees and rainbows on Christmas. Very surreal.
To all you guys on the east coast -- I miss you even more than usual at this time of the year. Know that I think of you and miss you often, and that there is an open invitation to come and stay with me here in sunny Honolulu should the cold New England winter prove too much.

In completely unrelated news, my music bender continues, and I am (as always) looking for recommendations for new and awesome music. Please feel free to comment with your top ten (songs or albums) of 2007 -- I would LOOOVE to hear them!!

Here, I'll start:
The song I can't stop listening to of 2007? Band of Horses, "No One's Gonna Love You".

The best band that you've never heard of, but should, 2007 edition? Empires. For real. Check them out: http://www.myspace.com/weareempires.



lovelove.

Pics, pics.

Waika, Elijah, and me at Pau Hana.



History TAs at the end of the semester, in the midst of grading. We are hurting, and it shows.











New friend Drew and I at Thanksgiving Extravaganza, 2007.











The beach at Waimanaolo....

....whither wander you?

Guys, it has been 4 months since my last update, which I realize may lead many to assume that I have died in a freak surfing and/or coconut related incident. But, as was to be expected, PhD school is hard and kind of all-consuming. The final grades are in, though, and I am on break for a good three weeks, and feel like I should do a massive, gigantic, semester-encompassing update. Buckle up, kids.

1. School!
School was definitely a mixed bag -- lots of work, lots of stress, lots of self-doubt. Everyone always says that PhD school will do a number on your self-confidence, and I would like to testify. I really enjoyed my seminars, though -- one on historiography and one on the history of the South Pacific -- and my Maori class was probably the most frustrating and most rewarding part of the whole shebang. I think at the end I finally got into the rhythm of classes and such -- we shall see how next semester goes!

2. Teaching!
At first, wasn't such a fan. Now? I LOVE my kids. I was so so sad to say goodbye to them at the end of the semester. A bunch of them are going to be history majors now -- sniff. Again, sometimes totally frustrating, but also entirely awesome.

3. Recreational Activities!
Roomies = made of win. We hosted a housewarming party, Thanksgiving (for 23, oy vey) and a cookie making holiday soiree. The people are wonderful -- they are not my people, my Boston folks, who I miss horribly every single day, but they are pretty great nonetheless. And we seem to keep drawing new people into our fold, which is good.

4. Concerts!
Both of the performing in and seeing variety. So, my Maori class has given me a lot of opportunities to sing at various events over the semester, which has been maybe the best thing that has happened to me, ever. I have gotten to sing at gallery openings, cultural events, and college official-type things. It has been amazing, and my teacher is a stunningly talented and giving woman who has encouraged us to perform with her -- so, so cool. As for attending, I went to see My Chemical Romance last week, and have plans to see Lupe Fiasco next week. Then in February, I have got Motion City Soundtrack (not MMJ, alas, I was lied to!) and The Starting Line back to back. Good stuff. Not a ton of bands come to Hawai'i, alas, so I have been trying to get to see as many as I can....

God, what else -- Hawai'i is spectacular, both the people and the place itself. I have learned so much I never even stopped to think about -- Hawaiian issues, issues concerning Pacific Islanders, et cetera -- and I have definitely settled into what is a really different place, culturally, from the northeast. But oh, do I miss my city, and my people. Being here when the Red Sox won the World Series was sort of surreal -- luckily, I have found a fellow MA ex-pat to share the love with.

I am spending the holidays here, with the roommates, R&J, and various people who can't make it to their respective homes for Christmas. I am looking forward to a Christmas day visit to the beach, but part of me really longs for home.

Anyhoo, that about wraps it up from here -- I know this was sort of general, but I don't want to bore people with crazy details. i promise to try tp update more regularly, with more interesting and impressionistic tales -- and expect a slew of pics!

Mele Kalikimaka!
xoxo

No, I didn't fall into a Volcano!! (tm alison s.)

(View from my temporary lodging while apartment hunting!)

Greetings from Honolulu!! Despite my best intentions, I never had the chance to post here during my epic cross-country roadtrip. Suffice it to say that it was both a roadtrip, and epic. There were mountains, the world's most giant chair, family, Graceland, horseback riding through national parks, Tennessean wine tasting, a stop in Amarillo, the largest cross in the western hemisphere, good times with the folks in New Mexico, Cuban food with family in Arizona, a night in a rectory in LA, and then FINALLY the flight to Hawai'i!!
Things since my arrival have been going amazingly smoothly -- I have a beautiful house to live in (moved in yesterday), a sassy brand new bed, a new-to-me couch (being delivered on friday), and a shiny Hawai'i driver's license! TA training starts on Monday, so I still have a couple of days to get the whole "life" thing sorted before the non-stop academic stuff starts.
But really, what you all want to know is have I been to the beach. The answer is yes, and this cold-blooded yankee girl was blown away by swimming in an ocean that felt like *bathwater*. It was so so beautiful, beyond what I even imagined. There isn't a beach within walking distance of my house, but there are a million accessible by bus/car. Because the beach is free, and I am back to grad student levels of poverty, I forsee much QT near the water!
I will post some pictures soon, as well as more info once classes start. In the meantime, all is well -- let the Hawai'ian adventure begin!!!

Moving and PhD school and house-hunting, Oh My!

Well, it is officially just under 5 weeks away from my departure (from Massachusetts) date. Scary-scary, folks. While I don't actually arrive in Honolulu till August 4th, it looks like I will be leaving the great state of MA on Monday, July 23d (which is precariously close to the Harry Potter release date, I know). As D-day looms, the amount of things still left to do seems to be growing in scope. To wit:

On the agenda for today is emailing my interim advisor to discuss class selection for the fall. I am ridiculously, stupidly, overwhelmingly excited about this, which leads me to believe that it is a good thing I am going back to school. What might I be taking, you ask? Well, TAs are allowed to take three classes for credit, and I have already taken the equivelent of the historiography seminar required of incoming history grad students (I am hoping I don't have to take it again!!), which means I will probably take the reading seminar in Pacific History that is offered and two slightly lower level classes. Then, of course, there is the language kerfuffel: hopefully I will get to audit Maori (!), but I guess it all sort of depends on when the class I am actually TA-ing for meets.

Speaking of, my fellow about-to-be-PhD student at Hawai'i/future roomie received all sorts of info about the three day TA training workshop that is required for incoming TAs. I have heard not a peep about this. But it is okay, because I got the health insurance info, and she didn't. We figured that between the two of us combined, we will have enough info to navigate the first few weeks of school, but really?? If she hadn't told me I would have had NO IDEA about this workshop. Sigh.

The house search continues, as D and I try to do as much looking from afar as we can. People are pretty serious about not renting to anyone not actually in Hawai'i, so really we are just trying to get an idea of area and price range. However, we both want to find something as soon as we possibly can, so the search continues....

And now for more pictures! Hooray! this time, of UHM itself, which as it turns out, ain't ugly.

Raise your hand if you can point to Honolulu on a map.

I realize other people might not be as geographically challanged as I am, but before this whole PhD school thing, I honestly could not have told you which island Honolulu is on, or where, exactly, Hawai'i is in relation to the United States. West? And in the middle of the ocean? Yeah, that's about as far as I could get.
So for your viewing pleasure, maps!

Welcome to the rest of your life/What to expect here.

Right, so at some point along the way, the University of Hawai'i at Manoa decided that it would be a good idea to admit me to their doctoral program in history. Once the shock of that news subsided, my feelings turned fairly swiftly to elation, panic, determination, and terror. These feelings are on an ever-rotating cycle, and this blog will most likely reflect that cycle in the coming weeks and months. I have an overwhelming need to document this whole rollercoaster of emotion for friends and family, since most of them will not be privy to it in person (except for future roommate in Honolulu and fellow PhD student Danielle, MWAH-HA-HA).
So what will this peek into Erin's psyche hold? Musings on the pursuit of PhD-ness, certainly. The trials and tribulations of graduate school life, for sure. Random emoting on any number of unrelated topics is almost guaranteed. Descriptions/pictorial evidence of my transplant to the South Pacific will be included, as well as ruminations on the accompanying culture shock.
Fair warning: graduate school has been known to cause in me long-winded and profanity-laced rants. If occasional strong language directed at long-dead historians offends, this might not be the blog for you.
Welcome aboard, friends!