time for an update

Okay so it's been awhile since I updated last. I feel like I say that every time... But I have a lot to fill everyone in on. So I guess I'll just jump in.

-I applied to the English Education MAED program. I had several excellent recommendations from my professors that worked in my favor, and I received an invitation to come interview. The interview was last Thursday and it went really well. The two women interviewing me talked as if I was already accepted to the program. I just need to get back to the program director about some details I need to work out with my English MA advisor. Doing two Masters degrees at the same time will definitely up my classload, but I think it will still be manageable. Then, when I graduate, I'll have a Masters of Arts in English, a Masters of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction with a postgraduate professional license for English (grades 6-12). Not too shabby. We'll see how well the theory gets put into practice next semester!

-I've been playing some flag football with girls from Cru (Campus Crusade) and we ended our 'season' strong with 2 wins and 2 ties, so technically undefeated! We had our first playoffs game this past Sunday and we won 39-0! Our team name is the Punishers and it was defintely fitting :p We have our next game this coming Saturday, if we win that one we'll move to the championship game on Sunday. Pretty exciting. It's given me an opportunity to meet some girls outside of my program and grad school. Autumn, one of my friends from my program, and I both have enjoyed a respite from the same people we see all day every day in all of our classes.

-I'm helping out with the German Club here on campus. I think I'm officially the Publications Officer or something like that, but I'm not sure. We've been organizing an info session that will be tomorrow night on study abroad opportunities to Germany (sadly none of them apply to me). But it's been great to interact with some of the professors in the German department and other students with similar interests.

-I've also been volunteering to work with the Cranwell International Center on campus at Tech. They handle all incoming international students and have events like movie nights and a community outreach program that has families sponsoring students, showing them local traditions and just regular American family life. We just had an event the other week, a social where we invited international students and their community member sponsors to come to an evening of Appalachain specialties. There was a potluck of all kinds of chili, breads, pies, and sweet tea, and we even had a caller for some square and line dances, and a band to play music. It was a lot of fun. At the movie nights I've learned how to operate the big popcorn machine (reminiscent of the even bigger ones at the movie theaters with the red and white striped awnings/roof). I burned my first batch but after that I got the hang of it. This coming Friday we're putting on a Dance of Nations where representatives of a good number of countries are performing traditional dances and whatnot with traditional music. As always, there will be yummy food, a potluck I think with specialty dishes from all sorts of countries that we have students studying here from.

-I should be working on all sorts of papers as well. I have a draft of my 25 page research paper on German children's literature due next week (I have a total of 3 pages at the moment...). I think I'm in this phase of denial about it all, but I need to get in gear so I'm not spending my whole Thanksgiving break on papers. I'm finalizing my syllabus though, so I'm getting a good feel for the class of Freshman Composition that I'll be teaching next semester. I even have my time slot! Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 1:25 to 2:15 (sadly only 50 mintue class periods...so useless).

-Next semester's schedule is looking kind of busy thus far. Here's a run down of the tentative course list: Composition Pedagogy, Digital Humanities, Practicum (this is a once a week meeting with my teaching advisor about my comp class), Topics in Language: Language and Gender Constructions, Literature for Adolescents, and Psychological Foundations of Education. The first two are required for my English MA, the last two for the Education. And I'll be teaching one section of Composition.

Well I think that's all that is new with me. I'm headed up to DC over Thanksgiving to see my parents for the first time since August! I'm looking forward to that. I think I'll be working on Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie recipes... Don't look now but occasionally I do have domestic tendencies.
Much love to all!!