Gadzooks its been a while! On the one hand, that’s a bad thing- none of y’all know what’s going on! On the other hand, it’s a good thing, because there’s been nothing going on!
Also, I had a huge midterm that was scary. We had 24 hours to write a 3500-word midterm. That’s 7 pages single-spaced, though mine ended up being around 6 and a half. And it was difficult. There were three parts- a quote that we had to discuss, readings to compare, and then a law problem. The law problem was the hardest- I do NOT think like a lawyer at all.
The night after the midterm (Wednesday), I went out to a beledi bar with my friend Matt. It was actually quite a great bar; there was no sign, the door was unmarked, and it was tiny. However, there was cheap beer (12LE for a 16oz bottle! AND you can even get it cheaper elsewhere!) and free mezze (appetizers). Like all beledi bars, they had those salty beans ( I THINK they’re fava, but I’m not sure), but there was also a plate of cucumbers, tomatoes, and really salty goat’s milk cheese, as well as a plate of rocket/arugula (are those the same thing?)
The conversation, however, was the highlight of the night. Matt is 30, and is at the tail end of a good 4 years of non-stop travelling. He hasn’t been in the same place for this long in that entire time- and he’s only been in Egypt for 2 months. In other words, he is at the end of a path that I have seriously considered for myself. We also had similar feelings about the program. Both of us enjoy it greatly, but are not really that into it. For him, he is here because he feels that if he doesn’t go to grad school now, it might not ever happen. I’m in grad school now because, well, being in school is easy for me and I’m good at it.
We talked about the ups and downs of extensive travel, about rootedness, and about goals in life and whatnot. I’ve never actually written down my goals; and in fact I could not tell you what any of my long-term goals are. Most everything that I thought I wanted to do in college is no longer something I want to do. Like being a professor- spending my life in a research library no longer seems like fun. But I do want to live in NYC for a while. I want to live in Chicago. I want to teach at some point. I want to take a cross-country road trip. I want to go WWOOFing. I want to learn an actual skill like bookbinding or wheel-wrighting or something thoroughly medieval. I want to travel with a good friend. I want to have a 9-5 job and pay my own bills and be excessively boring. I want to become a really good cook. I want to learn how to blow glass.
None of those were long-term goals though. Eventually I want a grad degree… but in something that I am more than just interested in. And I’m not actually sure if that’s a goal of mine, or something that I see as a necessity? I want to be happy. I want a cool living outdoor living space…
I think I’m in an instant-gratification phase. Get all the stuff I want to do out of the way before I settle down. So really what I have to ask myself is being here and in grad school furthering any of my goals. Well- I’m living in another country, so I can check that one off my list. But other than that… I’m not so sure. I mean, I LOVE living here. I’m happy, its fun, I’ve made some really good friends, and it has thus far been a very good experience. But was I merely scratching my itch (or itching my scratch) to live in another country and quelling my regret at having not studied abroad during undergrad? Very possible.
Anyways, I’m off to the US Embassy for the Halloween party. And happy birthday Sarah!
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