After a whirlwind summer, it's time to buckle down and hit the books once more. I have to say that my proudest accomplishment of the summer was passing the two classes that certify me as "language proficient" in German. What that means is that if I would need a German text for research material, I could be counted upon to translate, understand, and use it accurately. One more thing off of the degree checklist!!!
So now it's fall again. And fall is my ABSOLUTE favorite time of year. I love the way that the leaves on the trees turn into a veritable rainbow of prettiness. I love the cooling weather and the opportunity to wear some super-cute sweaters and fall shoes. But most of all, I love school supplies. :)
This fall I'm taking an interesting combo of classes. First, one on how librarians decide which books to purchase and which to discard. Second, one on how to help people researching topics in the humanities (history, philosophy, literature, music, art, languages, etc.). Third, a history class on sacred places. No, not sacred as in religious. Sacred as in remembered and venerated by people (or not, as the case may be). An example would be a site of catastrophe, like Auschwitz. The class is all about how we define, use, and understand these places. It should be very interesting indeed.
Now that I'm in my second year of grad school, I'm learning the importance of balancing fun and work. I spent Friday night taking a historical walking tour of the oldest section of campus. Then one of my friends and I sat in a restaurant and talked about anything and everything until it closed. That was the most fun I've had in a while. I need to do more things like that - and like catching up on my blogging. So as much as I can wrap up the whole summer and start writing about the fall in one shot, here it is. Happy fall semester everyone!
26 August 2012
18 April 2012
The World is a Big Place
Seriously. Do you remember when you were a little kid and you thought that your stuffed animals came to life when you left the room? Or that people didn't do anything unless you were with them? Or that teachers didn't have a life, but just stayed in the school all the time? Well, the older I get, the more I realize that in fact, the world is full of people all living completely different lives. And that's an incredible, and fascinating, thing.
For example, today I worked for 5 hours, went to a 3 hour class, talked on the phone to my family, ate bratwurst and a mint Klondike bar for dinner, and decided to update my much-neglected blog. Today three of my friends have birthdays. Today someone got engaged, someone bought the puppy they've always wanted, someone became a mother or father. Today someone finally got enough to eat, bought a house, or saw their first zebra. Today someone lost a beloved grandmother, witnessed a brutal crime, or experienced an event that changed their life forever.
The world is full of people. I'll never meet them all, or even see pictures of them all. I'll never know their names, or what they had for breakfast (if they had breakfast at all). But I can always talk to the ones that I do meet and learn their stories. I think that's why studying history appeals to me so strongly. Through the documents I read, I learn the stories of people I'll never have the chance to meet. Sometimes they did extraordinary things, and sometimes their days were downright ordinary. But they are all fascinating. And through the work that I do in archives and museums, I can share their stories. Maybe I'll even manage to capture the imagination of a younger version of myself, and get him or her interested in history too. At the very least I'll make a life known, even in a small way.
At my job in the archive, I have the opportunity to work with a collection of photographs taken from the 1960s to the 1990s. How different life was in each of those decades compared to now! And those years are something that my parents and grandparents experienced. Sometimes I wish I had a time machine, to experience them all for myself. And sometimes I realize that that will never happen, and that these incredible collections of photographs and documents are the closest I can get. And that's pretty cool too.
So, for any readers out there, what is this post actually about? How fascinating human lives really are, in every time and every place. And that's all I have to say. For now... :)
For example, today I worked for 5 hours, went to a 3 hour class, talked on the phone to my family, ate bratwurst and a mint Klondike bar for dinner, and decided to update my much-neglected blog. Today three of my friends have birthdays. Today someone got engaged, someone bought the puppy they've always wanted, someone became a mother or father. Today someone finally got enough to eat, bought a house, or saw their first zebra. Today someone lost a beloved grandmother, witnessed a brutal crime, or experienced an event that changed their life forever.
The world is full of people. I'll never meet them all, or even see pictures of them all. I'll never know their names, or what they had for breakfast (if they had breakfast at all). But I can always talk to the ones that I do meet and learn their stories. I think that's why studying history appeals to me so strongly. Through the documents I read, I learn the stories of people I'll never have the chance to meet. Sometimes they did extraordinary things, and sometimes their days were downright ordinary. But they are all fascinating. And through the work that I do in archives and museums, I can share their stories. Maybe I'll even manage to capture the imagination of a younger version of myself, and get him or her interested in history too. At the very least I'll make a life known, even in a small way.
At my job in the archive, I have the opportunity to work with a collection of photographs taken from the 1960s to the 1990s. How different life was in each of those decades compared to now! And those years are something that my parents and grandparents experienced. Sometimes I wish I had a time machine, to experience them all for myself. And sometimes I realize that that will never happen, and that these incredible collections of photographs and documents are the closest I can get. And that's pretty cool too.
So, for any readers out there, what is this post actually about? How fascinating human lives really are, in every time and every place. And that's all I have to say. For now... :)
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