Well, I made it to Clark in one piece. I was thoroughly searched getting onto the plane, including the minute checking of my laptop. Of course my flight into Pittsburgh arrived late, leaving me little time and my luggage no time to transfer to the flight to Boston. Hence I arrived without my bags, but fortunately they were put onto the next flight to Boston which arrived an hour later.
So then I was picked up and driven to Worcester and my new college. Of course, the Dunkin' Donuts closest to the college is located in the worst possible part of town that everyone is telling me not to go into, even during the day.
I live in a suite with four bedrooms, a common kitchen, a common bathroom, a common living room. Only one of my other suitemates is in right now, a Turk who is working for his MBA. He was kind enough to take me down to Wal-Mart and the grocery store to pick up supplies and food.
My room is pretty nice, though there is no air conditioning and the fan aisle in Wal-Mart was cleared out so it is a little muggy in the room but it is tolerable. School related activities don't start until Monday, with the graduate orientation and the meetings with Dr. McCoy, my advisor and the James Madison expert here (the reason I applied here to begin with).
The campus is small, but very nice and easy to get around. One drawback, a crazy church (is there another kind?) a few blocks down blasts these bell tunes via loudspeakers five or six times a day.
Getting to Boston is easy according to Sinan (the Turk), a five dollar cab ride to the bus station, a twenty-five round trip bus ticket to a south Boston bus/subway station and then anywhere is Boston from there. I will have to plan some trips into town shortly for a tour of the Constitution, etc.
The physical geography of the area reminds me very much of New Hampshire, very hilly, granite mountains, thick foliage.
This is all I can report of my first two days so far, tomorrow I expect most if not all of my UPS boxes to get here, to crowd up my room further.
4 comments:
Why did you decide to go to grad school?
Good question. I'm into inflicting punishment on myself. Well, no, not really. It might seem that way though.
I have wanted to teach at the college level since I was ten. The way to do that in most cases is to go to graduate school and earn a Ph.D (or in some cases a masters) in a given subject. History has always had the greatest appeal for me for various reasons which aren't important for answering your question.
I also wish to right books, but obviously one doesn't need to endure graduate school for that. I figure that it will lead to greater access to documents and other pieces of historical evidences having the graduate degree. In other words it has various other benefits, aside from allowing me to teach classes.
Does this answer your question or did you want to know something more specific?
Hi Alexander. You wrote 'right' instead of 'write', when you mentioned writing books..not that I'm nitpicking or anything!!!
All the best at Clark and the OAC.
Blair
Oops, stuff like that happens every now and then, thanks for pointing it out, otherwise I'd never learn.
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