Life Update
Wow, it's been a while since I posted anything. Especially anything of relevance. So, I suppose I should actually give an update - since people's lives they are a'changing.
First things first - I get home on Monday around 1:00pm for turkeyness. I'm not leaving until the following sunday/monday. Yes, I might drive back on my b-day, but I'm not sure yet. So, drop me a line - people need to do things over this break. I miss Rochester so much, you have no idea.
So - what have I been up to? Well, let's start with the good things - Megan and I are doing well, which is nice. There isn't really a lot to say there - she's working for a fashion designer in Bethesda who does who does shows at all sorts of neat locations - from country clubs to embassies to the world bank and IDB. She's also working at Trader Joe's - but that may fall by the wayside depending on how overworked she feels. But yeah, things on that end are going well.
As far as school goes - it's a mixed bag. American's ID program is a bit weak on theory - which aggravates me to no end, because people don't really think systematically. There are a couple exceptions - the professor I'm doing research for is one, at least in part, as is my Micropolitics professor (required class on power relations in development projects - too bad he doesn't teach classes I'll be taking. Ah well.). I don't particularly care for my International Development professor - she's condescending and shallow, talks down to the class a lot. Plus, I get the impression she wants to be "entertained" and thinks she's amusing, or something. I don't learn much from the lectures and she's annoying and poorly structured. Good thing I like the subject material.
The rest of it is a bit better. Miguel, the Micropolitics guy, is excellent. Well-organized, laid back, approachable, and he's much more systematic than the ID professor. Plus, you can actually debate a bit in that class because he gives a structure and expresses a viewpoint. My class on Microfinance is pretty good too. The professor knows a lot about the financial side of things, and how to make the institutions sustainable. She's nice and the class flows fairly well. It's a little easy, but she's very busy and teaches on the side, so that can't really be helped. I would like a little more on the impact and social/gender aspects of microfinance (90% of borrowers are women), but that's not her specialty, so maybe its better this way. I've certainly learned a bit about the limits of the programs.
My research assistantship is great. Robin is extremely intelligent, knows a lot about the behind-the-scenes situation in DC, is well-connected to progressive NGOs and think tanks (as well as some better economists - Bhagwati and Wade, to name two good ones), and is interested in international structures and how they relate to development policy at the national level, as well as environmental sustainability and civil-society governance. It's a good fit for me, and she's personable, frank, and easy to joke with. My research has focused on the IMF's current legitimacy crisis, the current rounds of WTO negotiations, and regional development alternatives to the world bank and IMF - especially Latin America's "Bank of the South" initiative - it looks like a promising step in the right direction. I feel like we are finally standing on the cusp of change, where most southern countries tell us to get out of their business and finally come of age as world powers. China, India, and Brazil are poised to become real world powers over the next 15 years. If things go the way they are now, Asia (except Burma, perhaps) and Latin America may be nearly fully or fully caught up with the North (economically, that is) in 20-30 years. Africa and the mid-east/Central Asia are tougher nuts to crack, but I have some good feelings there, too.
Grades are mostly fine, A's on all my midterms. I'm a bit worried about this presentation and brief I just did - my parter screwed up the powerpoint and his portion of the presentation, and I think it's a group grade - that was a convoluted process. Our group fell apart as people dropped the class or had family things. The one guy left had a class this weekend that took 8/hr days for 3 days and involved a paper he had to write. So he wasn't really available until Wed to work, presentation was due thurs, and he didn't get me the powerpoint to look at until 1pm. So - no real editing time or time to practice. Plus the professor wanted to be bloody "entertained". It's one thing to want a presentation to be interesting - most of that is presenter ability and presence. But when the topic is the legal process of the WTO and how it relates to economic policy - there's only so much you can do. So, hopefully it isn't as bad as I think it is. I mean, the project is only 15%, so I have some leeway on it, but grad school thinks anything less than an A- is mediocre and B- is the pass mark. I doubt I'll have an issue that far, but here's hoping. I didn't like this prof to begin with, let alone now. Ah well, only two more classes to go.
DC is nice from a political interest point of view - but it's uber-yuppie and culturally dead - aside from national museums. People are really either poor, politicos, or business management. I mean, I'm also not associated with the more interesting folk, given my profession down here, but even looking around it's hard to see many interesting people. I miss Rochester and the music and theatre scene.
In any case - I'll be home Monday. Look me up, I want to see people :-). I miss y'all.
First things first - I get home on Monday around 1:00pm for turkeyness. I'm not leaving until the following sunday/monday. Yes, I might drive back on my b-day, but I'm not sure yet. So, drop me a line - people need to do things over this break. I miss Rochester so much, you have no idea.
So - what have I been up to? Well, let's start with the good things - Megan and I are doing well, which is nice. There isn't really a lot to say there - she's working for a fashion designer in Bethesda who does who does shows at all sorts of neat locations - from country clubs to embassies to the world bank and IDB. She's also working at Trader Joe's - but that may fall by the wayside depending on how overworked she feels. But yeah, things on that end are going well.
As far as school goes - it's a mixed bag. American's ID program is a bit weak on theory - which aggravates me to no end, because people don't really think systematically. There are a couple exceptions - the professor I'm doing research for is one, at least in part, as is my Micropolitics professor (required class on power relations in development projects - too bad he doesn't teach classes I'll be taking. Ah well.). I don't particularly care for my International Development professor - she's condescending and shallow, talks down to the class a lot. Plus, I get the impression she wants to be "entertained" and thinks she's amusing, or something. I don't learn much from the lectures and she's annoying and poorly structured. Good thing I like the subject material.
The rest of it is a bit better. Miguel, the Micropolitics guy, is excellent. Well-organized, laid back, approachable, and he's much more systematic than the ID professor. Plus, you can actually debate a bit in that class because he gives a structure and expresses a viewpoint. My class on Microfinance is pretty good too. The professor knows a lot about the financial side of things, and how to make the institutions sustainable. She's nice and the class flows fairly well. It's a little easy, but she's very busy and teaches on the side, so that can't really be helped. I would like a little more on the impact and social/gender aspects of microfinance (90% of borrowers are women), but that's not her specialty, so maybe its better this way. I've certainly learned a bit about the limits of the programs.
My research assistantship is great. Robin is extremely intelligent, knows a lot about the behind-the-scenes situation in DC, is well-connected to progressive NGOs and think tanks (as well as some better economists - Bhagwati and Wade, to name two good ones), and is interested in international structures and how they relate to development policy at the national level, as well as environmental sustainability and civil-society governance. It's a good fit for me, and she's personable, frank, and easy to joke with. My research has focused on the IMF's current legitimacy crisis, the current rounds of WTO negotiations, and regional development alternatives to the world bank and IMF - especially Latin America's "Bank of the South" initiative - it looks like a promising step in the right direction. I feel like we are finally standing on the cusp of change, where most southern countries tell us to get out of their business and finally come of age as world powers. China, India, and Brazil are poised to become real world powers over the next 15 years. If things go the way they are now, Asia (except Burma, perhaps) and Latin America may be nearly fully or fully caught up with the North (economically, that is) in 20-30 years. Africa and the mid-east/Central Asia are tougher nuts to crack, but I have some good feelings there, too.
Grades are mostly fine, A's on all my midterms. I'm a bit worried about this presentation and brief I just did - my parter screwed up the powerpoint and his portion of the presentation, and I think it's a group grade - that was a convoluted process. Our group fell apart as people dropped the class or had family things. The one guy left had a class this weekend that took 8/hr days for 3 days and involved a paper he had to write. So he wasn't really available until Wed to work, presentation was due thurs, and he didn't get me the powerpoint to look at until 1pm. So - no real editing time or time to practice. Plus the professor wanted to be bloody "entertained". It's one thing to want a presentation to be interesting - most of that is presenter ability and presence. But when the topic is the legal process of the WTO and how it relates to economic policy - there's only so much you can do. So, hopefully it isn't as bad as I think it is. I mean, the project is only 15%, so I have some leeway on it, but grad school thinks anything less than an A- is mediocre and B- is the pass mark. I doubt I'll have an issue that far, but here's hoping. I didn't like this prof to begin with, let alone now. Ah well, only two more classes to go.
DC is nice from a political interest point of view - but it's uber-yuppie and culturally dead - aside from national museums. People are really either poor, politicos, or business management. I mean, I'm also not associated with the more interesting folk, given my profession down here, but even looking around it's hard to see many interesting people. I miss Rochester and the music and theatre scene.
In any case - I'll be home Monday. Look me up, I want to see people :-). I miss y'all.