When I reflect on the past few months, there is so much that I can't even put into words that has occurred and impacted my life. I think that if I I guess I can kind of sum it up in a timeline as the easiest way to illustrate what has happened.
December 2010 - The end of the semester and my favorite time of the year - Christmas! That as the first semester in graduate school in which I felt very confident in my abilities. I feel like I did everything that was required of me at a higher level than I ever did. The funny thing is that I couldn't really tell you what classes I took! So sad I know! Another huge thing that happened was that my mother ended up in the hospital. Since her AD diagnosis many years ago, I think we have all been desensitized to her entry and exit of the hospital up until that point. However, my brother closest in age contacted me to tell me what was going on with her from New York. This is unusual. Normally, if serious, I would get a call from my oldest brother. Because I received a call from the younger brother, it made me anxious to see my mother. However, I ended up not doing so. Christmas came and went, as lovely as last year's.
January 2011 - I started a new semester again with the thought that the semester would be my last one of course work. It was a good start because my mother was out of the hospital too. So, it started as a hopeful semester - that is, until January 18, 2011. My mother passed away at around 11 am that morning. I was devestated. I felt guilty for not seeing her the month before. I took about 5 days off of school. Then I resumed. My younger brother wanted to have a memorial service for her in N.J at the end of February. I went back to school and did the best I could, but the momentum was no longer there.
February 2011 - I went back home after not seeing certain family members for a few years (around seven to be exact). It was a great time. I enjoyed the time spent and reconciled with my sister as well. I think my mother would have been proud of what all of us became if she knew and was aware of what we all became. It made me sad that she was unaware of her legacy.
March 2011 - I attended the SFAA conference at the end of the month. It was a fabulous time! We went to Seattle, WA and I roomed with some of my favorite gal pals - Heather, Ana Maria and Jenelle. It was great to be in a new city with some great people. I missed my family though. I presented my thesis findings at the conference, and it was well-received. I made a great contact out of Berkeley, CA and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. They urged me to finish my manuscript for my article. It was exciting.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 - It was dead week at UA. The name of dead week definitely put new meaning to the scholastic event on campus. At about 5:13 pm, a deadly EF-4 tornado (radius 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile wide with winds of approximately 200 miles per hour hit the Tuscaloosa area. Additional tornados hit 5 other southern states. The last time I checked, the death toll was over 300 people with the most casualties coming out of the Tuscaloosa county area. This one event has left me dumb-founded, shocked and saddened. So many students and residents have been displaced. I heard yesterday that clean up ALONE will take two million dollars for Tuscaloosa. The devastation is unreal! I had the privilege of helping another student retrieve her belongings from her destroyed house. I also went to Charleston Square apartments to help a professor obtain his belongings. The destruction is massive and absolutely makes my heart ache for the people of Tuscaloosa. Despite my feelings of sorrow, the support for Tuscaloosa and for the state of Alabama has been tremendous! People from near and far have helped. The National Guard are here and President Obama has come to visit as well! In short, all I can say is what a lot of people have been saying: "WE ARE ALABAMA!"
Sunday, May 1, 2011 - President Obama declared that Osama bin Laden was killed in an American raid on his compound in Pakistan. The reaction to this was mixed. I found it funny that Obama waited for Donald Trump's the Apprentice to air his announcement. Is this revenge for requesting Obama's birth certificate? I wonder!
In short, this has been a crazy six months and about 10-20% of this post only has to do with school, so I'll add just a bit more on that subject.
I found out that I had to take 18 additional credit hours to fulfill my degree requirements since I'm getting a certificate in gender and race studies. I am not thrilled about this new development, but it allows me to take some more time to focus on everything equally and do a better job. So, I am off to read a book right now in the hopes that it will assist in creating a beautiful dissertation proposal. ROLL TIDE ROLL and WE ARE ALABAMA!
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