Ah, these modern times. Now I'm older, more loopy and still full of self reproach. And you get to participate this time around.
In all seriousness, I would like to sit you down and update you on the goings-on in my life. Are you sitting? Good, let's go:
My plea for a fellow Hausa student was heard! Some of you might have read the entry I wrote a bit ago, in which I was looking for people who want to study Hausa this summer. Let me know explain:
I decided around a year ago to attempt to base my dissertation research in Niamey, Niger. Some of you know that I will be going there in August to begin to make connections and do some initial research. Like last summer, I received some small pre-dissertation grants to do this. I hope to meet artisans who work independently, as well as those who work within cooperatives and other business structures. The Musée National du Niger is a fascinating institution with an equally compelling history, and if it is possible, I may build my dissertation research proposals around the museum and the artisans' cooperative under its auspices. This brief three-week trip is important for a lot of reasons, not least of which is that I will be writing grant proposals this fall in the hopes of returning in 2009, and what I learn will help me with that.
Hausa is the lingua franca of Niger, and it is widely spoken in West Africa. I know a lot of a Hausa bead traders in Ghana, for instance. It is going to be very helpful for me to begin learning it before going to Niger for the first time, and frankly, will be of immense help for the aforementioned grant applications.
I was fortunate enough to receive a FLAS grant from Stanford to go to the Summer Cooperative African Language Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. No, I have no idea how or why FLAS grants work, but thank you to the Center for African Studies at Stanford and the federal government. We may not have universal health care, but I do get to study Hausa this summer.
As you know, it was a little hairy there for a bit, because the only other student signed up to study Hausa dropped out of the class! SCALI almost canceled the class! Now, I know that Hausa sounds very obscure to most of us, but guys, a lot of people speak Hausa. Wikipedia tells me that 24 million people speak it as a first language, and 15 million more as a second language! It is very common in Niger and Nigeria, and as I mentioned, there are Hausa populations all over West Africa. It is surprising that there isn't more interest in studying it, even in African Studies circles.
But disaster was averted, and I'll begin my Hausa class in a couple of weeks. I'll be in Urbana-Champaign for eight weeks. Have you been there? I have not, so if you have recommendations for fun things to do, let me know!
I expect to be in Chicago at least once this summer! See you then, Honna!
As you might have gathered, I was very busy with school and related work there for a while. I should have told you more about the graduate symposium that I organized, but the whole thing was so stressful that I didn't want to spend any more time on it than I already was. It turned out very well, though, and I'm now looking into getting the proceedings published.
Classes ended a couple of weeks ago, and the exam period concluded last Friday. I stayed busy grading until the end, and this week, I've been thinking about the First-year Writing Seminar that I'm offering in the fall and my summer plans.
As packed as my t0-do list is, it is still such a relief to have fewer obligations--i.e. no class. I've taken some delicious walks and bicycle rides since the weather made a turn toward sanity on Saturday. Biking around parts of Ithaca where I rarely go yesterday, I felt as if I were exploring a new town.
August will be my fifth academic year at Cornell.
I know what you're thinking, and don't ask. Don't worry, either--I'll eventually get another degree.
To celebrate the end of the semester, some friends and I went on a little wine-tasting trip. For those of you looking for another reason to visit Ithaca and the Finger Lakes region, you should know that there is a still-growing wine-making scene up this way.
I'm still waiting for some of the pictures that people took, but I'll include a few, just so you have proof that I've had some fun lately.
I'll be in New York next week for a couple of days, and then I'll be off to Urbana-Champaign. I'd love to catch up with you in either place!
It was raining. I look like I was finished with the modeling. At this winery, several of us purchased Traminette. The Traminette wine grape was, needless to say, developed at Cornell.
"Cheers, classes are over!"
We were so hungry by the time we ate lunch! Here, Mario, Jonathan and I rely on the plastic plant for inspiration because we're still so famished.
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