Tuesday, August 16, 2005

There and back again

I know I haven't written anything on my blog for so long, but it's not as if there are a whole lot of people out there dying to read what I write.

I am now back in Leipzig. Have been back from my US summer school trip for over a week now and trying to do the world of work. My sleeping pattern is not back on track yet. I have been waking up about 10 o' clock every morning and I feel as if I have lost so much of the day. The rest of the day is spent leafing through dictionaries and grammars (as usual) trying to work out a conference paper which will hopefully develop into a chapter of the dissertation.

The time in the US was hectic, but great!!. I got to travel to some places outside of Boston (Plymouth where the pilgrims landed; Maine, etc). The courses were okay too despite many of the boring teachers. But some of them were good presenters. I had a big problem though with the food - Hardly anything which could be called American tasted good, but that could just be my Jamaican tastebuds talking. I was saved by the Asians whose taste and quality could be depended on. I had no utensils to cook with, so for almost all my meals for the six weeks, I had to purchase from restaurants, supermarkets, etc. Good to be back 'home' and in my own kitchen.

The weather here isn't bad at all but it is getting a bit colder, still bearable though.

While in America I took the opportunity to buy numerous second hand books and even found time to read Tolkien's "The Hobbit". I also bought a copy of Miguel de Cervantes' "Don Quixote de la Mancha" so I can read it again, this time in English.

For the good time I had thanks to:

Audene, Christine, Daidrah, Nicole - the ladies in my academic life

Michele - my academic sister

Victor - who opened up his home, library and brain to me to further my research

Christopher - who facilitated all those trips out of Boston, and made sure to check up on me from time to time (Danke schoen!!!)

Jo-Anne - the Trini who pulled the Caribbean posse together.

Ivor - who helped to solve one of my etymological riddles

Michel DeGraff - who offered a wonderful course and good friendship

Noam Chomsky (in his lectures) - who helped to clarify some things and confuse others.

AND ALL OTHERS

More time!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Joseph,

It is so great seeing this space that you have created online and just hearing what you are about! Unfortunately, I am one of those persons who are always wondering where you are and am surprised to find out where you ACTUALLY are!

Hope you find some way to stay really warm and enjoy the remainder of 2006 in Germany. Thanks for your kind wishes and I hope to definitely keep in touch with you. Talk with you again...sooner rather than later,

Hazel (strange girl from Preston:):)