Blog Before Breakfast: Flagstaff, I love you.

Now that I'm officially emailing the Turkish consulate in Los Angeles, and preparing to send my passport for its newest visa, the American life in Flagstaff is feeling pretty sweet.

Yes, all the paperwork made it across the ocean, through customs, and to its final destination. I didn't have to hunt down anyone  in the Flagstaff post office, and I won't need any scuba gear to locate discarded documents.

For now, I'm here in Arizona, though for those of you who haven't been to Flagstaff, this isn't your grandmother's Arizona. The heat, cacti, and commercialism that consume the Phoenix metro are all but gone once you've driven two hours north on I-17. I once heard that there are at least 7 different ecosystems in Arizona, making it one of the most diverse places...probably ever. I'll just go with that. After teaching  first year composition for an entire year, my perception of good writing habits are a little warped. In any case, life in Arizona (at least for a white heterosexual person with an American passport) is good.

While most of the state is either desolate, arid prairie or mountainous desert, Flagstaff is nestled in a dense area of forest. Ponderosa pines and the San Francisco peaks are the defining feature of this place.  For me, the trees' only redeeming quality is that they are green. Otherwise, they are full of neon green pollen that causes me to need 2 showers a day, a netti pot, and two types of allergy medication. Besides, for a Nebraskan, these trees give me claustrophobia because I can't see all the way to the horizon. "The Peaks," on the other hand, are one of my favorite things in Flagstaff. They are somewhat isolated from the mountain ranges that protrude from Arizona's arid plains.  Held sacred to Native American tribes of the region, these mountains rise high above Flagstaff, reaching just over 12,000 feet. Scientists believe that The Peaks were once a single stratovolcano reaching at least 15000 feet. A major eruption created the multi-peaked skyline that is now familiar in Flagstaff. I like to imagine the volcano, and the dinosaurs of the time, though my perception is always too animated to take seriously. I used to watch "The Land Before Time" on a weekly basis.

The Peaks also orient the city of Flagstaff. Flagstaff has grown in an arc around the base of The Peaks. As it was built along an important railroad artery, Flagstaff is cut in half by a busy set of tracks that see 128 trains per day. Parallel to the tracks runs what used to be Route 66, brought to fame in the golden age of American auto travel. This road is now the basis one of the most frustrating aspects of Flagstaff--the traffic flow. As the city is not set up in a grid, but rather in a curve, there are few major roads for traffic to flow. On weekends and during the summer tourist season, Route 66, better known (depending on the part of town) as Milton/Sante Fe/Hwy 89, becomes a stuck drain. Tourists (especially those coming from the south of West) need to traverse the town in order to get to the Grand Canyon, or the myriad other natural wonders surrounding Flagstaff. Hence, the infrastructure for a small town crumples under the stress of traffic going to one of the US's most popular tourist destinations.

Luckily, Flagstaff has a few backroads and tricks up its sleeves for "locals" like me. Upon first moving here, in fact, I read an article with this structure, "You might be a local if..." One of the first signs was if you could get anywhere in town without using Milton--the clogged artery. If pressed, I think I could do it now, after three years of frustrating stand stills.

Now that I'm a local, I feel inclined to share local places that I frequent. No longer a slave to the concept of "Macy's Vegetarian Cafe"--I've only been there probably 10 times total. Here are some of my top pics:

1. Bookman's Entertainment Exchange: While I guess the books and entertainment should be the draw (admittedly, I have bought and sold several travel books), I spend most of my time in the cafe. One of the best things about this cafe is that you can bring old books that you don't want anymore, sell them to the store, and buy coffee with the money. Sweet deal. I do a lot of grading in the well-lit, cute-but-not-too-cute cafe section of the store. Tall Americano with room, please. Mexican hot chocolate (yes, I want the whipped cream--what kind of question is that?)

2. Campus Coffee Bean: This cafe, tucked into a tacky strip mall next to Target, has some of the best coffee, chai and food in Flagstaff. Plus, every day from 4-6 PM, it's buy one, get one espresso drinks. Convenient for dates--with people or with grading, studying, job searching... Yes, I've ordered two for myself. The second one was free--what should I do? Waste that? I'll have a house chai and a small latte. The gyro salad, please.

3. NiMarco's Pizza: Pizza by the slice: quick, easy, cheap. I've been there for graduate school meet and greets, for lunch with my colleagues, for dinner with my date, and after a long day when I don't want to cook. Anytime is pizza time. The shop itself isn't anything special, but the crust on this pizza is perfection! I've gotta have the pesto pizza with artichokes.

4. Kickstand Coffee: Definitely a cafe playing to the hipsters in Flag, this cafe mixes one part pretense with two parts delish. Modern art--including this really cool old window frosted, and painted with a power line--overwhelm the walls, while hipster music floats from speakers. The menu, clearly playing to the hip and the skiers has items like "Snow Bunny" and "Fixie". In case you don't know, a fixie is a bike built with no gears and no brakes. Why anyone would want such a bike is beyond me, but the hipsters can't get enough. I do order the namesake drink though. It's soymilk, yerba mate, rooibos, honey and cinnamon. Now I see why it's hipster-hippie. But it tastes good. And it's huge. Perfect for marathon grading of freshman writing.

I teach my students that less is usually more when it comes to writing, but it's hard advice to take myself. I woke up this morning wanting to write about my city before I leave it. I'm ready to move on to the next stage of life, but the American West will always have a piece of my heart. The open, desolate landscapes, the turquoise, the dust, the infinite possibilities. Here's a taste of Flagstaff so that I can remember the West how I really knew it: as a hippie-hipster-coffee-traffic-pine needling-ecosystem-volcano.

Great minds drink (coffee) alike

Signed, Dated, and Sent. The Adventure Begins!

There's nothing life making life-changing decisions on a Sunday evening. Monday morning, at the university post office, I clutched a thick envelop containing copies of my passport, my degrees, and my signature accepting a teaching job in Kayseri, Turkey. The forms, written in Turkish, were intimidating to fill out and sign last night. My Turkish roommate's interpretation and Google translate eased my nerves just enough for me to wiggle a pen around next to "Imza" (signature) and try to remember to write the date with day-month-year order.

Back at the post office, I made up my mind to spend the extra $40 to have the package tracked from Flagstaff to Kayseri. Due to the sensitive information contained, I thought $40 a reasonable insurance, or at least investment in my peace of mind. The postal clerk insisted that I "probably" didn't need to fill out a customs form because it was just papers. "Probably" "passport information" and "make it to the destination," not to mention "$40," are not words that I want to put together when it comes to accepting a job in a foreign land. "Where do you keep the customs forms?" I asked with a disapproving look on my face.

As if by karmic law, I spent the next 25 minutes loading and reloading the USPS website's online customs form to no avail. "The site must be down," said another clerk, who had clearly just come in from a smoke break, "you'll probably have to wait. Yep. That's what I'd do. Wait."

If you know my hyperbolic tendencies at all, the thought of extending this acceptance process even one more day seemed like hell on earth. I began to sweat.

Then, I overheard the original clerk's phone conversation, "Yes, they told us that under absolutely no circumstance should we be using the paper customs forms. They said we'd get a $25,000 fine." Short pause. "But, it's just papers, so does she even need a form?" Pause. "Oh OK, sounds good. Thanks, Loretta."

"Down at the main office," original clerk said, "they say you don't need the customs form."

Torn by my instinctual desires to 1) protect my documents with all possible forms needed, and 2) be rid of the stressful envelop as soon as possible, I contemplated the envelop reaching Istanbul without a customs form, being assessed as useless, incomplete mail, and then tossed in the Mediterranean and slowly sinking to the bottom. I'll never get a job. I'll be homeless. I'll never be able to have a cat.

Clearly, my impending career doom was not stronger than my obsession with finishing projects. I wiped my brow and faked confidence as I watched the clerk attach my address form to the crisp envelop, peel and stick the envelop closed, and then casually toss it into a deep bin that was only mildly reminiscent of the Mediterranean. Bon voyage, packet of important documents. İyi yolculuklar! Güle, güle! See you in Kayseri.

In years past, I have traveled abroad alone, wary of what lie beyond the jet-way, just beyond the guest house, or over the next ridge in the distance. My documents have flown overseas alone, my luggage has traveled solo, and my heart has stayed in the states with someone else.

The difference, this time, is that the envelop contained two sets of documents, one for me, and the other for my fiance, Alan. Our documents will cross the ocean together, just like we will in a few months. I can take my heart with me this time. I don't have to fear what's beyond the luggage carousel or how I'll catch the right bus from the airport. I've got a partner to explore the world with. It's a new adventure in Turkey, and in sharing my life with a partner. Here's to new adventures and the next chapter in our lives.


And, if the documents do meet a watery demise just outside of Istanbul, Ms. Loretta will be getting a call.

Next Adventure: Turkey September 2014?

Bürüngüz Mosque in Kayseri

This post seems a little preemptive, as I haven't actually signed the contract yet, but I'm on the verge of accepting a job offer in Kayseri, Turkey with my fiance, Alan.

In any case, my current roommate is Turkish, and of course, I've already sought out my first Turkish lessons.

The furnishings of our apartment are now labeled with index cards to teach me their Turkish names through repetition and association. It's gotta be time for a word wall! (Sorry, this is a TESLer joke). What I love about Turkish is that they use the Roman alphabet, and for the most part follow direct phoneme-grapheme relationships. That is, anytime I see an "o" it has the same pronunciation. For learners, this is a blessing--I should know after three years of trying to persuade students to pronounce "food" and "good" with different vowel sounds, and trying to convince native English speakers that my name is in fact pronounced Gee-nuh, as opposed to Jenn-uh. By the way, yes, I am sure about how to pronounce my name...

Another concept that I'm enjoying as I learn Turkish vocabulary is vowel harmony. Vowel harmony in a language means that words (excluding foreign loan words) include only front or only back vowels. I hope it will make spelling and pronunciation easier. Check out the name of the mosque above: ü, ü, ü. Awesome.

Anyway, you can most likely look forward to some posts about the complexities of Turkish grammar, and the deliciousness of Turkish tea and coffee.

Maybe one day I'll post in Turkish!

Checking In

I just read 17 entries from this blog, circa January 2010. Not coincidentally, that was the time when I was adjusting to Cambodia. Those entries are some of my most valuable possessions. I am so glad that I took the time to write detailed accounts of the many interesting things that happened during that time.

If you are wondering what's been going on since May, here it is:

1. I graduated with an MA-TESL (teaching English as a second language)

2. I taught ESL full time over the summer in Flagstaff, AZ--my home for past three years.

3. I accepted and began my first real job as an instructor in the English department at Northern Arizona University. I teach freshman composition--two sections of native speakers and one section for language learners. I also coordinate the language learner classes with the Writing Program. It's a new position, created for me because I know some of the ins and outs of both programs

4. I went to Mexico with my boyfriend, a fellow MA-TESLer. Mazatlan was great, and Mexico reminded me of Cambodia in so many ways. Smell, heat, language barrier--to name a few.

5. I got engaged to my boyfriend. Yeah, BIG news! The ring is fantastic.

6. I found a wedding dress with my mom and aunt. The dress is also fantastic. May 31st, 2014 is the big day.

7. Maintained my kick-ass volleyball program for international students. It's pretty much my favorite thing ever.

That brings us up to now. The time when I'm at work, but I need a little creative brain break. I teach writing, so I think it's ok for me to occasionally write while at work.

The future is wide open! Here are things I'm thinking about:

1. A return abroad. Georgetown's ELF program (less Santa, more English Language Fellow)--these are prestigious fellowships abroad. They assign you a country! EEK! I'd love to get a spot in that program. However, there are plenty, and I mean TONS of other opportunities to go abroad.

2. The wedding. There is a lot to plan, but luckily, I've got the world's most awesome mother to help me out with that.

3. Adult stuff: retirement plans, buying a house, buying a new car...it's all about the money, I guess.

Ok, I hope that clears my head enough to get back to work. I've got a pack of writers to guide!

Fire drill

A student's photo of me with his sunglasses during a fire drill/actual "fire" at PIE. Guys: stop smoking so close to the building! :)

Looks like a face, right?

I love MSWord track changes. This looks like a silly little face.

My VBI shirt

The volleyball guys made this for me. So great!!

Teacher of the year!

I was elected by my coworkers as teacher of the year. This is a special award for me because I put my heart into my teaching. A nice reward.

Treat from friends

Simple Things

Sunday morning, walking barefoot on warm pavement

Saturday night, laughing about Dixie Chicks lyrics over a guitar and a glass of wine

Saturday morning, breakfast and coffee out with a friend

Friday night, a hug

I've been to Tucson

Here are a couple pics from Tucson. A fabulous trip!

Winter

Flagstaff does it right.

Inspiration

My MA in a box.

Here is my naive attempt to organize my notes from 3 semesters of grad school. Totally pathetic, yet endearingly packed full.

Frozen

Back to the mountain.

Mid-Afternoon, at home in Flagstaff (Or, the way it never was)

I'm beginning this blog knowing that I won't be able to get across the feeling that I have right now. I arrived back in Flagstaff yesterday afternoon to my grad school apartment. By the way, there is clearly some sort of right-of-passage to labeling everything "grad school" as though it's something more important.

The apartment was just as I'd left it, except for the remnants of a sewage back up in my bathtub--yes, I won't be taking a bath in there ever again. But besides that...well, shit, everything was just as chaotic as when I left it three weeks before. My desk and printer stand were piles of past to-do, urgent assignments, old student papers, and insurance statements that I saved for a less busy time.

Back to Flagstaff. Back to my life.

I felt this incredible weight of nostalgia that yearns for a time in the past. I saw the trinkets and boxes from the care packages that my Mom and Grandma have sent over the past two years. How have they known the times when I've really needed a little sign from the outside world that I'm valuable just for being? I saw my giant life to-do list that still has things about a former boyfriend I haven't been with in six months and the big test I took in August and the wedding of the friend whose brother tragically died not long after that. I took in the worn carpet in our narrow hallway that snakes from my room to the bathroom to the kitchen. I rarely spend time in the living room. Why is that, I wondered. I felt both burden and relief that this will be my last semester. I thought about all the things that I thought I would have done by now that I haven't, like more hiking and more classy nights downtown and more road trips through the amazing scenery of Arizona. Better papers about important topics, more interesting discussion participation, more attentiveness to my friends. There are so many things that I haven't done, for any number of reasons--the sometimes extreme demands of grad school and my equally extreme quest for just a little more perfect being two of the top.

It also occurred to me how much I love what I do and how scared I am to finish grad school. Despite the deadlines and commitments that make grad school so hellish at times, there is a comfort to me that I know what to do. Read, write, take tests, get evaluated. It's a simple cycle in academia that I have always excelled in. The real world, on the other hand, has been much tougher for me. I'm not sure I've ever really been there, but returning to live a my parents' house and work part time jobs because that's all I could find was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Grad school provides me with the intoxication of a very busy schedule. I don't have time to stop and think about my life and what I really want from it. In some ways, I think the business is a defense mechanism that humans have to avoid thinking about life because life can be so perplexing--and downright shitty--sometimes.

What is the purpose of my life? Why am I on this path? Who am I?

These are the big questions that surface when I slow down a little. Spending a few weeks at my parents' house was just the break in my routine that I needed. I had to slow down and change pace completely. Now that I'm back in Flagstaff, I still have my home mindset, and it puts my "grad school" life in a new light.

I truly have so many advantages in my life. I have sensitive, caring, and fun friends who support me and know how to help me shine. I have a family who, though they don't always understand my life, understand that I need to make my own way, wherever on this earth that may take me. I have the support of faculty at NAU who want to see me succeed. I have amazing students who remind me every single day why I teach. I have access to technology that makes my life easier. I have good health for the time being. I have so many many things that are in my favor, and I am so grateful for that. One more thing that is a blessing in my life is the amount of opportunity that waits for me after I graduate.

In five months, my world will probably change in a big way. I'm applying for teaching jobs all over the world. I think this is why the nostalgia hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday and today. This wonderful phase of my life will end soon. Five months is still a significant chunk of time, but grad school time doesn't work the same way. Once the semester is underway, you better just hold on tight because you'll be out the other side before you know it. To me, the days just blur together and suddenly it's finals week and I'm thinking, didn't I just start this semester?

Anyway, I wanted to acknowledge this intense emotional experience that I'm having and I am interested to see where it takes me this weekend. Moreover, I'm excited to see how my final semester of grad school shapes up and what adventure I'll be taking in May. Look out, world.

Pho Factory

A new and delicious place to eat in Lincoln.

Nebraska Sunrise

Grandma's 80th