I recently found a few questions that I thought were worthy of taking the time to answer... I thought I would share my ponderings here.
What inspires me?
I am inspired by words, language, literature & photography. I love "reading" humankind... I am inspired by the way people interact and how words, literature, language and photography are used as reflective tools. I love noticing the way people view themselves and the world around them, how they would like to see it and the ways that they use these four venues to create, encourage, and decipher their individual world. I find inspiration in the way each individual world intertwines, reflects and, ultimately, connects with the world universal... I am fascinated with how words can be manipulated, how language can forge bonds, how literature can reflect and how photography can represent both the person and the culture - how they can breathe new life into the mundane and edify humankind. I am beginning my studies as a Utopian scholar because of this passion. (can you tell?)
What do I love about my community?
I have lived in 3 nations and have managed to feel a part of my community wherever I am. I am blessed to recognise that my community is not limited to my geographical location, but that my community is "my world" - the people, the history, the culture, the architecture, the music - into which I am immersed. This blog is a personal (sometimes admittedly boring) blog that I have subtitled "welcome to my world: a novel" as an invitation to join me on my travels (both internal & external).
Charlotte, NC is my familial home. If you want to know what I love about Charlotte, in particular, I would have to say that I love the hugs. I love that since returning to the South less than a week ago*, I have gotten more hugs from strangers than I got in 6yrs living abroad! Charlotte is a big city full of Southern charm - she's got amazing history, a rich culture and her hands reach toward the dream of a better future while embracing the past within loving arms.
How is Love expressed as Me in the world?
(I love the phrasing of this question!)
I would say that Love is expressed as Me in the world via the relationships that I forge with people on a one-to-one basis. I put a lot of effort into forging real relationships with everyone I know. I ask questions, offer advice, love & pray for the people I encounter. I listen and I try to believe that I can learn something from everyone I meet. I believe that Love is exemplified in the trust, encouragement and edification that is offered to each new friend in my life. I hope that, through one-on-one relationships, Love (and Joy and Peace) is/are able to cross racial, national & religious boundaries and reach out to all of humankind - one friend at a time.
So there you go! A little more insight into the mind of Steph than you had before :)
*at the time these questions were answered
08 September 2009
06 September 2009
I have no witty title
Hello -
I was hoping to blog weekly (at least) once I got settled in, but it turns out that life isn't so exciting in West Columbia as one might think, haha!
I need to figure out how to get photos from my phone onto the computer because I have one that really exemplifies life here in SC. It's a grocery story display selling pickled eggs and pigs feet. yum. But until I figure out the technical side of things, you'll just have to use your imagination :)
The rest of my life has been so routine - and I LOVE it! My weeks are usually: read for four days (with some tv at night), Tuesday & Wednesday I'm on campus from 8:30am-5pm with a 30-min break, and Thursday I'm on campus from 8:30am-8pm with a 2hr break at suppertime.
Speaking of Thursdays, this past Thursday was a doozy. doozie? d'ouzi? hmm... regardless:
For anyone who doesn't know (and cares), I have a shuttle that runs from my apartment to the Uni from 7am-7pm... which means that I can't catch it after my Thurs class at 8pm (obviously). And the public transit stops at SIX PM (what?). My roommate has been able to give me lifts home most days and I took a taxi in the rain one day, but this week I got brave.
I decided to bicycle home from class - in the dark - over a bridge which apparently houses homeless people. I could totally deal with all of that. So I took my bike to school. Then I get an email from my Dr in the middle of the day: "your blood tests have come back abnormal. please make an appointment with an MD asap." -- umm.. do we know me??? I tried not to go into panic-mode and did really well, but it was emotionally draining. I made an appt for that afternoon (on my 2hr break) and was told that I may have hypothyroid and I have some indicators of potential chronic kidney disease, but the latter was unlikely. It is more likely that the test showing possible kidney disease was elevated because I take ibuprofen. hmm. who knew? So now I can't take ibuprofen (or apparently aspirin, either) and I have another blood test in a month. they are running more tests re the hypothyroid*.
After that lovely stressor, I run (actually bike, woot!) to class and sit for 3hrs in a theory class discussing semiotics and linguistics. F.U.N.
At one point during this class, I actually had a mini-breakdown and was like, "why am I so lost? I am the only person not getting this? I don't belong here! I should just quit now." But then I remembered that my other friends who are farther along in their PhDs have also felt like this, so I didn't cry like I wanted to.
The next day, I found out that my mini-breakdown is what some people call "imposter syndrome" - where we feel like everyone else is smarter than us and that we don't belong. Apparently, EVERYONE goes through that! I hope I don't do it again. I did not enjoy the feeling. I blame the long, stressful day.
And THEN, I bicycled 2.5 miles home - and you know what? as afraid as I was that I wouldn't make it, or that I would get run over by a reckless car, or that I would get a flat tire right by the homeless-person bridge... the thing that I had not anticipated: BUGS. Everywhere. I had one fly into my eye at the very beginning. a giant one landed on and stuck to my shirt. and hundreds of tiny flying insects hit me in the face... do you know how tough it is to ride a bicycle uphill with your mouth closed??? I'm just sayin', now I know why cars have windshields.
So no more night-cycling for Steph. I was absolutely disgusted.
Have I mentioned that I dislike bugs? I'd rather endure -40winters and be mostly bug-free than have 6mos of summer and have creepy-crawlies EVERYWHERE. for the record.
but since I have to endure the bugs... I think I am going to go sit by the pool and do some of my reading now! :)
Love ~
SS
* is it bad that I am actually hoping for hypothyroidism, so that it would explain my recent weight gain? does that make me a horrible person?
I was hoping to blog weekly (at least) once I got settled in, but it turns out that life isn't so exciting in West Columbia as one might think, haha!
I need to figure out how to get photos from my phone onto the computer because I have one that really exemplifies life here in SC. It's a grocery story display selling pickled eggs and pigs feet. yum. But until I figure out the technical side of things, you'll just have to use your imagination :)
The rest of my life has been so routine - and I LOVE it! My weeks are usually: read for four days (with some tv at night), Tuesday & Wednesday I'm on campus from 8:30am-5pm with a 30-min break, and Thursday I'm on campus from 8:30am-8pm with a 2hr break at suppertime.
Speaking of Thursdays, this past Thursday was a doozy. doozie? d'ouzi? hmm... regardless:
For anyone who doesn't know (and cares), I have a shuttle that runs from my apartment to the Uni from 7am-7pm... which means that I can't catch it after my Thurs class at 8pm (obviously). And the public transit stops at SIX PM (what?). My roommate has been able to give me lifts home most days and I took a taxi in the rain one day, but this week I got brave.
I decided to bicycle home from class - in the dark - over a bridge which apparently houses homeless people. I could totally deal with all of that. So I took my bike to school. Then I get an email from my Dr in the middle of the day: "your blood tests have come back abnormal. please make an appointment with an MD asap." -- umm.. do we know me??? I tried not to go into panic-mode and did really well, but it was emotionally draining. I made an appt for that afternoon (on my 2hr break) and was told that I may have hypothyroid and I have some indicators of potential chronic kidney disease, but the latter was unlikely. It is more likely that the test showing possible kidney disease was elevated because I take ibuprofen. hmm. who knew? So now I can't take ibuprofen (or apparently aspirin, either) and I have another blood test in a month. they are running more tests re the hypothyroid*.
After that lovely stressor, I run (actually bike, woot!) to class and sit for 3hrs in a theory class discussing semiotics and linguistics. F.U.N.
At one point during this class, I actually had a mini-breakdown and was like, "why am I so lost? I am the only person not getting this? I don't belong here! I should just quit now." But then I remembered that my other friends who are farther along in their PhDs have also felt like this, so I didn't cry like I wanted to.
The next day, I found out that my mini-breakdown is what some people call "imposter syndrome" - where we feel like everyone else is smarter than us and that we don't belong. Apparently, EVERYONE goes through that! I hope I don't do it again. I did not enjoy the feeling. I blame the long, stressful day.
And THEN, I bicycled 2.5 miles home - and you know what? as afraid as I was that I wouldn't make it, or that I would get run over by a reckless car, or that I would get a flat tire right by the homeless-person bridge... the thing that I had not anticipated: BUGS. Everywhere. I had one fly into my eye at the very beginning. a giant one landed on and stuck to my shirt. and hundreds of tiny flying insects hit me in the face... do you know how tough it is to ride a bicycle uphill with your mouth closed??? I'm just sayin', now I know why cars have windshields.
So no more night-cycling for Steph. I was absolutely disgusted.
Have I mentioned that I dislike bugs? I'd rather endure -40winters and be mostly bug-free than have 6mos of summer and have creepy-crawlies EVERYWHERE. for the record.
but since I have to endure the bugs... I think I am going to go sit by the pool and do some of my reading now! :)
Love ~
SS
* is it bad that I am actually hoping for hypothyroidism, so that it would explain my recent weight gain? does that make me a horrible person?
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