Why I'm Blogging

Up until now I have been reluctant to join the blogging world.  I was, and in some ways still am, of the opinion that it would be rather narcissistic of me to think that people would be interested to read what I write.  But here you are reading this right now!  As I return to my nomadic lifestyle and bounce around the Americas for the next three months, I decided that withdrawing from social networking websites and daily email conversations is a wonderful part of that lifestyle (for me).  However, I do enjoy sharing stories of my “exploits and escapades” and blogging seems like a natural replacement for the detailed emails and photo albums I normally send. So here you have it. Please feel free to comment on this blog and let me know what you enjoyed or didn’t enjoy reading about, agreed or disagreed with, etc, etc.  This blog is a writing and thought experiment for me and I would love your feedback.  Also please feel free to share this blog with anyone who you think might enjoy it; it is not meant to be private.

 As many of you know I spent the six years between my undergraduate and graduate education perpetually on the road, signing on for new adventures as the came my way- Peace Corps in Senegal, working on an organic farm in NY, “fundraising” in Boston, working at a national park in Brazil, leading a student group in Senegal, more “fundraising” in Boston, solo cross-country road trip ending with a job working for Yosemite National Park and the Forest Service in California, and then back to Brazil for my last summer before starting graduate school in the Fall of 2007.  I remind/inform you of this for two reasons.  First, if you were one of the amazing people I encountered “on the road,” I hope that this triggers some memories for you as it does for me.  Second, I wanted to give some background on why this summer, embarking on three months of travel for research and leisure, means so much to me after two sedentary years in graduate school.

 The decision I made to go to graduate school for six years (if I’m lucky) was a daunting one.  However, not in the way people might think. The biggest challenge for me was the commitment to stay in one place for so many years and for that one place to be in the United States.  I have a contentious relationship with living in the US.  I love being close to my family and old friends and acknowledge that there are many wonderful things about life in the states; but a big part of me feels happier when I’m abroad.  I think that’s another blog entry though.  What I’m really trying to express is this- I loved my life as a [virtual] nomad and I am excited to be returning to that even if only for three months.

 Though not everything I write in this blog will be related to my work as an anthropologist, I don’t think I will be able to avoid writing things using anything other than a reflexive anthropological lens (the anthropologists reading this would understand what I mean).  Being an anthropologist is not just a job- I’m not just an anthropologist when I’m in Brazil doing my fieldwork, or when I’m at my computer writing papers, or going to class.  I am still one when I’m visiting my family, conversing with a friend on a hike, and even sitting alone by a lake in Maine.   Thus, this blog will include reflections on my experiences this summer doing my thesis research in Brazil, as well as my visits to family and friends on the west and east coast of the United States. 

 Thanks for joining me on my adventure!