They're here!

Just a note to let you know that the Hansen family has arrived safely in Chiang Mai. I was rather a frazzled tour guide this morning, as I went to the wrong terminal to pick them up, didn't have enough cash to pay the taxi driver, and couldn't figure out how to work the elevator in my own apartment building. I think they were happy to see me despite the mishaps.

More to come later!

Merry Christmas!

It hardly feels like Christmas when it is 80 degrees outside, but nevertheless, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I had a fun Christmas Eve and Day celebrating with friends: attempting to make cookies in a tiny toaster oven, watching Christmas movies, going to a service at my church, being pampered at a spa, and eating lots of turkey and mashed potatoes!

I miss my family and cold weather and Christmas decorations, but the past few days have been good ones, with minimal amounts of homesickness. It helps to know I'll be seeing most of my family (Mom, Dad and Lauren) in less than 48 hours. I'll share some Hansen Family Adventures a little later in the week, as I'm sure there will be plenty!

I wish you great joy as you celebrate with family and friends, and remembering the most important reason for this holiday; the birth of Jesus Christ. May you feel His presence this Christmas.

Many blessings!

Cue the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah:"

I am ALMOST done with all of my graduate school applications! Horray! A few loose ends need to be tied up by my parents at home, but other than that, I am officially finished.

Applying to graduate school felt much different than applying to college. Sending my writing sample and personal statement to all the schools felt like sending my carefully - nurtured and much - loved children into a black abyss called The World Wide Web.

Now I feel a little lost. Applying to these schools has consumed so much of my time, energy and thoughts that I feel guilty when I'm not working on my applications, or at least thinking about them.

I never was very good at waiting. I get impatient when there are more than two people ahead of me in line at the grocery store. Now begins a season of uncertainty, waiting for letters to arrive in my mailbox, waiting for the people who have my future in their hands to make a decision. Perhaps I am being a little overdramatic (shocking!), but it is never easy for me to put myself and my work on the line with the possibility of rejection.

Despite all this, I feel relieved that my part of the process is at an end. I feel at peace and confident in God's faithfulness.

P.S. I recently discovered that one of the literary critics I cited in my writing sample is a professor at NYU. She is also on the PhD admissions review board. There is a good chance that she will read my paper; I hope she likes it!

P.P.S. Some of you have been asking, so here is a complete list of all the schools I applied to:

New York University
Tufts University
University of Colorado at Boulder
Boston University
University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Portland State University
Georgetown University
University of Washington at Seattle
The Graduate School at Boston College
University of Illinois at Chicago

Shamless plugs.

So I just have to mention two books that I just finished / am reading right now:

Atonement, by Ian McEwan - Beautiful, poetic, heart-breaking. I was inspired to read it before the movie comes out and I advise all of you to do the same! You won't regret it. It is an engrossing story set before, during and after World War II. Now I can't wait to see the movie, but I seriously think it won't do the book justice.

You Shall Know Our Velocity!, by Dave Eggers - Hysterical, wise, sharp. I've read his other book, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genuis, which is quasi-autobiographical, but this is his first novel. I really enjoy his voice and style of writing. Read it if you enjoy travelogues and strange adventures while in unusual places.

Perhaps if this whole grad school / career as a teacher thing doesn't work out I can become a blurbologist and write the blurbs on the back of book covers. Not a bad way to make a living.

Subjects and predicates.

Last week, I lectured for about 45 minutes on how to write a complete sentence. For a homework assignment, I had them write a list of twenty complete sentences. Some of the sentences are hysterical, so I thought I'd share them with you.

"He feeds the dog with a banana."

"The dog doesn't like banana."

"The man on the bike is going to fall off!"

"My friends and I love to study English 205 with Ajaarn Megan."

"We should eat vegetables for health."

"Chocolate should be eaten as a treat rather than a snack."

"Tigers mark their territory by scraping trees."

"He went to the casino to make money but he failed."

I think they really did improve!