And so a new chapter begins....

My first day of graduate school starts tomorrow. I don't know what to think or feel. I've already been to the school a few times so I'm used to that but.... I just am not as excited as I thought I'd be!

I'm considering a transfer back to Austin, for faculty research and the fact that the University of Texas flagship is there with its numerous resources. I knew it wasn't going to be bad if I went to a program that (1) didn't have any sports teams and (2) wasn't connected to undergraduate programs.

I'm 99% sure I'm not going to keep my current major though, because there's very little flexibility and if you know me, you know I love to be aloof and airy and I need my space to try out different things. Austin might be a better fit but Houston was my first choice simply because it was close to home and my closest friends and family were near.

Part of the reason why I'm dreading this whole experience is because of where I'm living. The surrounding area, while not Oakland in the least, is extremely underdeveloped. We're on the side of the highway after all and it's just unsightly. I hate Houston. I've been here my entire life and my thoughts and feelings on Houston have not wavered. But I'm just going to suck it up and get through a year down here, and hopefully secure an international practicum and then start back in Austin. I cannot imagine myself being here for a full two years.

Thank goodness I have my family and Michelle, Janette, and Katy nearby as my social network. If it wasn't for them, this experience would be even lonelier. It doesn't make it any easier when I say bye to my little sister and drive off from beautiful, safe, spacious suburbia and head into the chaos that is Houston.

But while I am in Houston, I will seek out any faculty that will hear me out and hopefully guide me to the right direction. What if I don't want to be involved directly with the daily practical affairs of public health and am instead interested in the more highly theoretical work of a researcher? Is there a way where I can combine my interests in global health + capacity development + politics + culture? Is it possible to strike a balance between the theoretical and practical if I go the PhD route?

So many more questions and I fear I'm going to ask a lot more before I get any concrete answers...

But first things first: let's see how the courses are for this semester, put in a change of major, and then put in a petition to transfer to the Austin Regional Campus....

More later,

Dean