Louisville

It has been a little over two months since I moved to Louisville, KY, to begin the PhD program in Humanities at the University of Louisville.  It has been an adjustment, though not as extreme as might have been expected.  Several things have actually remained constant.  There is still weather, albeit slightly more moist and humid than Utah (one recent weekend it rained about six inches, which equals half of Utah's yearly rainfall).  This also means that things are greener than at homes.  Roads still get me from one place to another, though I have had to learn a new city layout.  Most major retailers, book stores and fast food chains exist here, meaning my shopping habits have not altered greatly.  Despite the lack of familiar landmarks, there is nothing really out of the ordinary. 

Except the squirrels.  They are everywhere.

Starting a PhD program may have seemed like a challenging transition as it has been a few years since I received my master's. But as I spent the intervening years working at the BYU Bookstore as well as writing and presenting papers, it has really been moving from one academic environment to another.  I have realized that, while I am fine researching and writing, I am not a fast writer, which may become an issue towards the end of the semester.  Not looking forward to all the papers I will have to write.

All in all, I feel that transition to a new location and life have gone smoothly.  But I am only in the first semester of the program; a program which is going to be undergoing several changes in the coming years.  Who knows what will happen in the future.  Whatever happens, it will definitely be challenging, hopefully exciting, and at the very least, I will have learned something.