Rest and peace in Houston

After all, what I do need is some rest and this is what I do after my first post-defense days. Now it sinks in well, that I finished up my long educational life and I achieved what I intended to do at the end of high school. I had secretly changed my study topic a year before the nationwide university entrance took place and despite my parents’ agony, I had chosen to study in social sciences. In my 15th year of studentship in academia, I now have a PhD degree in anthropology… My parents are also happy in the end…

Oh boy this place is excellent. I probably had my biggest steak in Taste of Texas thanks to Ertan and Ebru who insisted to go there….

My analogy for Houston, but particularly for Rice Campus in these pre-Christmas days is "rest home for old people". It is such a restful, peaceful environment. I can see how I am getting relieved of tension I had accumulated in the last six months… I could have a more hectic life here but I choose to have it like this. Another phase of hectic life in Istanbul will begin soon. I need rest.

In the mean time, I go to campus every day and I work on my revisions in the temporary campus Ebru stays in now. Ebru’s defense is scheduled to be in April and I believe she can easily meet the deadlines. Chris (Kelty) used the analogy of "videogame" for the 800 hundred-page text I had produced. Like in a video game it is hard to progress when you are a beginner, but as you learn to play, you progress quickly… Now I am working on the text to make it more readable and understandable. In the beginning, it seemed to be hard work, but now I actually enjoy it. Working on a text that has already been accepted as a valid PhD dissertation. I am going to finish up most of the work before I leave for Istanbul. I have enough time and peace of mind to do that.

A typical day starts with me and Ebru buying a cup of coffee from the newly opened pavillion the campus. If Ertan can make it, he meets us in the evening. Or I meet with some other friends but I must single out Julie (Kutac) who is a great host and company. She has had some good news this week and I am very happy about that.

Well, what else? In peace, I read Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
Watching a few movies I could not see back in Istanbul. Such as Grindhouse Presents, Death Proof
or Vicky Cristina Barcelona – another enjoyable Woody Allen movie and of course my belly grows due to my obsession with all-American food places.

IHOP vs Hooters? I always prefer IHOP!