50 posts tagged “random”

After two quarters of grad school, I feel like I can now reflect a little on my experiencias en grad school-
 1. First of all, figuring out what to write for my thesis is difficult, with my background in art, my experience in community work, I am interested in a cajillion different things. I started off wanting to do border art. Then I decided that ultimately, I needed to write a thesis around more practical matters- taking into account future job opportunities. I decided to ground my work on policy and law around immigration- I considered immigration raids, but after research and discussion with other grad students/professors, didn't think there was a viable argument in that arena. Now I have finally decided on doing my work around the latest anti-housing city ordinances and their racial implications- perhaps a continuity of previous laws designed to racially segregate.
 
2.  We need more people of color represented in higher education- while we need more people of color in undergrad, the number of people of color at the graduate level is ridiculously low. It really frustrates me that sitting in a class on immigration- there is one or two people of color to represent. while academia continues to break from eurocentric ideologies, we still need more of the voices of us that have actual real experiences in this spaces that academia studies. Our viewpoint and knowledge is invaluable and necessary for academia to advance in its understanding

3. Academia has too much theory and not enough application. I completely understand and believe that theoretical framing is important in understanding movements, actions, etc, but this theory cannot just remain that. Academia is wary of activism and vice versa. These two fields need to be in constant communication in order to bring about positive change, activism informs academia and vice versa, imagine the collaborations possible if this were to happen?

4. after these past two quarters, a phd, seems too long. For me, it means putting my life on hold for far too long- personally, and financially... perhaps though, I just haven't found something I am passionate enough to study for 5-6 years, and as far as community and social justice work, well, i would rather do more of it than theorize around it.

5. There is a lot of amazing work being done at this point in academia. I have read tons of great articles and books int the last two quarters

6. in academia, as in all other aspects of life, there are many egos involved.

7. I am glad to be right here

yes, even during finals week, when I should be working on paper #2 of 3- I can still say it- I am living the life, living it up!!! :) rolling in a pimped, blinged out whip, living in a mansion in the hollywood hills, sipping cristal with hip hop artists,  wining and dining hot men... okay only ONE hot man... but no... wait... what... no... no... I am not living THAT life ;)

but I AM LIVING this life:

- reading like a mad woman about immigration, human rights and general awesomeness
-  frolicking outside in sunshiney warm breezy san diego (even in december biatches!)
-awesome friends outside and inside school
-community organizing with amazing people that fuel my passion for justice
- going where i want to go in my life
- awesome family
- and yes a little bit of bling-bling and dancing ;)

I am stationed at a coffee shop (my second home now) and just ran into a former co-worker and as they asked me what I was up to, it sounded pretty awesome, woot woot!!

back to finals!!!!

las gotas resbalan por la ventana
las luces de la cuidad brillan y oscurian con las gotas
mi taza de chocolate me calienta los dedos

me acomodo en el sillon con mi cobija
pienso en que siempre hay que hacer tiempo para la vida (todo lo que pasa entre los espacios de tus deberes) las amistades, la familiy, los amores, la naturaleza, no te van a  esperar hasta que tengas un dia de descansa o cuando terminas la tarea o el trabajo

una dia en el parque con el sacate verde, hace desaparecer los problemas

pienso que cuando encuentres el verdadero amor, te sentiras entero/a

pienso que para mi: las emociones: la alegria, energia, tristeza, y pelea, para la justicia social es mas fuerte y increible que cualquier droga que jamas tomes. me mantiene viva y desesperada a la misma vez.

que el arte y la creatividad en sus miles formas son necesarias para el alma.

una nocha con la lluvia...

I have the tendency to hibernate like a momma bear as soon as it gets slightly cold here in Southern California (meaning its below the average perfect 75 degrees). And I KNOW that it never gets super cold here compared to the rest of the country, but damn it, I'm a pansy and I can't take it. I get ice cold hands, feet,ears,face and I just shut down. Thoughts of working out, being a running monster or functioning go right out the window and all I want to do is cook, and be wrapped in blankets. I usually disappear and minimally function until next spring... this year I intend to bypass hibernation and keep on Normita full force mode!!!! So if you see me slacking or napping- grab me by the hair or the coat and throw me outside into the cold and tell me to go work out, also remind me that I am not Martha Stewart and don't need to cook the food equivalent necessary to feed a small army.

entre la arena y las olas del mar, se siente la perfeccion de la madre tierra
en los rayos de luz de la luna y del sol,  siento su corazon
y tambien cuando la lluvia me moja el pelo.

en las cimas de montañas, cuando el aire nuevo de la madrugada me rosa la cara, ella me tienta
cuando los arboles murmurean
con arena entre mis dedos
con cada respirar profundo se siente la perfeccion de ella.

-NR

Me tienes adicta a tu piel, a tu calor, a tus besos
cuando te veo a los ojos, me encuentro entre realidad y sueño
te traigo en la mente, te recuerdo en los labios
cuando te acaricie la neblina del mar, ven y buscame a la luz de la luna
te espero.

-NR

Early morning
chill and damp
I am still waking up

I head down to the beach,
still warm from your body
sunlight glistens on the water

I breathe peace
before the day starts.

-NR

Talking to my poppa the other day about how school and life are going for me, and after I had gone over the last few days with him, he said, "mija, que mas pides?" and I responded, "pues nada apa." And it's true. What a transition from corporate america unwilling slave to willing grad student? YES! You all know (since I can't stop blabbing about it) about how I started grad school about 4 weeks ago. So far I love it... some days are tiring but they are ALL great!! I'm starting to get overwhelmed but I just love what I'm reading, I like my cohort, I like that some of my friends were already attending UCSD. My professors are great, my readings fascinating, I just need to learn more on how to critically analyze work but so far so good. I know that some of my peers are cynical but I dare say that this will not be an affliction I will suffer from! I have always tried to keep my motivation up, theres no point in being bitter about something if you have to do it either way! I did my best to deal with my job and if THAT wasn't enough to make me a cynical bitter b*tch, pretty much nothing can. No doubt there will be times where school will feel like a tight choke hold around my neck, but I know that it will be all in good fun.

I feel so lucky to have gotten the fellowship, to have been admitted and to be right where I want to be. To add to the, I have sunshine and San Diego as the back drop for these adventures. I have great friends both in and out of school, I am involved with a great organization (JOB) which I feel will keep me anchored to community work while I am in school, and with special people in all aspects of my life!!!! Don't forget the running, YES!!! Talk about a happy blog, nothing can keep this good mood down, Normitas out in full force, watch out San Diego, RAWR! I have a weekend packed full of work and readings, bring it on!!!!!!!

Loving life.

el viento viene el viento se va por la frontera... el viento viene el viento se va...el hambre viene el hombre se va... por la carretera... por la carretera... la suerte y la suerte se va por la frontera... Manu Chao

dia a dia conozco mas y menos... quiero verlo por los ojos de intelectual pero todo lo que veo es por ojos de humanidad.. me enchilo y me cala hasta las entrañas... y calmar mis emociones, mejor suerte en calmar la mar...mi gente sufre, mi vecino padece... mi familia... todos agobiados por sufrimiento... mis armas no pueden ser nadamas un libro y una pluma... tengo que venir aprevenida con gritos, con brazos... las respuestas no estan solo entre las paginas de un libro- esas paginas necesitan el poder de la gente marchando.

Yesterday, during the Anthropology of Latin American studies discussion, we had an interesting conversation on being both an academic (who studies/analyzes communities) and an advocate (championing and supporting the causes of the community you are studying) and the implications of this. A lot of times, academics who are also activists for some reason don't get the same respect as those who maintain a sort of unbiased approach to their research. While I understand how perhaps the work of an academic that clearly symphathizes and is infuriated by the situations of the people she/he is studying, might be viewed as taking a biased view of the community (and thus perhaps even skewing the actual data) I still don't understand how you couldn't avoid becoming an activist as you do your research and see the inequalities and discrimination that the communities are experiencing.

One of the students in our discussion I believe from Chile pointed out that this trend of maintaining a distance from your research is unique to the US. She said that if professors did not take a stance in her university, they would get "black listed" as being "soft" and not wanting to show their true position. A lot of times this unbiased stance, was equated with quiet agreement to certain regimes and oppressive governments/institutions that were creating the inequalities/discrimination within the studied communities. I am inclined to be in support of this idea, academics are already making an argument based on their research which in its own way is a bias, so why not add adovocacy/activism to the work? They go hand in hand!

I found this discussion to be very interesting, especially given my belief in fighting for social justice. Of course, we always have to be careful to not become condescending our paternalistic with the communities that we are working with. We have to always make sure that we are working alongside and with what the actual needs of our communities are. This is one of the things that I enjoy about Justice Overcoming Boundaries- we work with community members, fostering their leadership qualities in order for they themselves to effect change on issues that are affecting their communities.

Back to the discussion, I personally don't think there needs to be a seperation between the two.
Besides, what then is the true aim of the academic in researching? For me, it is to effect change, it is not only to package a carefully crafted academic paper to the academic community so that people can have intellectual discourse on it. This is JUST one part of it. For research to be successful it should do more than just be a well written article, it has  to do more than generate discourse. Your academics must be tied to your activism, or vice versa. They should not be seperated.

This coming from the fledgling academic. :)