It's been a week of celebrating and (re)connecting. Last weekend I attended three high school graduation parties for three beautiful young women. The parties are called ylioppilasjuhlat and they are a big deal. It's a way to celebrate the graduates' educational achievements. The amount of planning and thought that go into these parties rival wedding receptions.
I went first to Hanna-Marta's. I learned that one of the traditions is
to 'post' the graduate's grades for all to see. Um, I think I would
have been a bit more disciplined in high school had I known all my
family and friends would get to see which classes I had taken and how well I
had applied myself. College admission boards are one thing. Family and friends are quite another. :)
Another tradition is for the graduate to wear a white cap. You can guess who the graduate is here... :) Congratulations Hanna-Marta! The cake was inspired by the white cap. Milla, Hanna-Marta's sister, made it. It looked terrific and was delicious!! Hanna-Marta is now headed off to college...following in her sister's footsteps. Such awesome sisters!!
Then we headed off to the second party. Here's Maria (my new flatmate) with a card she made for the second graduate, Pihla. Maria is super creative.
Pihla, donning her white cap. Milla (far left) and Annu (far right) are her two sisters. I love these girls!! Milla and Annu are two of the young women I work with in the Young Women's program at church. My first Sunday back I spotted them seated together. When I walked up to them, they all lit up with excitement. Aww! They're reaction totally made my whole LIFE! :)
The last party we went to was for Suvi. She is currently working in Sweden but came back for her graduation party. Her mom (on the left) is the Young Women's president. It's a delight to work with her. She is a remarkable woman!! And Sweden is lucky to have Suvi. Here's to hoping we can win her back. :)
Last Sunday afternoon Maria says to me, "Look at the rainbow!" It started out very small but over the course of 40 mins. it grew to be a full rainbow--a colorful bridge connecting both sides of the lake. It was absolutely amazing to watch it grow. I haven't seen anything like it before. We made a video but I haven't figured out the glitch with uploading videos. Once I figure it out, I'll add it.
Maria was amazed by the rainbow as well. She was concerned that the cameras wouldn't capture the rainbow at all. As I turned to look at her taking a picture, I was surprised to see the reflection of the rainbow in the window. Super cool! The power of reflections.
Later that night (around 12am) you could see the full moon. You can't see it in this picture, but you could see the moon's reflection in the lake. It was magical.
This week my university hosted the 30th annual Applied Linguistics Summer School. We had an impressive line-up of plenary speakers. For my fellow AL friends, they included Leo van Lier, Claire Kramsch, Alastair Pennycook, and Steve Thorne, among others. It was unlike other conferences I've attended. Because it was small (200-250 registered), it allowed for very engaging (and frank) discussions about the theme of the conference: languaging, ecology, and agency. I've heard from many people about how great JYU is--how it leads the field in innovative research and thinking. I came to better understand and appreciate what that means as a result of the conference. I am so grateful to be here at JYU. And I walk away from this week with a greater motivation to step up my game.
Reetta (one of my classmates) and I presented papers at the conference. We're pictured here at the reception hosted by the city of Jyväskylä.
After the summer school concluded, our Discourse Studies team headed out to Ränssin Kievari, about 20km outside of JYV, for a seminar on Nexus Analysis. Kati, (who graduated last year and is now doing her post-doc with our Peripheral Multilingualism team), and I organized the seminar.
This year celebrates 10 years since three of the leading scholars on Nexus Analysis--Francis Hult, Sari Pietikäinen, and Nigel Musk (pictured here)--met at the DEXUS summer school in Denmark that was led by the Scollons (who developed Nexus Analysis). It was an honor to have them each present their work using Nexus Analysis and also reflecting on their experiences at DEXUS. Nigel still had a copy of the PPT presentation they put together as part of the course. What a way to link those learning experiences back then to what we were discussing this week!
The work-week ended with an annual meeting with my supervisors. It's hard to believe that my first year is coming to a close. My supervisors are among the sharpest-minded, disciplined scholars in our field. Hands-down. And, what's more (and most importantly, in my mind), they are genuinely interested in my intellectual development. It's a privilege to study under their supervision. Truly a privilege.
Ultimate frisbee in FINLAND! And at JYU!! I nearly cried when I walked out of the Agora building (it's across the lake from my office) after the summer school on Tues. and saw a group of people playing ultimate. NO WAY!! I walked up to some people sitting on the side-lines and learned that they play pick-up games on Tues. evenings. I can't wait to join them! I stayed for a bit to watch the game. I think I'll have to leave my vocal chords at home when I come to play. I didn't hear a peep out of anyone during the game. I noticed when I played volleyball last week that no one talks, screams, or shouts when they play VB either. This will be a tough one for me... :)
JYU! This is the famous blue sculpture outside the library. I'm not sure what the sculpture represents...or even what it is. But I love it nonetheless. :)
One of the first buildings at JYU.
Francis Hult, my MA thesis advisor, was in Jyväskylä this week for the Nexus Analysis seminar. It was awesome seeing him here in JYV!! I first met Francis in the fall of 2008. He was teaching the Sociolinguistics in Education course I had enrolled in. I picked the course because it was taught on an evening that I had free. Funny how things work out. Little did I know how my academic and professional trajectories would soon take a new (and unbelievable!) turn. That course led to writing my MA thesis under Francis' supervision--which prepared me to embark on the PhD journey with the skills and confidence needed in order to excel. I wouldn't be here--literally--if it weren't for Francis. He introduced me to the field of language policy and planning, to Nexus Analysis, to Sari Pietikäinen (my PhD supervisor), and to JYU. They say that we stand on the shoulders of giants who have paved the way before us. That is a true statement! I'm grateful to stand on the shoulders of a great giant!!
My new flat! Maria and I invited a few friends over for dinner on Wed. We had such a lovely time!! How is it that I know the best people in the world? I'm totally serious. Somehow I meet the best people everywhere I go. I'm so fortunate!! (Interestingly enough, one of the sister missionaries is from the very small town of Pleasant Grove, where I spent several years of my childhood. What a small world!)
Reetta brought me some beautiful forget-me-not flowers as a house warming gift.
And Katja brought me a lovely plant. I've been admiring the plant and flowers all week!
The flowers outside have also caught my attention. Maria and I went on a walk and she snapped this picture (when I thought she was taking pictures of some flowers that had caught her eye).
Liliacs. I actually recognized them by scent before I saw them. This is one of the countless bushes that lines one of the paths on the way to campus. I was walking on campus earlier this week and thought, "It smells like Pleasant Grove (where I lived for several years when I was younger). Oh--it's lilac!" And then, there it was. A lilac bush (or is it a tree?). Everywhere I go, there's something that connects to my past.
Like bluebonnets. Ok, so these aren't really bluebonnets. But I'd argue that they are the Finnish version of a Texas bluebonnet. :)
And Alexandria. Here it's a hotel. But it's also the city where I lived in the spring while carrying out fieldwork for my dissertation.
And no matter where I go, I can always count on bathroom tiles!! :) There's no better way to end a week than by throwing on a pair of gloves and scrubbing away at anything in reach. It felt great to tackle a project that didn't require any thinking.
And before tucking into bed last night, I spotted a larger-than-life firefly. It lit up every 9-10 seconds. I wonder if you could catch one and fit it in a jar. My first memory of seeing a hot air balloon was in Pleasant Grove when we watched one land in the field next to our house (and farm).
I was looking through old pictures earlier this week and actually ran across a picture from that day so many years ago!
What a week! It's been intense. And it's been fantastic because I've been able to (re)connect with friends, colleagues, and mentors. I really do know the best people in the world!! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment