Two Weeks Down...

Well, I've been here for three weeks now. The weather has been wonderful so far. A few rain showers here and there, but nothing major--no monsoons, typhoons, or any other sort of -oon to speak of. I did get drenched one day on my way to work the week before classes started, but the rain comes and goes quickly (and clothing and poor grad students dry pretty quickly in the heat).

I'm adjusting to this brand-new place well, I think. It's been tricky getting used to life without a car, but the buses are pretty good here. Mostly, I miss my family and friends and Rebecca, who is in Kenya right now. We haven't been able to talk for a week, which is the longest we've gone without speaking in three years. It's tough doing this alone, but I'm also enjoying the challenge and freedom here. There's a lot to be said for moving thousands of miles away from everyone you know. I am learning a lot about myself and who (and where) I really want to be. I am also getting a great tan.

Not much to report. Classes are going well. I'm beginning research on sustainable theater practices and eco-friendly theater. I'm hoping to transform the research into a paper that will both satisfy the requirements of my research methodology class, and that I can also present at a conference in Oregon in May. At the end of the class, we are given the option to submit the paper for publication, and I intend to do that as well.

I'm also taking two scenic design classes. I am getting a lot of ideas on projects I can use to teach design from the lower level course. The upper-level class has two main projects. The first and most emphasized project is the design of a show for a local theater called Kumu Kahua Theatre. My show is called Whatever Happened to John Boy Kihano?. It's about a boy whose father claims was sent away with a mysterious aunt whom no one else in the family has ever met or heard of. I think it's based on an actual event. The show doesn't open until March 12 of next year, but meetings will begin soon. The second part of the class is to research some aspect of environmental theater. We're reading a book right now written by Richard Schechner, and we each take three chapters and lead a discussion of them in class. The scope of that research is fairly limited, but will still be challenging.

That's about it so far. I miss everyone and I love you guys.