various updates

I'm halfway done with my program already! The end is near. It's very exciting. Already, I have to finish the lit review for my thesis and start crunching my first year of data. I also have some more grants to apply for... my adviser said I should decide on a school if I want to go on for a PhD, or otherwise I will probably start interviewing in September, as I use that semester to finish things up. The job prospect sounds much more exciting to me, I want to work in a city. There are still fields and ag-related things in cities, so there will be many options. I really want to work for sustainable ag in some way; it's very important to me.

My favorite thing about being here is that I am no longer smart. I feel dumb a lot. Being smart (=scoring well on standardized tests) always felt like a liability. It meant I had to get top grades and that other people felt uncomfortable (since self-worth=scores on standardized tests). Here, everyone has done well with tests. There's always someone far more brilliant or type A than you (and I am not type A at all). It's a relief! It also means lots of intellectual stimulation, which I love (and was sorely lacking at my old job). Here, you can say something like, "I am fascinated by Japanese linguistics" or "reading ancient Greek texts is an old hobby of mine" and no one bats an eye (for the record, the first but not the second is true). And I use things I studied a long time ago, like genetics and biochemistry, all the time (to understand research). Of course, the flip side can be snobbery and lack of social skills. But I can ignore that and focus on all the great learning :)

I've been trying to resume my Brazilian Portuguese studies. I know one person who is basically fluent in it, and another trying to learn. So we're trying to get together. Mine is very bad, but forcing yourself is the best way to learn. It's so hard to keep the different Romance languages straight.
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My yoga practice is fruiting. I'm not suffering from anxiety like before. I'm starting to get back some of what I've put out. I'm very grateful and continue to put energy in that area. Not too much, but just enough.