Rare Berkeley Update

Before I begin, let me direct your attention to some visually stunning photos of Nicaragua taken by my photographer friend Tim Wagner:
http://berkeley.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2138741&l=98d99&id=1219341

I've been back in Berkeley for two full months now. It's rare for me to write entries in the United States, but since this is an unusual semester, I'll try it. My three main activities this semester are studying for oral exams, cycling, and socializing.

The studying was really hard at first, but now I've got a pretty good handle on it. There is a definite limit to the amount of things that one can learn each week, and my brain is almost always at the saturation point. At this point, I find it difficult to even remember people's names, but I can spout out a summary of the ten books that I read in the past week. It's a strange state of mind, but I can certainly keep it up for two more months.

Cycling is going well. After four months of little physical activity in Nicaragua, I was a feeble weed when I returned to Berkeley. Fortunately, it only took a couple of weeks to start getting strong again. Each week I ride my beautiful bike two or three times, climb stairs at the stadium, and lift weights (so people don't confuse my arms with toothpicks). Exercise is a great complement to studying, and it keeps me from becoming a prisoner of my brain.

My social life is radically different from previous semesters in Berkeley. Instead of living in the social periphery of North Berkeley, I am now in the hub of the universe at the International House. There's so much going on here that I never need to plan anything. That's a far cry from when Nick and I had to develop a student organization from scratch just to create social opportunities on campus.

I've met a lot of great people in the I-house this semester, but I sometimes feel hesitant to invest deeply in these friendships because I'll be leaving again so soon. I think that being a world traveler is starting to catch up with me. As great as it is to have friends all over the world, it also means that most of the people I deeply care about live far, far away. Still, I am grateful that my friend Jacqueline lives here in I-House and that I see Nick and Dean regularly.

Another new thing I'm doing this semester is going to church near campus at the catholic student center, Newman Hall. Given all my travels, I found it amazing how much diversity there is within Christianity. In Austria, I made great friends within the evangelical community. In Nicaragua, I felt like an outcast among the pentecostals but found the catholic church quite congenial. In America, I guess I'm a renegade Christian philosopher.

I've had some great luck with fellowship funding recently, so I'll be living in Germany this summer, learning how the archives work, doing dissertation research, and riding my bike all over the place.

I miss Latin America a lot, and I am certain that I have a big future there. However, I have no idea when that will be. In the meantime, you can be sure that I'll be reading lots of books, going on bike rides, and reflecting on life.