July 2004

After 10 hours of driving, dad and I arrived in Sante Fe in time for a real Mexican dinner. We had hardly set foot in the door before dad dragged me , my Aunt Carol and step-uncle Andy to a quaint little resturaunt called Maria’s. Fajita’s and guacamole to die for.
I will be here for the next week participating in a continuing education program offered by OU. I’ll be staying at my aunts tonight and tomorrow I’ll head down the road to the Courtyard Marriot where I’ll be sharing a room with a classmate I haven’t met yet for the rest of the week. The class I’m taking is titled Information Society: Native People of New Mexico and “will provide an in-depth exploration of library and information services and resources for native American peoples with specific reference to the native American culture and society of present-day New Mexico. Activities will include site visits to libraries and information centers in selected pueblos and to research libraries, archives, and information centers in Albuquerque and Santa Fe”. Assignments will include journal writing, performing information audits (I don’t know either) and a final paper crunched into five days. A lot of work, maybe, but right now I’m just excited to be out of Bartlesville.
This is going to be a kind of nostalgic trip for me too. My grandmother used to live here and we used to visit her every summer. This was before we moved to the states so New Mexico was my initial introduction to America. I thought everywhere in America looked like the desserts, mountains and adobe houses of New Mexico. Adobe houses are fascinating and they demand appreciation from non-natives. Unlike the “white man” who built structures as a way to claim property and dominate the landscape, adobe structures are built from the earth below to be part of the landscape they rise from. On the way to my aunts house we stopped by my grandmothers old adobe house. It pretty much looks the same except for the fence that’s been built in the back.
I’ve neglected my blog for quite a few weeks so I’ll end this entry with some “catch up”. I finished my Foundations class with an A. I also found out that the city has offered to pay $600 of my tuition next semester. That leaves me with just $400 to pay myself. I also, along with the rest of our city employees, recieved a raise. I was paid about $500 in retroactive pay and my salary increased to $10 an hour. So, it’s been a good past few weeks.

The Diamond Stura is believed to be the oldest surviving printed book (868 A.D.).

Turning the Pages

A creative writing major from NYU was caught living in the 24 hour study area of Bobst Library. He works four jobs, recieves a $15,000 scholarship and several other loans but all that apparently only covers tuition, not housing. After getting caught, the administration at his school was kind enough to offer him free housing for a semester. The cost for education is becoming so outrageous.
He has a blog which is interesting to read too.