I got a call ten minutes before leaving for the Commodore's Cocktail Party last night.... the debate committee has been called for an "urgent" meeting at 10 am Sunday morning by a chick from POM who has been here since Thursday. Yeah, okay, so she didn't show up for our Friday (during working hour meeting) when she said she would, but now we're being beckoned in (again) during the weekend. Whatever.
So, this morning, I go into my office. I'm there at 10..... Lucy is there... and... and.... then our people showed up.... And the person that called this "urgent" meeting? 10:40 we were finally able to start... thanks for stopping by!!!!
Anyway, then I see it.... I'm shocked at first... no... that's not what I think... no. Really? Yes, the uni people (I guess we're not technically working today, so this is ok????) pull out the buai! Yes, first let's crack the betelnut. Then dip the mustard in the lime. I just couldn't believe it. The only people that didn't chew were the medical doctor on campus who's chairing the committee, Lucy, and myself.
I just started sending a text message to friends (and posting it to Facebook!). Admin of the university, chewing buai in my office! Between that and the fact that we basically just rehashed everything that we did in Friday's meeting, I about lost it.
I'm questioning the most basic things.... like we have twelve teams (2 from each uni) and you have twelve debates scheduled. Um, no, that would be six debates concurrently. "oh, really" yes.... then I draw it out to illustrate Team 1 xyz uni affirmative, Team 2 abc negative, etc. Then she had 8 teams going into the elimination round. 'Um, okay, how will you pick the two extra teams?" "What do you mean?" Me looking confused... again... "There will be six winners from the six debates, how will you pick the two extra teams? Will it be the two top scoring losing teams or what?" Her response: "Oh...uh.... there won't be eight winners?" $*#^@(#&$. Logic alludes this woman. So freaking frustrating! Needless to say, I worked it out to fit in her schedule, but have it make sense.
So, anyway, I get home and just needed to veg. What I really needed to do was fill out my contract renewal form which is due tomorrow. I just couldn't bare to look at it. I wanted to check the NO box and sign my name. I decided to just fill out the basics and threw the forms back in my bag. I've got "Melanesian time" and I think the due date can be a lik lik squishy. Besides, I'm on the committee, and we don't meet until beginning of July. Anyway, avoidance sometimes is for the best.
I gather all of what I have left of my sanity and get ready to go to the kick off dinner for the debates. It's to start at 6, but I'm picking up Bea at one of the hotels. I met Bea through, um, Facebook? Expat Blog? Random internet stuff? Yeah, we'll she's from POM and wanted to volunteer. Hot damn, I'll take whatever help I can get. Take help and ask questions later... Hey, she got me in contact with an organization that's helping me with some HIV education. She's already a favorite person.
Anyway, I swing by and pick her up. I ramble and rant and she doesn't get a word in all the way to uni. I feel the need to vent and yet it's not helping. I think I finally shut up enough over dinner for her to tell me about herself, her interests, and what she does. Holy shit. The clouds parted and the angels started singing...
Bea's working on her Ph.D.... Qualitative ethnography! From Texas, loves Mexican food! (okay, I did know a bit about her...) Writes html code! Showed me her android! Discussions of Kindles and SmartBoards! Oil and gas industry (I think I was so excited I forgot to tell her about my stint doing natural gas accounting)! Works to promote HIV awareness with her company! Blogging! She wants to co-write some papers... yippee! I've had papers accepted but nogat funding to go... If she can get me funding, I can do research!
Needless to say, I feel things turning around.... Seriously, as dorky as this sounds, I just needed someone to connect with and remind me what it is that I'm trying to do here. We talked qualitative research... you know, the kind of research that uni told me wasn't real research... yeah, well, two American white chicks amongst the crowd. We laughed, we talked. It was an awesome night.
PS. The Commodore's Cocktail Party was... okay... the "cocktails" were awful, but the conversations were good.
PPS. Texted Carl regarding Clarence Clemons dying. Sad. He rocked.
So, this morning, I go into my office. I'm there at 10..... Lucy is there... and... and.... then our people showed up.... And the person that called this "urgent" meeting? 10:40 we were finally able to start... thanks for stopping by!!!!
Anyway, then I see it.... I'm shocked at first... no... that's not what I think... no. Really? Yes, the uni people (I guess we're not technically working today, so this is ok????) pull out the buai! Yes, first let's crack the betelnut. Then dip the mustard in the lime. I just couldn't believe it. The only people that didn't chew were the medical doctor on campus who's chairing the committee, Lucy, and myself.
I just started sending a text message to friends (and posting it to Facebook!). Admin of the university, chewing buai in my office! Between that and the fact that we basically just rehashed everything that we did in Friday's meeting, I about lost it.
I'm questioning the most basic things.... like we have twelve teams (2 from each uni) and you have twelve debates scheduled. Um, no, that would be six debates concurrently. "oh, really" yes.... then I draw it out to illustrate Team 1 xyz uni affirmative, Team 2 abc negative, etc. Then she had 8 teams going into the elimination round. 'Um, okay, how will you pick the two extra teams?" "What do you mean?" Me looking confused... again... "There will be six winners from the six debates, how will you pick the two extra teams? Will it be the two top scoring losing teams or what?" Her response: "Oh...uh.... there won't be eight winners?" $*#^@(#&$. Logic alludes this woman. So freaking frustrating! Needless to say, I worked it out to fit in her schedule, but have it make sense.
So, anyway, I get home and just needed to veg. What I really needed to do was fill out my contract renewal form which is due tomorrow. I just couldn't bare to look at it. I wanted to check the NO box and sign my name. I decided to just fill out the basics and threw the forms back in my bag. I've got "Melanesian time" and I think the due date can be a lik lik squishy. Besides, I'm on the committee, and we don't meet until beginning of July. Anyway, avoidance sometimes is for the best.
I gather all of what I have left of my sanity and get ready to go to the kick off dinner for the debates. It's to start at 6, but I'm picking up Bea at one of the hotels. I met Bea through, um, Facebook? Expat Blog? Random internet stuff? Yeah, we'll she's from POM and wanted to volunteer. Hot damn, I'll take whatever help I can get. Take help and ask questions later... Hey, she got me in contact with an organization that's helping me with some HIV education. She's already a favorite person.
Anyway, I swing by and pick her up. I ramble and rant and she doesn't get a word in all the way to uni. I feel the need to vent and yet it's not helping. I think I finally shut up enough over dinner for her to tell me about herself, her interests, and what she does. Holy shit. The clouds parted and the angels started singing...
Bea's working on her Ph.D.... Qualitative ethnography! From Texas, loves Mexican food! (okay, I did know a bit about her...) Writes html code! Showed me her android! Discussions of Kindles and SmartBoards! Oil and gas industry (I think I was so excited I forgot to tell her about my stint doing natural gas accounting)! Works to promote HIV awareness with her company! Blogging! She wants to co-write some papers... yippee! I've had papers accepted but nogat funding to go... If she can get me funding, I can do research!
Needless to say, I feel things turning around.... Seriously, as dorky as this sounds, I just needed someone to connect with and remind me what it is that I'm trying to do here. We talked qualitative research... you know, the kind of research that uni told me wasn't real research... yeah, well, two American white chicks amongst the crowd. We laughed, we talked. It was an awesome night.
PS. The Commodore's Cocktail Party was... okay... the "cocktails" were awful, but the conversations were good.
PPS. Texted Carl regarding Clarence Clemons dying. Sad. He rocked.
1 comments:
What an absolute shower of shit has been written here. God help us, and I am an atheist.
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