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| Our ISA group...Vineeta, Tina, Dilek, Kaisu, Manolis, Chungse, Marta, Robert, me, Catriona, Ly, Fernando, Ladan, Chivoin, Noel, Shuanglong, and Sandra. |
As many of you know, I was accepted to participate in the 2013 International Sociological Association Phd Laboratory in Sydney, Australia. I spent almost two weeks in Sydney.
When people ask me about my trip, they ask, "How was Sydney?" I think they generally expect me to talk about the city and the time I spent outside of the laboratory; however, I always begin by telling them the best time I had was during the PhD laboratory. I had the chance to meet an incredible group of sociologists, all of whom are doing interesting and innovative work. The organizers for this laboratory-- Robert, Vineeta, and Dilek-- did an excellent job of ensuring that 6 of the 7 continents were represented, as well as that we had a nice division of both men and women. The diversity was incredible, as people came from Singapore, Turkey, Ireland, Iran, China, Finland, Norway, Poland, Colombia, and Brazil. Not only did we have a chance to learn about sociological research from different locations, but it also gave us a great opportunity to learn about what life is like all around the world. And of course, we forged very close relationships, friendships that will undoubtedly last over the course of our lifetimes.
I plan to write another blog about my colleague's research, but for now, I will just summarize some of the memories and experiences from the trip.
Some of my favorite memories include:
1. The Women's College, in general. The photographs, the history, the free breakfast (particularly the coffee machine in the cafeteria), the sounds of that crazy bird that sounded like a cat crying, the fancy receptions with bottomless glasses of wine, the majestic steps in which I would present myself to the day, and its excellent location in Newtown.
2. The food selection in Sydney. I adore Thai food and lucky for me, there were Thai restaurants every few steps.
3. Robert's menus.
4. Gaining weight from eating incredible food that was provided by the program. It was incredible.
5. My adventures with Kaisu, from drag bingo to our romantic dinner at the Thai restaurant in Surry Hills to sharing our coffee and dessert at Manly on the porch.
6. Manolis, his manager, and him saying to me at breakfast, "Bring me formula, bitch!"
7. Ladan's camera....and always trying to explain that you don't have to do anything but hold it.
8. The many wonderful conversations I had with Vineeta, particularly when we were so engrossed in conversation we hadn't realized the ferry had already left for travel.
9. A night on the town in The Rocks with Kaisu, Shamus, and Jason. Dancing in the bar to the cover band. The beer tasting. Trying saltwater crocodile, emu, and kangaroo. The 70 year old lady playing saxophone in the oldest bar in Sydney.
10. My tourist excursions to the aquarium, the wildlife zoo, the botanical gardens, the Opera House, the state museum, and the chinese garden.
11. My day in Bondi and meandering through the seaside town.
One of my last days in Sydney, I ran into one of the program participants, Shuanglong, when wondering around campus. As we hugged and said goodbye, he said to me, "It's heavy." And I knew just what he meant. After spending a week of our time together, we had become very close. It was hard to say goodbye. But it isn't just about saying goodbye to new colleagues, it was also about going back home. Going back to the normal, to the familiar. When we travel, particularly in places unfamiliar, we let go and let ourselves adventure out into the unknown. Yes, it was heavy.
So, yes, I will miss all my new friends more than anything else that I experienced in Sydney. I hope that we will meet again, particularly for the ISA World Congress in Yokohama...or perhaps, as I travel to their homes to see where they came from or they venture to the States to visit with me.
