Rashne, Sumahi, Pikachu

Posting will most likely be sparodic for the next few weeks because I'm gearing up for my exams in my department.
What this will entail is me turning in my final draft for my propsectus or my proposal for my dissertation on Tuesday. I will then receive a list of questions from which I will choose two and have one week to answer and then turn back into my committee. My committee is made up of five faculty, three from my department (Yen Le Espiritu, Ross Frank, Pal Ahluwalia) and two from outside (Jodi Blanco and Keith Lujan Camacho). Once they get my answers, I will have week to prepare for my oral defense on June 12th. This will entail a two hour defense/discussion with my committee, where they will challenge me on certain points, make recommendations and suggestions about how I can improve my project.
I'm writing like crazy this weekend, so I can turn my prospectus in on Tuesday. I'll be writing like crazy next week also. I think I'll post tomorrow a little bit of my prospectus just so people know that I haven't been slacking off, that I still have plenty of ideas on sovereignty, decolonization and Chamorros to share with all. I know for alot of my friends and allies its as if I've been hataigue halacha', but I've just been working on different things, taking a lower profile so I can get alot of writing down. And to tell the truth, I'm very proud of what I've been coming up with lately. A few months ago I was frustrated and worried about my project, as I head into this last prepatory stage, I am excited that this these ideas will be my dissertation.

So to reiterate, I'm feeling a bit stressed, but I'll be fine. I am grateful in preparation to have my faithful gangs with me.

First i nobia-hu Rashne who is not shy about telling me that my sentences often make no sense, or contain several extra words which are probably just there for fun. Second I have i hagga-hu Sumåhi, for whom I am racing to finish up my graduate work out here gi lagu as quickly as possible, and whose photographs have both the ability to drain me of all energy because of their cuteness, and yet motivate me to keep writing and keep working.

Thirdly, I have i ga'-hu Pikachu, a surprising expert on postcolonial theory and Asia-Pacific geopolitics. The writing of my master's thesis in Micronesian Studies in 2003 would not have been possible, as you can see below, without Pikachu's inspiring help.




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