New Year | New Term

Hello and Happy New Year!

Classes start back up tomorrow and I just thought I'd share with you the banner I curated for my class site's banner:

[Groot and Rocket, Adventure in the Great Wide Somewhere, and Always]

My theme this term is again "The Rhetoric of Fans, Fandom, and Fanatics," and I just thought this fan art was a beautiful demonstration.  

Now I'm turning in to help reset my internal clock, which is still on "break time."  Bonsoir and happy new term :)

Today Samara Learned... [Day 1]

Last October, I participated in an October blog challenge called "31 Days."  I chose to do a mini-book review every day for a whole month.  It was a really valuable experience for me and I knew I wanted to take on another challenge this year.  But I also knew I would be starting out my first term of grad courses and beginning to teach.  So with that in mind I decided to pick a "challenge" that would be more doable.  I will be posting every day this month with an answer to the question: "what have I learned today?"  Answers can be one sentence or 3 paragraphs, they could be something I've learned in classes or something I've learned about myself.  I just have to post (at least) one thing I've learned that day.  As an aside, I've thrown this into the third person because I believe it will allow me to make more direct observations.  So, with that prompt in mind, here October goes...

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

... that answering student's questions makes her feel successful.  Yes, there are occasionally questions from people not paying attention.  But, for the most part, most of the time it shows students are engaged with what they're discussing in class.

Next Steps

Have you ever told yourself that this thing you love is just a side thing, a hobby, something you will only love amateurly? And then one day you woke up and realized that all along it was the thing?

Well, I have.

If you've read much of anything I post on here, you know I can boil down quite a few of my favorite things to stories, narrative, adaptations, novels, films, that sort of thing...  Last fall, I began really wrestling with what these passions are for and how they might all fit together.  Graduate school had been weighing on my mind for some time - but grad school for what exactly?  Somehow, I didn't think, "I just really love stories - will you let me back in?" was going to cut it for a personal statement. But, there were times sitting at an office desk when I couldn't help but whisper to myself, "I don't belong here..."

When I finally did allow myself to believe that maybe I could actually pursue this thing I love so deeply, it became clear that going back to school was the necessary step.  So I entered this marathon of applications, I put a label on what I want to research - "transmuted adaptation" - and I started asking for a lot of help.  After a very grueling application process, a lot of prayer, too many vague posts, and anxiously waiting...

I am very excited to announce that I am returning to school this September. I will be pursuing a Master's in English and Film at Oregon State University and, thanks to their generous funding package, I'll also be teaching English composition.

Thinking about graduate school makes me feel like I'm returning home and that I'm venturing into some wilderness all at the same time.  And I'm so excited!  Though I try again and again, stories matter more to me than I can articulate.  So for the next two years, I'm going to give myself to stories, to the power of a classic novel told in a new way, and to inspiring others why we need to keep reading these narratives.

I am going back to school.

For those of you who have been asking about my interview yesterday... here's the lo-down. I thought I was interviewing for a specific position, but it turns out it was a firm that gets paid by a lot of other companies to hire quality people for them. So, a very nice lady at the firm has my application and resume and said she would get back with me as soon as she finds a good fit. She told me I was "darling" [still not sure if that's a good thing or just a polite critique] and that I "wouldn't be on the market long." Hoping she's right about that.


But for now, I'm back to job hunting. Kinda fun... kinda overwhelming, exhausting, and difficult =)


Today, though, I took a break from all of that to graduate. The English department graduation was rather fun and I loved seeing so many friends--especially Miss Lois!! Just lovely =)

[finally reunited with Lois =]

[Katie - love her! Her thesis topic: George MacDonald and Percy Shelley]

[Beks <3 ] 

[Josiah, myself, and Suzzallo]

[Hannah! My main Honors-partner-in-crime]

There was much cheering and hugging. [I've officially decided that Academics don't do enough hugging. I don't need a hug the day I graduate, I needed a hug the day you told me my paper sucked... but I digress.] One of my friends told me my hair was "immaculate"--especially meaningful coming from an English major. Oh! And it was productive, I had a very good (and extremely necessary) chat with one of my professors about my scholarship process this summer. All that to say: 

Samara Surface

cum laude, departmental honors,

phi beta kappa member, annual dean's list

Bachelor of Arts, English

Wow!! I can't even believe it! So in awe of all that God has done. I'll try and post more pictures later, because it really was a fabulous day.

Now, tomorrow, I face a completely different type of challenge: I'm teaching second grade. All day. All by myself. I'm taking over my mom's class because she has jury duty. =/

Pray for me, if you think of it. There are only five, adorable kids, but its just a bit nerve-wracking!! Hopefully I will have plenty of fun stories to tell on my next blog post =)

I recently found out that The Hunger Games trilogy is finally available in paper back. I wish that had been an option back in December when we bought our set [I vastly prefer paperbacks] =/
But you wouldn't believe my initial reaction to the news. I seriously thought, "Paperback? Do people realize what this means, people? THG can now be taught!!" Yep. A very helpful lit professor informed us last quarter that for a professor to assign a book in a university course it has to be 1) in print and 2) be available in paperback. I sometime have "professor fantasies" - I can totally envision a "dystopian futures" course. Oh goodness... too much fun!