Grad school countdown: 15 months

For those of you who are still reading this blog (we salute you!), a quick update on my USC application.

I found out two weeks ago I was accepted into the Specialized Journalism master's degree program. Due to scheduling conflicts in August, when the program starts, I will be unable to attend this year, but I will enroll next year and, if all goes according to plan, will graduate in May 2010. It's an expensive program, and over the next year my task is to line up scholarships and grants. I will also be attempting to brush up on Spanish and possibly wade into one or two more languages. All of this is for the purpose of bettering my chances of earning a fellowship. I'll keep you posted as the weeks and months carry me closer to grad school.

What is up

Here is a little sampling of what's going on in our busy lives right now:

-- In early April, I applied to U.S.C. for a specialized journalism program that begins this August and would result in a master's degree in about 10 months. I would be learning how to cover global human rights struggles and humanitarian causes. Haven't heard yet whether I've been accepted; haven't figured out how to pay for it, either...

-- We're getting close to buying plane tickets for our second trip to China. This time, we'll be heading to Nanchang for two weeks in mid-July, then spending three to four more weeks in Beijing as I write a book about Bring Me Hope, the orphans and the Olympics. This means we'll be away from home for more than a month, and will need to figure out how to keep everything here paid for while we're away. Support letters will be mailed in the very near future.

-- Photography. I'm trying to start taking portraits and getting paid for it.

-- Our very dear friends, Justin and Erin McDonald, moved this week to The Philippines, fulfilling a long-held goal to become missionaries to that nation. We will miss them at church, where they each wore several hats and helped with pretty much everything but the preaching. And we will miss hanging out with them, although we may be able to visit them while in the neighborhood (read: Asia) this summer. Read their ministry's blog here.

There is much more going on, but these are the highlights. I hope to start blogging on a semi-regular basis again between now and when we leave for China. Thanks for reading!

The Wednesday evening commute

Tonight was my seventh trip to Chula Vista for a poetry workshop with Steve Kowit, who, it turns out, is a brilliant and inspiring teacher, and worth the two-hour round trip every Wednesday. Today, as I sat on the 805 approaching my exit to Southwestern Junior College, I saw an amazing sight. Truly amazing. To describe it, let me just say this:

See what I mean? I am almost positive I know what this laden truck was doing on the southbound 805: It was heading for Mexico. I know this because, at a garage sale to raise money for my nephew last year, a Mexican man came at the end of the day and bought all the furniture that was left over--furnishings, he explained, for a home across the border. Another woman bought bags and bags of clothes for the same purpose.

Still, this truck was stacked frighteningly high--higher, thought I, than most semi rigs that you see on the interstate. I could not stop looking at it, and managed to snap a few photos.

And that was all in the first half of the commute. When I reached Starbucks, for my pre-class kick, I was pleasantly rewarded with free coffee (it was brewing for four minutes before they handed me a cup), vouchers for two free songs ('Bucks is giving out a free song a day through iTunes--all you gotta do is ask for one), and a free day-old copy of the New York Times. Coffee, music, a paper, and not a dime spent. Not bad.

The drive home is typically relaxing. I found from the very first night drive back to Fallbrook that the trip affords me the opportunity to think, mull over what was discussed in class, and listen to music on my iPod. (I'm pretty sure activities such as listening to music via headphones and, say, taking pictures are illegal while driving. Don't tell.)

So that's my weekly Wednesday routine after I get off work in Escondido. Although, it's not every week that I see three houses' worth of used furniture commuting next to me toward Mexico. That, it seems, is a rare privilege.

Episode 1

I think I am a little rusty at sitting at a desk and taking notes. It's been three years since I last set foot in an English class, but hopefully, I will have reason to again soon.

I earned my bachelor's in June 2004, and when several of my friends received graduate degrees in recent months, it rekindled my desire to study creative writing and begin my post-baccalaureate education. There are two reasons why I want to go back, and two more why I want to go back now. Unlike my bachelor's degree, the creative writing master's will be a matter of writing and improving my craft. Instead of having to read and digest hundreds of pages of literature and regurgitate them in term papers, I'll have room to write things that are actually rewarding. That's the first reason I want to pursue my secondary degree; the second is because it will open more job possibilities in future years.

As far as timing, I feel like I need to seize the moment because we don't have children yet. I am also starting to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life (besides living in a van down by the river). I need to be able to go beyond newspapers in order to provide well for my family without having to spend fifty hours a week in the office. A master's degree is great for teaching, and it is also the requisite stepping stone on the way to a Ph.D. I'm not sure yet whether I want to go that far, but there is a distinct possibility that I would, depending on how my master's goes.

At this point, I only have a rough list of schools to which I will apply this winter. If I am accepted, I would begin classes beginning in fall 2008. It seems so soon, but I am ready.

My journey back to school will be chronicled here. Please share it with me.