I can dance. . . Therefore I should. . .

"How many of you consider yourselves dancers?"

I, along with what I think I remember as most others in the room, raised my hand. It's not that I think of it as my profession, or even something I have a lot of skills in, but I can dance!

"good!" He said. "You are alive!"

When the troop asked us to come up and join them, I waited for one of them to invite me specifically. But no one ever made it to my table. That didn't stop one of my colleagues! She sauntered on up there, already moving on her way.

I really admire that. What a fun person!

Time on Earth is so short, why not make the most of any opportunity to dance?

Encouraging faces. .difficult teaching

"We teach not only about the Middle East, but about the diversity of America." I paused feeling a bit of fear as I thought about my recent exam (which I am retaking because what I turned in was 'unsatisfactory').

"I sometimes have a hard time differentiating between the multicultural education aspect of what we do and global education aspect. But it's important to keep those separate."

I felt scared they'd see me as an ignorant white woman trying to engage with race and not getting it. Then I made eye contact with some very encouraging faces. Domestic equity is the focus on multicultural education, which makes it important to not conflate it with global education.  

"Work like this gives us a phenomenon to point to, to show how prominent stereotypes really are." I continued.  "Further the media points to an issue that really draws those two fields together, which is representation.Our knowledge base of the Middle East is informed by, even constituted by, a large number of images and concepts perpetuated in popular entertainment."

Never doubt your ability to make a difference just by looking someone in the eye and smiling.  

Yer never too old ta learn!!

"I just want to graduate before I turn forty." I said, voice trembling.

"No. . .don't worry." My adviser said. "I talk to so many at the refugee center who look at me and say, "If only I had been like you. If only I had started my education young. Then I try to tell them they have lived lives full of rich experiences, they shake their heads. But, it's never too late."

I could have taken that two ways: a) confirmation that yes, I will be one of those people who will have to say "you're never too old to learn!" when I tell people that I am working on my PhD in my forties (Hell, No!); or, b) that, yes, I have lived a life full of rich experiences, and this will only add more to them.

I, obviously, choose to interpret his words the latter way.