The Halls of Higher Learning

The University of South Carolina (1801) is central to the city of Columbia, the state capital. It boasts an enrolment of 25,000 students in many faculties, with education being one of them. My PhD is in the department of Educational Leadership and Policy, where my classes are held in the Wardlaw Building.

EDLP 807 Leadership and the individual
EDRM 740 Qualitative Research Methods
EDHE 730 The History of Higher Education in America

In April I will write my Comprehensive Exam, which is 9 hours of writing and 2 hours oral. Yikes! My thesis committee will prepare this. After the classes I am taking now, I will nbe ready to start spending all my time on thesis writing. What is my thesis topic? School Board Governance and Democracy.

This semester I will be working as a graduate assistant to the EDLP professors. They have given me a desk with a computer, so I'll give them 20 hours of work a week. I am so appreciative of the faculty for this opportunity.

The residence in which we love (oops, a Freudian slip), I mean live, needs some updating, but the staff are very friendly. We've had heat problems, water problems, and vibration (we are directly over the mechanical room) problems. We are moving apartments next week when another one becomes available. Fortunately we don't have much to move.

With the weekend ahead, I must start my reading, reading...did I mention reading?

A Walk in the Park

Heaven Scent

The drive from Nova Scotia was a long one, but I did more sleeping than driving. I let Lorne handle the New Jersey Turnpike, which he did with skill and daring, as the freezing rain under the tires and on the windscreen was no fun. Arriving in South Carolina was exciting. We opened the sunroof, enjoying the 15C temperatures and the balmy southern wind. Again we were in the land of the Southern drawl, where one sylable words become two. Music to our effecient and industrious northern speech patterns.

Take a look at our one bedroom apartment, though only until Monday until we get into our own unit (due to a water leak we have been camping out on the 6th floor with no furniture, except for our trusty air mattress and folding lawn chairs). It causes one to realize how little we need versus how much we own.

Getting settled academically has been the same old struggle with bureaucracy - running

around to pay this here and that there. However, the profs at the Faculty of Education Leadership and Policy are very helpful, as are staff at the International Centre. I may need to change a course, and would like a grad assistantship on campus, but that does not look promising. The downturn in the economy is impacting on the university, as well as it has on the Canadian dollar. Lorne and I have checked out the sports facilities and plan to get exercising tomorrow morning. We access to many pieces of exercise equipment, pools, and numerous classes. Today I snapped a few photos today of some flowers blooming beneath a magnolia tree. On my way to class I walk by rows of rosemary bushes, with their soft purple blooms and fragrant scent. Heaven scent.

Happy New Year 2009!

New Year's eve saw Lorne and I ring in the glad tidings at the Halifax Club with friends. We were having dinner and desserts in the rooms where we were married only two years ago. It was great to be able to share this with Michael and Elizabeth and their colleagues. Enjoying a different wine with each course, followed by dancing until midnight, we were the quinessential yuppies. Lorne definitely needs a tuxedo for next year! The sunglasses on the guys stole the show.

We look forward to the year ahead, with study, travel, and family. On Tuesday morning we are headed for South Carolina, with the expectation to arrive by Thursday. Buying second-hand furntiure for our graduate student apartment will be fun. Who says you can't do it over again?

A Happy Hutchinson Hallowe'en

Having carved pumkins, changed diapers (Trevor, not me), and dressed to kill, the Hutchinsons of the Clan MacDonald, gathered in coven fashion to prepare for the hallowed evening of All Saints' Day. Witches, good and bad, a VG Hospital patient, a Wal-Mart Greeter, a Phyliss Diller look-alike, and Count Dracula (Phyliss' husband, Fang) all made an appearance. Kelly carved an excellent pumpkin which she forgot to take home, and Tyler and Cayden ate their share of goodies, followed by a wild romp in the backyard. Trevor impersonated a guy on the backside of thirty, while Granddad looked more like Grammie than she did. How's that for looking more like your spouce the longer you live with one another.

Riverbanks Zoo and Botannical Gardens

Augusta, Georgia of "Masters" Golf Fame

Zoology & Botany 101

Close to downtown Columbia is the Riverbank Zoo and Gardens. We spent a delightful afternoon looking at the exotic plants that thrive in the Southeast heat. We believe many originate from the Caribean islands. We recognize many familiar varieties that only survive as house plants in our Nova Scotia temperate climate.

The animals at the zoo are housed in as much a natural setting as is possible. They have gone to great lenghts to re-create pastures and rock formations that would exist in the Serengeti.

The zoo also has the most extensive aquariums we have ever viewed. The varities and colors of exotic fish from around the globe are in abundance.

The interesting part of traveling is meeting the people that live and work in the area. While waiting for the shuttle to take us back to our car, we learn a lot of local history and interesting facts about the area from our driver. Most people in Columbia seem very easy to talk to. When I mentioned this to a sales clerk in a department store, she acknowledged that you're not in New York. I agree.

Can't See the Forest for the Trees

South Carolina is blessed with an abundance of trees. Maybe its the soil or the longer growing season. If Halifax is known as the city of trees, I don't know what we should call Columbia. Every suburban street is lined with 60' to 70' Cypress and Oak trees. More upscale homes and commercial buildings are being landscaped with the familiar Palmetto (palm) Tree which happens to be the state tree. Every home is framed with endless shrubs and ground covers.

Saturday takes us to the Congaree Swamp National Forest. It boasts the largest surviving trees in the Eastern part of the USA. The air is humid as we snake our way on a 2.5 mile boardwalk that provides glimpses of an area untouched by man.

The Congaree is a typical park containing trails, lakes, rivers and a knowlegable staff in the Interpretation Center. They also provide (free of charge) guided canoe tours, bird watching tours and tree identification tours. We will definitely come back and take advantage of these services when we return to the area.

On the return trip, we decide to take a different route using the backroads so we can see more of the countryside. Yes, we got lost!! But our trusty Lady of Perpetual Help helps us find our way. I would estimate that at least 50% of the people in this area live in mobile homes.

Life's a Beach

Charleston is the grand dame of the South. It was not burned during the Civil War, and so has retained many historic buildings. It is real estate heaven in terms of beautiful homes, but prices are not celestial. This picture was taken on the public beach at Sullivan's Island, very close to the Isle of Palms, where my friend Francesca's mom has lived for almost 30 years. We enjoyed a visit to her where she charmed us with her Italian hospitality - there was no way we were leaving that house without eating some home made biscotti and drinking red wine. At 86 she is a remarkable women, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and doing good works in her community. Lorne forgot his hat there, so maybe we have to return.



My studies are going very well. I was born to be a student. Academia is a very comfortable world for me, as I enjoy reading and analyzing the thoughts and findings of others so that a body of knowledge emerges. My dissertation topic is emerging, and I haven't changed my mind about this in a week. Lorne is receiving mini-lectures on feminism as my independent study is Woman and Leadership. It's like the 1970 all over again - who can believe that was 38 years ago?



After my earlier blog pics, I bought a new bathing suit! One that covers the jiggly bits.



Email us at lorne02@hotmail.com or carolanneliz@hotmail.com.

South Carolina in June

Our trip to South Carolina was easy driving - no winter storms or windshield washers - until we were within 160 km of our destination. As fate would have it, a large piece of metal on the highway gouged our gas tank, broke some lines, and damaged struts. The car behind us also suffered a similar fate. Imagine our concern! But, a 911 call, a firetruck from Fork Hills, a tow truck, and State Trooper Hope all assisted us in getting off the road. With the price of gasoline these days it's worrisome to see it drain away. We landed in Rock Hill at a large Honda dealership, which could not help us at the time. My insurance company, Meloche Monnex, were excellent in arranging for a local adjustor to come and see the car. By 4 pm it was obvious I would miss my 5 pm class in Columbia. When there are only 4 classes and you have driven for three days, it's a bitter pill to swallow to miss the first one. However, Rock Hill Honda is wireless and I was able to send an email to my professor, who was very gracious.

Lorne and I have settled into our residence, the students here having an average age of 21. Many of the kids are Chinese, as it is too far for them to go home for the summer. The apartment puts a whole new definition on the term "crunge". If any residence needed a makeover, it's this one. It does not fit well with the rest of the campus, which is immaculately clean and manicured. Beautiful buidings abound - the sports stadium, the theatre, the fitness and wellness centre, and a plethora of other structures on the many campuses.

My classes are doing well, and I am managing to be a student again after so many years. I completed my last masters in 1984. Being a librarian definitely helps me with the concepts of research and scholarship. Lorne spends his time bicycling the city, reading, and cooking while I study. But we both find time to visit the outside pool at the Fitness and Wellness Centre. Enjoy the photos! I've bought a new one-piece bathing suit since seeing the pic! How is it that I've only had a 'mommy tummy' in the past five years, when my kids were born 81/83?

Last week we drove to Myrtle Beach. It was fantastic! Miles of clean beach with warm waters for playing. Along the coast the weather is confortable. It's a great way to stay cool. However, the six-hour return trip does tire one slightly.

Two nights ago we had the most spectacular thunder and lightning storm I have ever witnessed. The wind was up and the rain driving hard. Lorne and I had gone outside with our umbrellas, but returned drenched. It was a good cool down as it had been 100F all day.

Tomorrow we are headed to Charleston, for some sightseeing and beach activity. We wear our hats, sunglasses, and sun block to protect us from those damaging UV rays. The drive is two hours. Since Columbia, the state capital, is in the middle of the state, one must drive two to three hours to go anywhere Savannah, Atlanta, Charlotte, Hilton Head. We are having a good time!