Spring Break!

Spring break, that time-honored college tradition is coming up. Many students will be heading off to the beaches to soak up the sun and relax. One nice thing about being a non-traditional student is that you sometimes get to do very non-traditional things. During spring break I am headed to Istanbul, Turkey! I know what you are thinking…”she’s been there before, why go back?” Actually my thesis subject is tied to Turkey and its Christian history. I am analyzing Gregory of Nyssa’s treatise “On Virginity.” Who is Gregory of Nyssa? He was one of the early Church fathers. They were called fathers because they were spiritual teachers of the Church and the term father was often used to denote such. But he was more specifically one of the Cappadocian fathers, named such because he was from and lived in the Cappadocia region of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey), of the 4th century CE. Gregory was Bishop of Nyssa around 371 CE and wrote many exegetical, theological, and ascetical works. Hence my visit to Turkey actually does relate back to my thesis subject! But that isn’t the only reason I am going. My husband has never been and since the opportunity arose I thought “why not?”

So on Saturday we will fly from Dulles International Airport to Istanbul, Turkey where we will spend 2 days before we fly to a city in the south of Turkey called Adana. From Adana we will rent a car so we can drive a short way along the Mediterranean coast before we head north to Cappadocia. While we are in Cappadocia, I will make a stop in the city of Nevşehir, which was ancient Nyssa. I will walk the same ground as Gregory! I have no idea what we will find in Nevşehir, but that is part of the fun. We will have 5 days to spend on the coast and in Cappadocia. Not long enough! I have Hollins to thank for fostering this passion of mine to travel and explore the history of Christianity in Asia Minor. I still am amazed at the opportunities to explore the world that are opening up to me! Amazing!

One last note. I hope that I will have Internet access while there and can post some photos or at least keep you updated on my travels. If not I will certainly do so when I return. Sonra Görüşürüz! (That’s see you later in Turkish!)

Reality = 67 days until graduation!

67 days….in 67 days I will walk across front quad and take my degree in hand. There have been several moments this semester that have really made that seem a reality. Nearly every time I walk across campus, particularly by way of Front Quad, I must admit to getting a bit weepy. It really is bittersweet. The excitement of graduating along with the sadness of leaving this beautiful campus and all the wonderful people who make Hollins what is is. Today I had one of those moments. I strolled across Front Quad after purchasing my academic hood and tassel from the Hollins bookstore. That moment of looking down at the graduation regalia in my hand and thinking of walking across the lawn on May 23, 2010 was probably one of the most profound I’ve had so far. 67 days!

Washington D.C. and Dumbarton Oaks

I love going to Washington. I don’t love driving to Washington. So for my research trip over J-term I decided to take the train! What fun that was! It was nice not having to deal with traffic and the D.C. Metro/Metrobus system took me nearly everwhere I needed to be pretty easily. But let me tell you about Dumbarton Oaks first. Well, actually I’ll let Dumbarton Oaks tell you about themselves since they can do it better than I could:

Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, in Washington, DC, is an institute of Harvard University dedicated to supporting scholarship internationally in Byzantine, Garden and Landscape, and Pre-Columbian studies through fellowships, meetings, exhibitions, and publications. Located in Georgetown and bequeathed by Robert Woods Bliss and Mildred Barnes Bliss, Dumbarton Oaks welcomes scholars to consult its books, images, and objects, and the public to visit its garden, museum, and music room for lectures and concerts. (from Dumbarton Oaks website)

I initially ran across Dumbarton Oaks, or D.Oaks, when I started researching subjects for my thesis. Since I was initially thinking of working on women in early Christianity, particularly in the Byzantine era, I of course Googled the subject. That is how I stumbled upon D.Oaks. Finding that they had a library with a large specialty collection in Byzantine studies simply excited me beyond belief. So I emailed them and asked them how I could get access, only to find out that they typically do not grant access to undergraduate students. However, the director of the library told me if I could get them a letter of reference from one of my professors they would consider giving me “reader status.” Thankfully, Dr. Schumm was more than happy to write me a letter and thus I got my reader status. I was so excited to be able to utilize this wonderful facility for research. Before January I had already taken two trips there but drove both times. Taking the train took a lot of stress off of me.

I left from Charlottesville on January 16, arrived at Union Station and took the Metro to Foggy Bottom which was about a 7 block walk from my hotel. Since I arrived later in the afternoon I decided to take the time to walk around the city instead of going straight to work at D.Oaks. It was beautiful weekend. I walked mostly down around the White House and took a few photos.

The White House from the back

Many others had the same idea as me!

White House from the front

Sunday morning it was time to get to work on some research. I was so pleased that I chose a hotel that had a Metrobus stop right out the front door. Unfortunately there is not a stop right by D.Oaks so walking is a must to get there. However, D.Oaks is located in Georgetown so it is a beautiful neighborhood full of large trees and grand homes! I usually grab breakfast at Einstein Bros. Bagels just down the street before I head in. Thankfully D.Oaks research library has very liberal hours, usually from 8am until 10pm. It really is a beautiful place to do work as well. I try to find one of the study alcoves and tuck myself away, although it is always quiet and always easy to concentrate, except when you find yourself daydreaming out the window!

It's easy to daydream looking out these windows!

Or get distracted with a magnificent book (one that won’t be on my coffee table any time soon…it’s only $700)

My favorite book in the D.Oaks library

But in the end, I got a lot of work done and narrowed my thesis down to a focus on the writings of the 3 Cappadocian Fathers (Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory Nazianzen, and Basil) and their views of women in their writings. On my last day there I did get a little weary of reading and note taking and decided to take a walk up to the National Cathedral. What a gorgeous piece of architecture!

National Cathedral

The sky was magnificent!

The doors

Stained glass filters the light

Inside

Beautiful

It was a great time of day to see the stained glass

View from the balcony

That was a nice way to end the trip. Ok, I did go back and do some more research so it didn’t exactly end the trip. Unfortunately my reader status at D.Oaks expires on March 5 so I don’t think I will be making any trips back before then. I’d love to eventually do a fellowship there! Sights on the future!

Winter break and J-term part 1

I was thrilled with the snow that we got just before Christmas! We haven’t had much snow in VA in the past few winters so it was a nice change. I left the cold behind and took a short trip to Florida to visit with my daughter over the New Year’s holiday. That was a nice change, although it got cold and the evening we visited the beach to see the sunset it was downright frigid! Being back home just reminds me that it’s time to get to work though. J-term is here and that means working on my thesis.

I’ve always loved J-term at Hollins. It has always presented itself as an opportunity to explore beyond the classroom, which is really what it is suppose to do. I’ve done the best to make the most of it since being here at Hollins and think I’ve done a good job. I have to say it is a little anti-climatic to spend J-term 2010 working on my thesis. I had hoped utilize the time to travel back to Turkey to do some research on my thesis which is centered on the writings of the Cappadocian Church Fathers writings on women and the impact and imagery of women in Christianity during the Byzantine era. It’s looking more and more like that is not going to happen. So far I’m researching, reading, and writing.

I am planning a long weekend trip to Washington DC to do research at Dumbarton Oaks from January 16-19. This time I will take Amtrak from Charlottesville to Union Station and utilize the Metro/Metrobus system in DC rather than drive. Take the train is the ideal way to go! Tickets are  $29 each way and although it was a bit more expensive than driving I think it will be well worth the extra cost. I always find myself so inspired when I’m at Dumbarton Oaks. What a shame it is so far away. More detail on the J-term trip later. Hopefully with photos!

Here we go again!

I guess it’s time to get back into the swing of blogging! Hollins changed the blogging format to WordPress, a move that I am thrilled about. It’s a more familiar blogging platform to me. So, here I am, blogging for what is to be my last semester at Hollins.

Wow! Seeing that in print really hits home. Finishing up my next to last semester it really has not sank in that I’m almost done. It has been quite the journey and I have done things I never imagined I would do. A J-term trip to Turkey in 2008, a semester in Athens Greece in Fall 2008, and an independent study that took me back to Turkey for J-term 2009 are certainly the big highlights, but the bonds I’ve made with other students and the prospects for the future rank right up there. I am going to miss Hollins when I leave but I will also be glad to say, “I did it!” Our motto for the Horizon program has always been “you can do this!” and soon I will be able to say that I can. Next up, J-term 2010 in which I will be working on my senior honors thesis. I am lucky enough to have been granted reader status at Dumbarton Oaks Research Library in the Georgetown area of Washington, DC. I have already made on a couple trips there during the fall and hope to make one or two more during J-term and spring semester. It is certainly going to be strange not doing long distance traveling for J-term but going to DC is enjoyable and I absolutely love Dumbarton Oaks!

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