#AAA2012: Whatever You Do, Don’t Call It “Frisco.”

First and foremost, Happy Veteran’s Day and thank you to all the servicewomen and men (my father and grandfather, included) who defend this country, even though we’re like a big dysfunctional family of 350,000,000 people. Despite the fact that our President (in general, not any specific one) does not always use you in the smartest ways, your willingness to join in the first place is admirable. It disgusts me that we only give you one day of the year and then think we’re even. You deserve more (and yet, you still fight).

Many of you might remember that last year’s American Anthropological Association meeting in Montreal was my first. What many of you don’t know is that I was high-as-a-kite on the tailpipe fumes of academia for weeks to come. I made many friends, many connections, and learned a lot about myself and what I want to do in my academic career. I anticipate very much of the same, this week in San Francisco. I am not presenting a paper or poster – my proposal was accepted, but the panel was cut – but if you want me to tell you about my research in Senegal, find me and I’ll be more than willing!

I will be live tweeting all week long with the tag #AAA2012, so follow me at @plazdiquehardt (or #FF me, preferably before Friday though). Unfortunately, there is no highly anticipated “Science in Anthropology” open discussion, but there are going to be some fantastic sessions in Medical Anthropology and Biological Anthropology. Hopefully, I’ll remember to post pictures. Like last year, I will be at the BAS business meeting and keynote on Friday night. If you’re there, and someone awkwardly says “Hi” as you stuff your face with egg rolls, it’s probably me.

Finally, I’d like to mention that I've been chosen as the Society for Medical Anthropology and National Association of Student Anthropologists’ Emerging Leader in Medical Anthropology. The program entails a professional mentorship which will hopefully lead to a “professional training paper” addressing the track of my choice – which was World Anthropologies. Unfortunately, I won’t be meeting my mentor at #AAA2012, because they won’t be chosen yet, but I will be attending some sessions on critical issues in anthropology, for which I am quite excited.

See you in San Francisco!

Senegal 2012: Field Notes Digest (Part 1)

I’ve been in Senegal for two weeks now. This is my first time to Africa, and it certainly won’t be my last. For the most part, it has been an easy transition, but I’d be lying if I said that my first couple days weren’t completely overwhelming. It is one thing to be a foreigner here, but I get the impression that my experience is strongly influenced by the fact that I am tubaab – a Wolof word that describes me as a Caucasian, and implies that I have wealth. Senegal isn’t special in that regard; people the world over tend to assume that “because you are white, you have money,” which is a phrase I often hear. The onslaught of vendors just takes some getting used to.

Getting to the Root of Dengidëk

I often receive emails from the Anthropology faculty and staff alerting me of opportunities to study abroad, participate in a field school, or look into a particular graduate program. Sometimes they are sent to all anthropology students, sometimes a selection of them, and in many cases they are sent only to me. Most of the time, these advertisements – titled something like, “FORWARD THIS TO YOUR STUDENTS!” – don’t apply to my interests, and they go right into the Trash folder. This past December, however, I received one that caught my eye and I had to give it a go.

End of Fall 2011

Well, that’s that! Another semester down, and this guy is officially a junior!

It used to be that when a break came along, I did not cherish it. I wanted more than anything to continue my classes, keep moving, keep going. I could never bring myself to read for fun, because I felt that any time that wasn't spent studying was time wasted. That’s not really the case now, but I’m still torn. I look on the ensuing break as a chance to breathe, but I still look at it as an opportunity to study what I want to study. Reading for “fun” pretty much means reading textbooks or edited volumes, as opposed to reading ahead in the textbooks for the coming semester. I might even let myself play a video game here and there. (I do fear playing Skyrim however, as it may put my relationship with my girlfriend and school in jeopardy.)