No doubt, being in graduate school in and of itself is a daunting task. If you are the type that borders on paranoia, you will forever be looking over your shoulder mentally thinking everyone is out to get you. And if you are the type that's complacent, well, let's just say by the time you realize what time it is, you will be "forced" to graduate. Needless, to say, being a graduate student is an experience best lived or better yet, left alone. One of the most crucial decision made in graduate school - apart from choosing a mentor/lab - is choosing a committee member. I wrote some suggested criteria to choosing committee members that you can access here . After choosing committee members, you will want to set up what I call the "first meeting". 1 . This first meeting is important in starting you off on the right foot. Some of the members of your committee might not know each other, so having them in the same room is essential in getting them to know eac...
There are no two places more divergent in architecture and economy than the cities of Porto Novo and Cotonou of the Republic of Benin. While I was in Nigeria in May, I went to the Republic of Benin. Why? Because it is so close geographically. It is bordered by Nigeria to the east and a trip from the heart of Lagos into the Seme Border will take you just about two hours by car. Also, my dad wanted to visit a few of his friends so I tagged along for the free ride, free food and ...well, free everything. When we got to the border, I wanted to take pictures but as is typical of many African states, there were fierce looking border patrol people in khaki-like uniforms, that I dared not act the tourist. Truth be told, the best bet in a place like that was to act as inconspicuous as possible and in a grey and black dress with cream-colored cropped cardigan, I blended quite well into the dusty air and grey clouds. Although the border is notoriously known for "unofficial transports...
I've always wanted to travel and I got the opportunity to do some traveling this Spring. It all began with my brothers' graduation at the University of Buffalo. I went with my sis in law and we had a blast exploring the quiet, yet vibrant buffalo city. We went to Niagara Falls, where I saw (a tiny bit of) Canada for the first time. Rainbow Bridge It was simply incredible and that was when I knew my dream of traveling had to be fulfilled. I want to see as much of the world I can with my meager graduate student stipend. I want to hear other waterfalls angry roar, booming as each fall collide with the void below. I want to see the lush greenery of different places, and visit the temples in South East Asia. I want to feel the sand wiggle beneath my feet in parts of India and Africa. I want to explore the America I live in, to experience the warm, inviting cultures of Latin America, and the vast openness of Europe. And so I said to myself, while s...
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