Preparation for my Journey

It is difficult to come to terms with the idea that I wont see many of you for six months. I leave August 16, 2007 for my semester away in Hamar, Norway. I will be studying Democracy and Development at Hedmark College with eight other PLU Poly Sci and Communication majors.

I want to be able to stay in touch with you all and share our personal thoughts on a day-to-day basis. Mass emails only bring about anxiety and little revelation. Therefore, a blog seemed like the most logical way to journal (at a much faster pace than writing) and share with each other our experiences. Now just because this is 'my blog' I am hoping it can become our blog before long. I will attempt to make daily posts and use it in some degree as a journal. However, my hope is that you will all be inspired to reply and begin all together new threads. Your lives and experiences in Aberdeen, Parkland, Oaxaca, Azerbaijan and Macedonia are just as important as mine in Norway and I want to hear all about them.

Currently, I am finishing up pieces of two separate research projects from the summer. First, I received to a Wang Student/Faculty Grant with my adviser Amanda Feller to conduct research in Norway and the Balkan countries on the grassroots peace building efforts of a Norwegian Non-Governmental Organization(NGO) called Nansen Dialogue Network (NDN). We were accompanied on our two week excursion to Norway, Serbia, Macedonia and Kosovo by two recent Lute graduates Ingrid Stegemoeller and Jennifier Henrichsen as well as the Dean of PLU's School of Arts and Communication Edward Inch. The reserach aimed to get a better understanding of dialogue's role as a conflict management tool, how we (PLU) can better integrate those ideas into our conflict and peace studies curriculum, and the possibility of future January term experiences and student internships with NDN.

Secondly, my paid research gig this summer has been the PLU Sustainability Fellowship. The year-long fellowship began in May and pays students to conduct action research on behalf of the University's sustainability efforts. Along with my good friend and the other fellow, Tamara Power-Drutis, we have visited various and created projects and opportunities to integrate sustainable lifestyle tips into many areas of student life. The following link is the latest article from the PLU Campus Voice, an online publication, concerning Tamara and my research.

http://news.plu.edu/node/1951

Although I have a few weeks left before I go, I wanted to get this going and touch base with all of you. I trust you are all well and hope that you are enjoying your summers. Please comment with any questions you have. Would you like me to set it up so you get an email notification when I post? Currently that function is off. Just let me know.


Kyle