Moving on

I HAVEN'T felt like writing in this blog since, well, since the new year started. In many ways, I have already left Duluth. I associate it with the EnEd program, with resting a bit after many busy years working in Manila. The last two semesters though, I have been feeling a growing restlessness. UMD pales in comparison with UP Diliman. There are no rallies. There are no Lantern Parades, no painted streets, no fiery brilliant professors (though there are some professors who are brilliant, but just not fiery). There are no exciting student events. And the campus is just too goddamn empty during summers. Lastly, I associate it with a certain sense of academic dullness that I can't quite explain right now. I'm going to go out and say it: getting good grades here was just too easy. Some of my professors had standards that were not high enough compared to the brain searing (and invigorating) classes I've attended at UP and at the Asian Institute of Management. While there are professors who appreciate students who give more or want more out of a class, there are also professors who feel intimidated by students who may actually have better comprehension and analytical skills than they might have. Such is the problem with small towns. Or maybe it's just my program. I certainly did not feel this dullness in my photography classes.

I just can't wait to get out of here and return to the world of meaningful work and getting paid a non-student salary.