Back To School

So, it is that time of year again. The smoke is rolling in from fires all around the Northwest, the rivers are getting low, the sun is still hot, and many of us are heading back to school. Yes, it does feel wierd at times to be back in classes with the new freshman looking so young I have a hard time believing they can drive cars no less live on their own here on campus. I suppose this means I no longer fit in with the young college crowd...I guess I am O.K. with that. I am, however, really looking forward to this year. If all goes well this should be the last of my two years working towards my Masters degree in Linguistics. Right now I am taking classes and, teaching a class of my own as well. My students are going to be tons of fun and I can't wait to get to know them better. Most of them are from Saudi Arabia and Japan, but I do have a Mexican and a guy from Sweden. What kind of a class am I teaching you may ask? It is EASL 251 which is English as an Academic Second Language. In other words, I am teaching students that are already enrolled in UM (which means they have already proven themselves proficient in English) how to analyze materials and present their opinions in a clear and academically acceptable fashion - according to the American style of education. As far as my own classes are concerned, the class that I am the most excited about is my Blackfoot Seminar. I am learning how to speak some basic Blackfoot while analyzing the the grammatical and phonological structure of the language. Good times. My favorite word so far is "kitakitamatsinopowow" which means "see you later". On that note. I will have to write again and post some more pictures of my summer fun - because I will not let school interrupt that:).

Pictures of Summer Fun

Brian and I during our 16 mile hike to a parking lot...

long story :)

'Fourth of July' waterfall in the Bitterroot Mountains

My nephew Eli and I at a cabin outside Yellowstone

Phil, Nicole, Christine, Amanda and I at Silverwood

We really enjoyed getting soaked on such a hot day!

Jamie and I "hanging out" on Mount Sentinel (cheesy...I know:)