Semana una completé como una Erudita Visitando del Universidad de Georgia

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Week 1 as a Visiting Scholar from the University of Georgia

First week in Chile, South America completed on 9.8.13, it has been sheer bliss. 🙂

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I had a very lovely meeting today with Sr. Patrick Matzler, who is Swiss and speaks English.  Dr. Matzler is a professor on the faculty of the Instituto de Estudios Generales at UCMaule.  We discussed my dissertation research and how I could assist with other scholarly activities there at UCM.  Following out meeting he invited me to attend a Tertulias universitarias estudiantiles 2013.

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In the tertulia students and faculty came together to discuss el tema de “Educación: Calidad y Gratuidad, ¿son compatibles?”  There appears to be some concerns being raised about the quality of education from the standpoint of it being free.  This is an interesting debate, as many people are of the position that if an offering is free, it may not be of good quality.  Such ideas may also create conflict as some people believe that an education is a human right and therefore should be offered as a free opportunity for all.  This is a fascinating and complex subject to explore, particularly in light of reduced resources and issues of debt associated with the pursuit of higher education in Chile specifically and the global community generally.

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“A Mazing” Experiences

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Amazing

As I was exiting the Ramsey Fitness Center Parking lot I began to reflect on my first days as a brand new late 40-something student starting a new life, in a new state, in a new Ph.D. program, and moreover a new chapter in my academic odyssey.  I chuckled this evening when I remembered how I had gotten lost trying to exit the Ramsey Center parking deck 4 years ago.  I seemed to be in a never ending maze of circling around and around and around the deck with no exit in sight.  I was trapped and didn’t know how I was going to ever get out of that deck as the signs, sounds, and bright lights, left me unsure of myself and anxious.  I felt so helpless and inadequate at that time.

I almost turned into the “do no enter” portion of the deck trying to escape this seeming Twilight Zone nightmare.  Tears literally swelled in my eyes as I resisted the urge to call my daughter in Ohio for help.  I thought to myself, “Call Bridjette, she’ll know what to do!”  My daughter at that point, was a freshly minted graduate of Wake Forest University and would be most certainly familiar with this foreign land I had come to know as 21st Century University life.  I eventually calmed myself and asked what appeared to be a parking lot attendant for help and subsequently was able to finally locate the exit gate (shown above) and free myself from the “A Mazing” experiences.

As I am now just 12 days shy of my first ever trip outside of the United States, I am humbled and feel incredibly blessed.  I am so grateful for how God has guided me in what I think would be appropriate to describe as the “second act” of my life.  Not only do I have the chance to do what every Ph.D. student dreams of doing, which is to pursue a dissertation research topic that is interesting, potentially ground breaking, and be a positive source for new knowledge; I also have the opportunity to serve as a Visiting Scholar at the Universidad Católico del Maule in Talca, Chile.  I will be able to engage in meaning relationships and learning that has implication for enhanced international adult learning.  I find that to be very cool. 🙂

So now in hindsight, I have come to cherish that maze experience in the Ramsey Center parking lot some 4 years ago.  It has become a valuable piece of what is now an “A Mazing” ride, as I stand at the dawn of continuing my academic odyssey in Chile, South America.