MFA Monday: The program with a sense of humor

Things are starting to move at a faster pace, now, and I can't believe it's exactly a month until I get on an airplane and fly out for my first residency. I bought my plane tickets last night, which I thought would be the last thing I needed to work out before leaving.

Then I got an email with another assignment. My first assignment was a writing one, along with my proposed reading list and advisor choices. This one is a reading assignment: a short story by Alice Munro and a short story by Katherine Ann Porter. I've read the Porter one, some time ago, but as many great remarks I've heard about Alice Munro, this will be my first time reading her. The two short stories will be the subjects of two classes I'll take.

Is it considered cyber stalking if I google other email addresses on the mail list? It's just that I'm so curious about who is going to be there... not so much how will I compare but just who are they? Where are they in life? You see, I'm not the best in new situations. As excited as I am by this whole adventure, I know my stomach will turn to knots when I get on that plane and realize I'm heading across the continent without a single person I know, for ten days. I think the last time I did that was when I left college and took a job in Texas, but even then I had one friend there.

BUT I know there are friends waiting for me in Oregon. I haven't met them. I don't know who they are, but I know some of these people will be my friends, and eventually, I hope, we will be eating dinner together and talking books and writing and figuring out we all share some important things in common, and I'm ready to get a start on that. When I walk into the room of strangers, I'd like to feel like I at least know a few names, books they've written, blogs they post. Recognize a few faces from their websites.

So when I get an email with a few other names on it, I google them. And I've found out I already like a lot of people who are starting the program with me. :)

Also, the people running the program have a great sense of humor. Who knew, in academia?  So with the last assignment and info email, they sent the link to this. If you are a writer, you might enjoy.

Personally, I wish there were a cheering crowd of people for everytime I wrote a word down. I might be more apt to think what I've written is good. :)