The freezing rain today brought a slow walk into campus. My turn to present at a humanities centered seminar came this morning. Later in the morning, things improved as the temperatures warmed a few degrees and the precipitation turned to rain. These events echoed my experiences today. I've been working on a research project for several years now that leads me to clearer, more precise questions -- each one being truly fascinating. My presentation involved a description of the journey -- where it began, what I'd learned so far and where I was headed next. Given that I come from a life science background and training, at times I have felt like an impostor when speaking outside of the health science communities. Today marked a big step for me to speak in a public forum to people trained in my 'adopted' research interest area centred in history. The discussion that followed my short talk was fascinating. Many questions and comments of areas that I had marked for further inquiry or those that I hadn't included in the presentation. I love to attend such seminars because they result in me seeing things from different angles. I surprised myself when I saw that same insight in the seminar group members.
Later in the afternoon, I chose to go to a philosophy seminar with a visiting professor from New Brunswick. While some arguments were not fully grasped by me, there were ideas that left me with things to ponder -- a good thing. At the end, a retired history colleague stopped to chat and apologize for not being at my seminar earlier in the day. His expertise area is Victorian Britain, where much of my study has focused. We've discussed ideas several times and he has directed me towards some wonderful papers and books. As we finished, a philosophy colleague approached us and the history person noted that I was a Victorian historian. I'm still a bit stunned by that title -- again with the impostor complex <smile>. As I reflected on the day, I realized that I held my own well during the seminar discussion in the morning and have had several stimulating exchanges with my retired colleague. So, perhaps its not so much my appropriation of another culture so much as becoming acculturated. Hmmm.
While revisiting the events of the day, the title of a song came to mind as I tried to describe how I felt. The lyrics don't really reflect my experience but the title fits well. I love the relaxing nature of the music, too -- reminds me to breathe and let my shoulders drop back to where they should be after a slippery start today. Enjoy!
New Kid In Town -- The Eagles
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