So after a very kind invitation on the part of Nadezhda and Praktike, I've joined Chez Nadezhda as an -- author? commentator? pundit? While publicly accesible blogging software has made it easy for just about anyone to appoint (or annoint) themselves these things, I don't know just how ready I am to take that step, or whether it would be especially wise of me to do so at this point in my intellectual development. Student would be much more apt -- since that's what I am, on this side of the monitor screen. Specifically, I major in international relations in Boston University's College of Arts and Sciences.. and barring any massive breakdowns between now and May, expect to graduate with a BA in said field at the end of this academic year. Within the IR department my "primary track" is Foreign Policy and Security Studies, and my "secondary track" East Asia -- which in practice has usually meant China, although my language studies since high school have had me studying Japanese, a bit of scholastic schizophrenia I'm meaning to correct by taking more courses on Japanese politics and Chinese language at some point in the future. Generally speaking, I dislike excessive regional specializiation if it can be avoided, since as an American in the 21st century I feel my perspective should necessarily be more global in scope. I look forward to the opportunity to share some of my educational process here, and hope it might prove as interesting to others as it does to me.

As for other biographical details that may be of interest: back home for me is Indiana, although I haven't been there for a period greater than two weeks in over two years now. In my spare time, I help run the Habitat for Humanity chapter on campus. As the moniker might suggest, my musical preferences generally lean hip-hop (think Aesop Rock, Dan the Automator, Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, etc) though I am neither MC nor MasterChef in real life. I do however enjoy cooking, and might create a recipe swap theme on here at some point if I can figure out how to work the Blogharbor software right.

For now: happy to be here.