Is this a sign? For Mark and Bela.

I found out that, yet again, there has been a change of staff within the department at Uni. Dr. Mark Smith, a particularly brilliant lecturer, in my opinion, is at this very moment running a weekend Seminar for the Foreign Office at their Wilton Park resort on Chemical and Biological Weapons.
I know this because I'm pretty good at 'research' (by which I mean snooping around on the internet). It's obviously a good job ( 'good 'probably isn't the word, actually), and I'm pleased he has it, as he's a talented man (plus I did really badly on his module, despite enjoing it loads more than I thought I would, so at least I don't have to face him about it) but the department has lost another good lecturer...and I've started questioning why.

Is it because it's a crappy university, or department? Is it because there are simply better opportunities to move on to, or is it a horrible place to work? We have good staff who have been there for a long time; I suppose it's not a place for everyone to stay on. Perhaps I am so used to my teachers at school - many of whom had already been there for 25 years+ when I got there -that I expect people to stay, regardless of opportunity or unhappiness. Some of my teachers at school were evidently deeply unhappy at being stuck in one place with few prospects.

I know I am being quite unreasonable; I think in their place, I'd want the freedom and chances to do a variety of things too. But at the moment, these people are my role models; I want time to learn from them. Perhaps this is a sign that I can learn from many, and must be exposed to different styles and...this is probably all true, but Mark made understanding easy, and I can't pretend I'm not disappointed, and a little sad. A friend of mine last year lost her very favourite lecturer, and she felt it would be better if she at least got to say goodbye. Lecturers seem to pass like ships in the night sometimes, leaving a gap, like a missing book from a shelf.

But anyway, it's the way it must go, and with luck, another will come and refill the space with new wisdom. If I became an academic, I would work with many brilliant people. That won't happen unless I can work out what I really want, because I'm still not sure I want to be an academic at all. Whatever I decide, at least I'll be able to say I am proud to have been taught by some brilliant and ambitious teachers, who have inspired me and continue to enrich me with their knowledge and learning.

Scrap that - just visit Bob's.

I did put a map up, like the one you'll find if you visit my good friend Bob's blog (his challenge is to learn every language, come back here and learn Welsh you crazy man, that'll show you language) but mine although pretty good, is laughable compared to his. So go see his. He's in Russia at the mo', learning lots. http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/bobsie/