Written by Özlem Atar
November burst in,
She is set to leave us soon.
Hardly feigns reluctance,
…
I am off, says she.
Count me out.
You should’ve dressed warm, she barks.
Slamming the door on her way out.
The lines above are my interpretation of a poem in Turkish. It describes the racket November creates as she strides past. I’m yet to verify who the poet is. Enjoy my rushed pseudo-translation. Feel free to craft a better November poem of your own!
The poem woke me up with a startle from long hours of work. November is threatening to desert us as quickly as she arrived. It is scattering the many projects I am doing these days. Running workshops, marking assignments and exams, adding a few lines to my dissertation, revising articles, delivering guest lectures …
Let me try to capture some moments of this feisty month before it disappears!
November 1 was a day for coats, scarves, and mittens. Those of us who stayed indoors on the night of October 31 woke up to the first snow of the season. Gods were playing a Halloween joke. Brrr!
Weren’t we so lucky on November 5? We might have had the second summer on Sunday, perhaps earlier than its ‘confirmed’ time from November 11 onwards. I’d love it if the sunny weather visited us again in the coming days.
This week is packed! Let me share some highlights on my calendar:
The first big event is the Global Education at Queen's Conference. It starts at 10 a.m. on November 9 and lasts until 3:30 on November 10, 2023. The ³ÉÈË´óƬ International Centre (QUIC) and Student Academic Success Services (SASS) are inviting you to join interactive seminars. In-person sessions of this free event are at the QUIC on the second floor of Mitchell Hall. You can also join Zoom sessions. Book your spot now!
is a warm component of the conference. You can win other cool gifts, too!
Don’t worry if you missed the deadline to enter the contest for the tickets giveaway for the Israel Fernández and Diego del Morao concert at the Isabel Bader. Fernández and del Morao perform on Thursday, November 9th. The ticket costs only $10 for a student.
I am looking forward to seeing how Fernández infuses traditional flamenco singing with his characteristic style. His companion, guitarist del Morao, will have you tap your toes nonstop. See you at the Isabel on Thursday!