University professors, like other educators, spend a lot of time defending their summer activities. "Classes end in April," people say, "so you must enjoy your four months off." The problem, of course, is that summer is filled with committee work, preparation for new classes, and research. When you live in Canada, a country that virtually freezes solid in the winter, summer is also the best chance to get out there and disseminate your research. If you leave for a conference in January, you will be lucky to get back by February. Many years, I encounter snow when I go to autumn conferences.
So, if you do not mind vacationing in places with good libraries, you can combine conference and research travel with a little rest and relaxation. Now, granted, England or the American northeast is not exactly Turks and Caicos, but it can still be a lot of fun. This year, I am giving a paper in Brighton, one of my favorite places in the United Kingdom, and then hitting the books in London and Dublin. Nice work, if you can get it.
But before anyone gets too envious, let us not forget what is necessary in the weeks leading up to departure. Giving a paper, you have to research and write it. I actually dragged home a microfilm reader from my office so I could finish my paper in the evenings. You also have to clear all the pressing projects on your desk -- and prepare those that have to be turned around quickly on your return. But what about the email? I have cleaned out more than one thousand messages over the past ten days, and by putting on my "out of office" message a couple of days early, I have slowed the regular flood to a trickle. I still expect that hundreds will be sitting there when I get back.
One of the other under-acknowledged anomalies of university life is how difficult it is for someone to cover for you. What does not get done while you are away will need to be done, by you, at some point later.
You have to wonder why we leave at all.
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