(Originally posted as "This is not a boondoggle. Really.")
When John and I first talked about possible travel plans for his study leave, I knew the logical choices would be to head to Japan again, or perhaps a university library in Chicago, LA, or New York. But he's the one who brought up going to France. France? I reminded him that he teaches BUDDHISM and Japanese religions. How, exactly, was he going to sell the university on a plan to pack us all up and go to France.
You see, at the University of Lethbridge, study leave isn't a given, and you *do* have to "sell it". Professors can apply for a study leave (or sabbatical) after six years of teaching and once they receive tenure (which John did in March 2009). But the professor has to have a well-designed research plan -- a clearly outlined course of work that will take place during the year off of teaching (rumors are that this requirement, or enforcement of it, was put in place after a prof in the 70s remodeled a house during a study leave).
So John put his application together and demonstrated that this plan to go to France fit with his overall professional development since grad school. He did it by emphasizing his growing expertise in Buddhism in the West (outside of Asia). His PhD dissertation (and first book) was on the introduction of Buddhism in the U.S. in 1893; he has recently co-edited a book on Buddhism in Canada which was published this spring; and he did work on Buddhism in England during the year we spent in Cambridge. So clearly (CLEARLY), the natural progression was to look at Buddhism in France.
And there are some interesting things to study. For one thing, Buddhism is poised to overtake Protestantism in France in the coming decade (who knew?). Additionally, John thinks there could be some interesting comparisons in the way Buddhism is practiced in England vs. France and the types of Buddhism most popular in each place (reflecting the practice of Protestantism and Catholicism in each country). And Thich Nhat Hahn, who is kind of a rock star among Buddhist monks (I think I can say that -- John probably would have a better way to describe the Vietnamese Buddhist poet, scholar, and peace activist) teaches in Plum Village, France, a Buddhist monastery for monks and nuns and a meditation center for lay people.
Oh yeah, and the biggest Buddhist temple in all of Europe -- is right here in Burgundy.
After receiving the leave, he applied for a small grant to support some of the research costs (including the travel he will need to do once we are there) as well as a U of L study leave relocation fund. We were thrilled when he received both -- and in the comments on the grant, the outside reviewer (a scholar or expert in the field from outside of the U of L) said that John's proposal is a fascinating project that is long overdue, and in fact, the reviewer's only concern was that "Dr. Harding" might be too ambitious in his plans.
See. Not a boondoogle (def: scheme that wastes time and money). Really!
But deep down I also think of this trip is a bit of a love letter from John to me (and the kids). I have wanted to go back to France for an extended stay since I left Dijon in 1993 and now we are. Who knows where we'll be in seven years (the next time he'd be able to take a full-year's leave) and what work I'll be doing by then and how easy it'd be to convince kids who are 14, 11 and 11 that we should leave home. And it's such a good fit for the kids now, too. Jack's French immersion school is thrilled he's going (he is, too), and Kate and Liv will get a headstart on their French and be more than ready for kindergarten in the fall. The kids still like to be with us, and we are eager to do a bit of exploring together. We feel incredibly fortunate that the pieces have all fallen in place like this.
So there you have it. That is how the Buddhism professor came to spend his sabbatical in France.
