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Doctor of Philosophy, International Relations, May 1994 |
Above: Me and my new girlfriend Leora Troper, on Christmas day, December 26 at my parent's house in the early months of a relationship that led to our marriage. |
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In 1994 I completed my doctoral studies and received my Ph.D. in International Relations. I wrote a doctoral dissertation about the origins of genocidal violence in the international system, and then decided that my real interests lay in public health, not international politics per se. In the picture above (right), Leora came to Christmas at my parent's house. In my parent's home a "pagan" Christmas celebration is the midwinter custom today, as it was in my childhood. Although the tradition that I use in my own home is a version of Judaism, I have become moderately comfortable (and remain moderately uncomfortable as well) attending my parent's house on Christmas morning. I haven't figured that one out yet. Clearly, in this 1994 picture I was a long way away from the streets of Jerusalem, where I had walked just seven years before. What is multiculturalism? It is complicated. Maybe that's why I created my genealogy page. My (secular) Jewish father and non-religous "WASP" mother, in a sense made me an inheritor of the conflicts of their cultures of origin, if only by their lack of interest in the whole subject. To inherit multiple cultures is to sometimes to live an uneasy existence, particularly if your name is, by chance, Miles Hochstein.
Above: Leora outside our tent on our first camping trip together.
All of that is just to tell you single gals that you never know why some guy is going to ask you to marry him. There's just no predicting. Of course that camping trip also meant that I ultimately married Leora Troper under false pretenses. She thought I loved camping and that we would spend a lifetime camped in the wilderness together by the stream of natural consciousness. Well, it's not that I didn't enjoy camping. And its not that I don't want to like camping again. But, sad to say, it turns out that in truth, I hate it. Yes, I liked that she made camping so easy. That was impressive! But in the end, there is still no internet access, and you are sleeping on the hard ground with bugs and no water. Dear Leora, Can you ever forgive me? Love, Miles.
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Above: The beautiful Leora Troper on our first camping trip, in April 1994. One year and a few months later, we would be married. Lucky me!
A Camping Trip that (Sorta) Led to Marriage This camping trip is (kinda) why some months later I asked Leora Troper to marry me. It all began when she organized a whole camping trip. I figured if she could handle that, she could handle anything. And boy did she have her act together, making lists, loading up the car. This woman knew her stuff. Plus, I was in love, which was also a factor.
Leora on our camping trip. |
