With Valentine’s Day around the corner, love is in the air. While some may find it difficult to balance love and life, in the halls of WSU Vancouver two professors embrace a unique balance of love, life and anthropology.
Barry Hewlett, an anthropology professor, and Bonnie Hewlett an assistant clinical professor of anthropology, have been married for 18 years.
This year, the Hewletts are spending Valentine’s Day in Hawassa, Ethiopia where they are conducting research. “Bonnie is currently working with orphans in Ethiopia while I am working on a range of topics from cannabis, to how to use genes to understand culture history,” Barry explained. “We will have our favorite Ethiopian food, tibbs [goat] and maybe a glass of wine,” he said with regards to their Valentine’s Day plans.
“Bonnie and I are incredibly lucky to be able to travel, live [and] share amazing experiences with each other.”
Barry Hewlett, WSU Vancouver Anthropology professor
Spending holidays around the globe is not out of the ordinary for the Hewletts, but is easier now. Barry said that since their seven children have moved out, travelling together is “simpler.”
“Sometimes I would go away for a few months and other times Bonnie would go away while one of us stayed home with the kids,” Barry explained.
Bonnie said her favorite part of working in the same field as her husband Barry is sharing every experience and adventure with him. She said she is thankful to WSU Vancouver for being “very supportive” of their relationship.
“My ‘favorite part’ would be sharing with Barry the joy (or ‘addiction’ as our colleague in Pullman, Rob Quinlan, puts it) of fieldwork, of exploring and learning from other ways of being, of sharing the adventures and experiences of witnessing how ordinary life around the world extraordinarily unfolds,” Bonnie said.
“The life of an anthropologist can be difficult due to regular travel to distant lands,” Barry said. “Few spouses would put up with this way of life and it is why many anthropologists marry each other. For instance, at WSUV anthropology, we have three couples that represent all six of the regular anthropology faculty.”
“Bonnie and I are incredibly lucky to be able to travel, live [and] share amazing experiences with each other,” Barry said. “Bonnie is an incredible, bright, beautiful lady with a wonderful sense of humor. It is still a mystery as to why she puts up with me.”
This Valentine’s Day, whether you are spending it with someone or not, may you find as much joy and balance as the Hewletts have found in each other.
Anna Nelson is the Editor in Chief for the VanCougar. She is a senior and is studying strategic communications.