Oh Yeah, I Also Go To School Here

"Hiya" readers!

I cannot believe I am already in my second week here in Canterbury.  As much as I've done and seen, it has surely flown by!  I am so thankful I made the choice to come here.  When I was accepted in the Autumn of last year I was initially elated, but over the course of the months leading up to my departure it was one of those "do I really want to do this?" sort of things.  I knew there would be the stress of money, culture shock, and homesickness to deal with, but in only one week of being here, I have decided that, while these are not pleasant downfalls to deal with, the benefits undoubtedly outshine them.  I have already begun to gain perspective on other cultures and countries, as well as my own personal ways of thinking and doing things.  On top of that, I feel myself gradually becoming more laid back about life in general, as the majority of the British seem to take that approach.  If you're late somewhere, you're late.  If you miss the bus, you miss the bus.  It's pretty standard to stop and smell the roses here.

Glancing over my last few posts, it seems like I'm on a major vacation here!  I have to admit, even with meetings and the like filling my schedule, it has seemed rather leisurely... perhaps that's the benefit of a beautiful campus and a historic, tourist-friendly town.  Even so, one of my main reasons for being here is, of course, school.  Monday I do not have any lectures, but I did use my free time to get important things done.  I made an appointment at the bank, finally - although they weren't able to schedule me in until next Tuesday!  Then I wandered over to the library to print off my syllabi (programmes) and stood in the entrance for a moment in total shock.  It was a madhouse and I had no idea how to even begin to find a computer lab.

I approached the Help Desk and a lady explained to me that it does cost to print (I was so spoiled with free printing at IPFW) and there are machines located in certain areas to put money on an account, so I went to one of those first.  Then, I had to face the fact that if I wanted to be out of there at a decent hour, I should probably use the map.  Yes, a map for the library:

I eventually found a computer lab with one empty computer that was "Reserved for the Visually Impaired," but as I glanced around and realized no one else was waiting, I became "visually impaired" for a few moments and had to attempt to use a giant keyboard where every key was in a different location than on a regular keyboard.  I printed my programmes as quickly as possible and took my time strolling out to take in the titles on the shelves and that wonderful old-book smell that libraries so often have :)  I'll likely be there on a regular basis, especially since I have no TV to watch or movies to play, and since I only brought two books of my own to read for pleasure - both of which I've read at least twice already!

Later in the evening, I attended the Feminist Society introductory meeting and, because it was held in the building where I have most of my lectures and seminars, decided to try a shortcut I had heard about to get there.  A shortcut indeed! It took about ten minutes off of my walking time, but the path is like a tiny, dim alley with a building and parking lot on one side and a forest on the other, so it's a bit uncomfortable walking through it in the dark.  I'll save it for daytime travels.

In any case, I made it to the meeting just fine, after making several turns up and around staircases and hallways and was surprised so many people showed up to the society, females and males alike!  It's so wonderful to have a society like this on campus, especially with my interest in feminism and women's studies.  We discussed future meetings and the year's upcoming events - namely Feminism in London in October and Reclaim the Night in November!  Many of you may be wondering what exactly feminism and women's studies is all about, and to put it briefly into my own personal opinion, as a feminist, I believe in equality for all people, no matter their sex, race, political beliefs, sexual orientation, religion, etc.  I think it's only fair that everyone gets paid for doing the same work, everyone is entitled to feel safe walking the streets, and everyone is able to practice the same rights as anyone else.  I don't take my feminism to extreme levels (we discussed the idea that many equate this word to man-hating, bra-burning "crazies") but strongly support the notion that women are equal to men and vice versa.  Women's studies, then, focuses on all sorts of areas... placing women in the center of the studies rather than men.  History = Herstory.  We look at women on a global level (religions, domestic life, support, struggles, etc.) as well as within our own communities (women's shelters, rape lines, equal opportunity employment, and so on) and also pay special attention to the media's impact on women, and even men, when it comes to the portrayal of women in television and movies, and even more so, advertisements -- which very often negatively affect females of all ages.  (Come on girls, we all compare ourselves to the women on the magazine covers from time to time.)  But enough explanation... I'm always more than happy to discuss any of my interests with you if you ask! :)

In summary: the meeting was very lively and I'm excited to attend throughout the year!

About classes...

Yesterday, I was excited to attend my first lecture:  "Sex, Gender, and Socialization" (surprise, surprise)  The course was quite full, even with a few men in attendance.  The professor is a woman in her mid-60s, maybe even early 70s?  Needless to say, she was around for the civil rights movement and has witnessed much of what we'll be talking about in class for herself over the decades.  She's seen the inequality slowly begin to lessen and acceptance slowly begin to grow.  Hilariously, she's also very loose with her words and curses like a sailor, which keeps it interesting!  Following the class was a seminar, with about 12-15 students, where we further discussed the day's lecture.  It's nice to get a bit more out of the main lecture afterwards!

Today, I had my second class... more of a seminar/workshop than a lecture - "Reading & Writing Poetry" which was brilliant!  I was a bit intimidated at first, as the class is a higher level course that I had to submit sample work to in order to be accepted.  All of the students are British and have been at Kent for three years, so it's one of their final courses.  But everyone was lovely and chatty right away.  The instructor is, again, a wise "older" lady... with a great enthusiasm for her course.  She had us all involved from the start and we collectively wrote a poem as a class after a series of short brainstorming exercises she had us do.  Piecing them together was so much fun and we edited the final poem as a group... ah, the benefits of tiny classes where instructors force you to talk!

Tomorrow, I have my "Introduction to International Politics" course... which I know will be very different because it's held in the cinema (which means it's very large) and requires loads of outside reading.


University here is much different than in the states.  We only meet once a week, each class typically has a lecture for one hour and then a seminar, with smaller groups, at another time or day for an hour - and possibly a different teacher.  Students at university also take courses ONLY in their area of study.  Had I gone here for my entire college degree, I would have taken only English courses.  Math majors would take only math courses.  That's one reason students obtain a Bachelor's in three years instead of four, and a Master's in one or two! Grading is different as well, a 60% in the states is basically failing, but here, a 70% is equivalent to an "A."  Don't ask me to explain, I still don't get it!

The main difference, however, is going to be the amount of independent study required - we don't have quizzes or assignments, which sounds great, but means less room for slip-ups.  My grades (mainly) are made up of 50% essay, 50% exam.  Not having taken courses here before, I'm a little concerned!  There are required readings (1-3 textbooks usually, per course) and then "suggested readings" - nearly 20 per class!  I plan to do lots of the suggested reading, but the big question is: how much is enough?!  I suppose I'll catch on soon.


Well, if you've made it to the end of this, congratulations!  I have a feeling I won't write until after the weekend though, so I hope you've gotten your fill until then.

Additional comments for today include:  Getting places here is so much easier than I predicted, but getting out of places is so much more difficult.  There are plenty of signs pointing you in a direction, but it's never the direction you want to be in.

Secondly, I was a bit concerned that sticking to a vegetarian diet would be difficult here, but it seems like the English go above and beyond to make it clear that things are vegetarian friendly, placing a big "V" on loads of products, even those I wouldn't think twice about anyway.  So exciting!

Thirdly, have you heard of gooseberries?  Am I out of the know?  They're very popular here and not knowing what they were, I tried gooseberry yogurt today - delicious! I'd describe it like a grape flavor... kind of.  And finally, I can't get over the fact that I'm finishing classes before many of my friends in the states are even waking up for theirs, and am generally done with the bulk of my day before America even goes on lunch break!  Weird.

I hope you're all enjoying the Autumn weather back home, I hear it's wonderful and it's my favorite... so take it in for me if you remember!

Until next time,
Aly