1st day of school Fall 2011
It all started with a jump. Literally! My alarm went off and I jumped. Not one of those little ones that you kind of twitch a little. Nope. I jumped nearly out of my sheets when it went off. Now, its not loud or obnoxious or anything, just a beep on my cell phone most days so there’s really no reason for the exaggerated reaction. I mean, it’s the kind that people would have gotten a long and hearty laugh out of had they seen me jump like that for any reason, not to mention a familiar beep I hear everyday numerous times. LOL!! I think I was not fully asleep and was perhaps unconsciously bracing for it so when it went off I wasn’t ready for it. I laughed a little to my sleepy self and then went downstairs to get a shower and get on with the day.
Showered. Dressed. Breakfasted. . . is that a word??? Huh. You’d think I’d know such things since I do go to college, after all … alas, I am unsure but I’m going to use it anyway, though I really have a sneaking suspicion I just wordified that Bucky-style. Grabbed my purse, my really cute one my Mom made for me, stuffed a small notebook, schedule, a couple snacks and of course my phone and Ipod into and drove to the parking lot where I desert my car, leaving it to its fate, while I stand in a line of strangers, all waiting in the chilly morning, me wishing I’d tracked down my mittens or at the very least some gloves, for the bus to come and shuttle us out to Cheney.
Let the cuddle lottery begin!! Haha!! For those of you who might be new to the term, allow me to explain. Every day I get on the bus I think of it as a great big cuddle lottery. You never know who you are going to sit by, unless you bring a friend with you all the time and even then its not guaranteed that you will get 2 seats together, and very often people get awful close to you, even on more than one disturbing occasion very nearly falling asleep on your very uncomfortable shoulder while you sit there petrified as to how to avert such an awkward encounter. I suppose a pointed elbow to the ribs might do the trick or even a smack upside the sleeping head or a flick of those ears. .. there are options, I’m just saying. Though often, in such a situation, I have been far too surprised and, depending on my mood and the perpetrator, thoroughly amused or infuriated. I mean, I’m very prone to sleeping lightly on the bus but I make sure that my head does not wander onto a strangers shoulder when at all possible. That would be enough to cure me of sleeping on the bus I’d imagine.
Today, there was no cuddling, mercifully, though the young man sitting next to me on this beautiful day, seemed nice enough, didn’t smell strongly in a negative way or even in any way that I noticed. I’m just saying, there has been and will be many more bus rides with more unpleasant lottery contestants. So instead of being entirely mortified at riding the bus and sometimes the people riding them, I choose to find my amusement where I can and sometimes share it with you. So I made it to Cheney without any mishaps. Whew!
As I mentioned, it was a pretty chilly morning, cooler than I had anticipated, and I was fairly cooled off by the time I got to campus. The buses are warmer but I was still cold from standing in line waiting for the bus so the short walk to my first class was welcome as I hoped it would get my temperature up. Besides, I love to walk on campus, as long as its not a huge trek or anything. It is a beautiful campus with tree-lined sidewalks that are soon to be stunning in their autumn splendor, skwirls everywhere (little shout-out to Amanda Kiehn there-hehe), which I don’t love but I tolerate (the skwirls, not Amanda! I love Amanda!), inviting benches and tables scattered across the campus, and the lovely brick buildings that I find to be beautiful. I ran into the professor for my first class, Dr. Jerry Galm, who I will refer to as Jerry in any future conversations, posts, etc. He is the man nearly single-handedly responsible for making my trip to Ghana a reality and a success. He works in the anthropology dept and my first class is with him this quarter. Cultural Ecology. Now, I don’t really know what that means or what the class will entail but I think its going to be great! Besides, I’ve got a great in with the prof! ha! I was early and had time to kill so we chatted briefly before I headed to the classroom and he headed to his office to grab his stuff for class.
As I was walking, I began to notice something strange. Not a single person greeted me, asked me if I was married or where I lived! Shock! Dismay! Confusion! What is this distant, don’t-talk-to-anyone-unless-you-know-them-and-only-then-if-you-know-them-well culture?? In Ghana at UCC I wouldn’t have made it out of the hall before someone said something to me and I’d have met several friendly people on the 20 minute walk to campus who would have inquired about my living address, my marital status, what my phone number was and sometimes even my name! LOL!! Its true and if you don’t believe me I can give you names of some fellow obrunis who could verify this.
I found the classroom without any mishaps. I was the 3rd person to arrive as it was more than half an hour before class started. Now, normally I wouldn’t be there that early but it was the first day and with all the construction between here and Cheney I wasn’t sure how long the bus ride might take. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any delays today. I hope that remains the case (that wording sounds strange but I’m gonna keep it). It’s a small classroom that probly holds around 40 maybe. There are tables with 3 chairs at each of them. These chairs are pretty snug in their positioning and leave little room for sprawling out or stretching without smacking the person next to you. Now, in my pre-Ghana days, I can tell you that those tight quarters would be most uncomfortable and somewhat stressful for me.
However, Ghana has somewhat cured me of that pesky personal space bubble I have lived in for so long. Oh how I miss that bubble!! You see, in the same classroom, were it in Ghana, I’m sure at least 3 more people per table would be squeezed in if not more. There is little room in many classrooms there to accommodate the large class sizes so tight quarters are a given. Also, the lack of personal space is a cultural thing, one which I have long treasured and one which was mostly ignored for 5 months in Ghana. I daresay, this personal space thing seems to be a European convention or invention (?) that certainly has a firm grasp on American culture, too. I have noticed this lack of space in Indonesia as well so its not just Africa and I’m sure many of you have stories from your travels where you might have noticed this as well.
As I sat there waiting for the class to fill up, watching to see where people sat, it was amusing to see that before anyone sat at a table where someone was already sitting, there was at least one person at each table throughout the room. I wondered what someone would do if I, being the second person to enter a room, came and sat next to them….and then sat there silently… Oh the laughter that would erupt in my mind!! LOL!! Just imagine it. That’d be funny. Once. Twice… it might just be weird and overkill. It was fun to watch. Just saying. But I started thinking about all the things that go on in classrooms in Ghana that would certainly be seen as umm . . . well rude I suppose here.
Until the prof showed up the room was mostly quiet with only a few people chatting quietly. In Ghana, upon entering a classroom with any number of students in it, you would be confronted with a dull roar that would ebb and flow but would always be there. Talking, laughing, hollering, etc. There was no silence. Even when the teacher would arrive, usually late, the talking would continue through the whole class period. Now, I found this to be particularly frustrating as it was hard enough to try and understand the prof through a usually strong accent. I know, Americans are seen as loud and obnoxious by many, myself included and also not excluded from that stereotype, but there does seem to be a large cultural difference in the way most students behave in classes here compared to Ghana. Such laughter and constant talking would not be tolerated here. Uproarious laughter anytime the white person or anyone of any minority spoke would also not be tolerated. Never mind that the majority of students and profs are white here. That is not the point. Any hint at discrimination for any reason and you would face immediate consequences. Unless it is a comedy course or someone is in fact making a joke, ridiculing your fellow students in such a public display is unacceptable and that I am thankful. For some of us, speaking up in class isn’t the most fun we’ve ever had so if you feel that you are going to be laughed at when you do contribute it is not likely that you will. So that’s one major difference.
I also contemplated reminding the person sitting next to me that he/she needed to be taking notes and writing everything down, regardless of what was being said by the teacher. It is not for you to decide what is important!! No, no, no!! Just write it all down and don’t ask questions!! I thought that would probly get me some new and fun friends.
So many things kept coming to mind about the differences in the 2 school systems. It actually made me a little homesick for Ghana. I know, crazy, right?? I don’t think many of these things I mentioned are things people would care to experience for themselves. If you were living vicariously through me on that trip, you’re welcome, for allowing you to experience it in your mind and not physically. Again, you’re welcome! But its true. As crazy as some of these things sound, and to my mind they are, they became ‘normal’ and we got used to it. I made some great friends on those cramped benches in those loud classrooms.
There are many more things which I noticed throughout my day, too. I loved the way the prof showed up on time, class was started on time, and that there was no negotiating for a different class time or location. It is comforting to know where you will be meeting for class at what time on which days. Its nice. I have my books and only spent $120 on 6 books, including shipping. Its nice to have books assigned for a class though I’d much rather photocopy them than buy them new or used, but alas, our copyright laws are much more stringent. *sigh*
All in all it was a pretty great day. I love being on campus, going to classes, learning stuff, meeting people, all that. The weather was beautiful, too, after it warmed up a little.
This quarter I’m taking Cultural Ecology with Jerry from 9-10am, m-f; Myth, Magic, and Ritual with Dr. Zukosky from 10-11am, m-th with a podcast on Fri; Cultures of Sound and Silence with Dr. Zukosky from 1-3p t, th; and then a fast fitness course I can do whenever I have time. I’m really excited for this quarter and I’m looking forward to immersing myself back into this education system. Sure, it has its faults, but they are ones I’m familiar with. Knowing what is expected of you in a class is something you might not have realized was important until you took classes where you had no idea what was expected of you so you did what you were used to and then got bad grades for it. Oh, and no, I still have not received my transcripts from UCC. I am relieved to know that one of the international students has received hers after much pestering and reminding. My campaign Get Cat her Grades began this week. We will see how it works out. I’ll keep you posted as I’m sure you are on the edge of your seat awaiting the results, as am I.
Well, thanks for joining me on this first day of college recap. Stay tuned. More absurdness and comparisons are sure to follow. Or you can tune out if you like. That is an option too.
Sidenote. I have an intense dislike for my downstairs neighbor who very often loudly sings, watches his tv, and plays video games - all very loudly; smokes a great deal which I detest as my house gets all smokey and gross; and has a dog after which he does not clean up after. Prayers are welcome. :)
It all started with a jump. Literally! My alarm went off and I jumped. Not one of those little ones that you kind of twitch a little. Nope. I jumped nearly out of my sheets when it went off. Now, its not loud or obnoxious or anything, just a beep on my cell phone most days so there’s really no reason for the exaggerated reaction. I mean, it’s the kind that people would have gotten a long and hearty laugh out of had they seen me jump like that for any reason, not to mention a familiar beep I hear everyday numerous times. LOL!! I think I was not fully asleep and was perhaps unconsciously bracing for it so when it went off I wasn’t ready for it. I laughed a little to my sleepy self and then went downstairs to get a shower and get on with the day.
Showered. Dressed. Breakfasted. . . is that a word??? Huh. You’d think I’d know such things since I do go to college, after all … alas, I am unsure but I’m going to use it anyway, though I really have a sneaking suspicion I just wordified that Bucky-style. Grabbed my purse, my really cute one my Mom made for me, stuffed a small notebook, schedule, a couple snacks and of course my phone and Ipod into and drove to the parking lot where I desert my car, leaving it to its fate, while I stand in a line of strangers, all waiting in the chilly morning, me wishing I’d tracked down my mittens or at the very least some gloves, for the bus to come and shuttle us out to Cheney.
Let the cuddle lottery begin!! Haha!! For those of you who might be new to the term, allow me to explain. Every day I get on the bus I think of it as a great big cuddle lottery. You never know who you are going to sit by, unless you bring a friend with you all the time and even then its not guaranteed that you will get 2 seats together, and very often people get awful close to you, even on more than one disturbing occasion very nearly falling asleep on your very uncomfortable shoulder while you sit there petrified as to how to avert such an awkward encounter. I suppose a pointed elbow to the ribs might do the trick or even a smack upside the sleeping head or a flick of those ears. .. there are options, I’m just saying. Though often, in such a situation, I have been far too surprised and, depending on my mood and the perpetrator, thoroughly amused or infuriated. I mean, I’m very prone to sleeping lightly on the bus but I make sure that my head does not wander onto a strangers shoulder when at all possible. That would be enough to cure me of sleeping on the bus I’d imagine.
Today, there was no cuddling, mercifully, though the young man sitting next to me on this beautiful day, seemed nice enough, didn’t smell strongly in a negative way or even in any way that I noticed. I’m just saying, there has been and will be many more bus rides with more unpleasant lottery contestants. So instead of being entirely mortified at riding the bus and sometimes the people riding them, I choose to find my amusement where I can and sometimes share it with you. So I made it to Cheney without any mishaps. Whew!
As I mentioned, it was a pretty chilly morning, cooler than I had anticipated, and I was fairly cooled off by the time I got to campus. The buses are warmer but I was still cold from standing in line waiting for the bus so the short walk to my first class was welcome as I hoped it would get my temperature up. Besides, I love to walk on campus, as long as its not a huge trek or anything. It is a beautiful campus with tree-lined sidewalks that are soon to be stunning in their autumn splendor, skwirls everywhere (little shout-out to Amanda Kiehn there-hehe), which I don’t love but I tolerate (the skwirls, not Amanda! I love Amanda!), inviting benches and tables scattered across the campus, and the lovely brick buildings that I find to be beautiful. I ran into the professor for my first class, Dr. Jerry Galm, who I will refer to as Jerry in any future conversations, posts, etc. He is the man nearly single-handedly responsible for making my trip to Ghana a reality and a success. He works in the anthropology dept and my first class is with him this quarter. Cultural Ecology. Now, I don’t really know what that means or what the class will entail but I think its going to be great! Besides, I’ve got a great in with the prof! ha! I was early and had time to kill so we chatted briefly before I headed to the classroom and he headed to his office to grab his stuff for class.
As I was walking, I began to notice something strange. Not a single person greeted me, asked me if I was married or where I lived! Shock! Dismay! Confusion! What is this distant, don’t-talk-to-anyone-unless-you-know-them-and-only-then-if-you-know-them-well culture?? In Ghana at UCC I wouldn’t have made it out of the hall before someone said something to me and I’d have met several friendly people on the 20 minute walk to campus who would have inquired about my living address, my marital status, what my phone number was and sometimes even my name! LOL!! Its true and if you don’t believe me I can give you names of some fellow obrunis who could verify this.
I found the classroom without any mishaps. I was the 3rd person to arrive as it was more than half an hour before class started. Now, normally I wouldn’t be there that early but it was the first day and with all the construction between here and Cheney I wasn’t sure how long the bus ride might take. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any delays today. I hope that remains the case (that wording sounds strange but I’m gonna keep it). It’s a small classroom that probly holds around 40 maybe. There are tables with 3 chairs at each of them. These chairs are pretty snug in their positioning and leave little room for sprawling out or stretching without smacking the person next to you. Now, in my pre-Ghana days, I can tell you that those tight quarters would be most uncomfortable and somewhat stressful for me.
However, Ghana has somewhat cured me of that pesky personal space bubble I have lived in for so long. Oh how I miss that bubble!! You see, in the same classroom, were it in Ghana, I’m sure at least 3 more people per table would be squeezed in if not more. There is little room in many classrooms there to accommodate the large class sizes so tight quarters are a given. Also, the lack of personal space is a cultural thing, one which I have long treasured and one which was mostly ignored for 5 months in Ghana. I daresay, this personal space thing seems to be a European convention or invention (?) that certainly has a firm grasp on American culture, too. I have noticed this lack of space in Indonesia as well so its not just Africa and I’m sure many of you have stories from your travels where you might have noticed this as well.
As I sat there waiting for the class to fill up, watching to see where people sat, it was amusing to see that before anyone sat at a table where someone was already sitting, there was at least one person at each table throughout the room. I wondered what someone would do if I, being the second person to enter a room, came and sat next to them….and then sat there silently… Oh the laughter that would erupt in my mind!! LOL!! Just imagine it. That’d be funny. Once. Twice… it might just be weird and overkill. It was fun to watch. Just saying. But I started thinking about all the things that go on in classrooms in Ghana that would certainly be seen as umm . . . well rude I suppose here.
Until the prof showed up the room was mostly quiet with only a few people chatting quietly. In Ghana, upon entering a classroom with any number of students in it, you would be confronted with a dull roar that would ebb and flow but would always be there. Talking, laughing, hollering, etc. There was no silence. Even when the teacher would arrive, usually late, the talking would continue through the whole class period. Now, I found this to be particularly frustrating as it was hard enough to try and understand the prof through a usually strong accent. I know, Americans are seen as loud and obnoxious by many, myself included and also not excluded from that stereotype, but there does seem to be a large cultural difference in the way most students behave in classes here compared to Ghana. Such laughter and constant talking would not be tolerated here. Uproarious laughter anytime the white person or anyone of any minority spoke would also not be tolerated. Never mind that the majority of students and profs are white here. That is not the point. Any hint at discrimination for any reason and you would face immediate consequences. Unless it is a comedy course or someone is in fact making a joke, ridiculing your fellow students in such a public display is unacceptable and that I am thankful. For some of us, speaking up in class isn’t the most fun we’ve ever had so if you feel that you are going to be laughed at when you do contribute it is not likely that you will. So that’s one major difference.
I also contemplated reminding the person sitting next to me that he/she needed to be taking notes and writing everything down, regardless of what was being said by the teacher. It is not for you to decide what is important!! No, no, no!! Just write it all down and don’t ask questions!! I thought that would probly get me some new and fun friends.
So many things kept coming to mind about the differences in the 2 school systems. It actually made me a little homesick for Ghana. I know, crazy, right?? I don’t think many of these things I mentioned are things people would care to experience for themselves. If you were living vicariously through me on that trip, you’re welcome, for allowing you to experience it in your mind and not physically. Again, you’re welcome! But its true. As crazy as some of these things sound, and to my mind they are, they became ‘normal’ and we got used to it. I made some great friends on those cramped benches in those loud classrooms.
There are many more things which I noticed throughout my day, too. I loved the way the prof showed up on time, class was started on time, and that there was no negotiating for a different class time or location. It is comforting to know where you will be meeting for class at what time on which days. Its nice. I have my books and only spent $120 on 6 books, including shipping. Its nice to have books assigned for a class though I’d much rather photocopy them than buy them new or used, but alas, our copyright laws are much more stringent. *sigh*
All in all it was a pretty great day. I love being on campus, going to classes, learning stuff, meeting people, all that. The weather was beautiful, too, after it warmed up a little.
This quarter I’m taking Cultural Ecology with Jerry from 9-10am, m-f; Myth, Magic, and Ritual with Dr. Zukosky from 10-11am, m-th with a podcast on Fri; Cultures of Sound and Silence with Dr. Zukosky from 1-3p t, th; and then a fast fitness course I can do whenever I have time. I’m really excited for this quarter and I’m looking forward to immersing myself back into this education system. Sure, it has its faults, but they are ones I’m familiar with. Knowing what is expected of you in a class is something you might not have realized was important until you took classes where you had no idea what was expected of you so you did what you were used to and then got bad grades for it. Oh, and no, I still have not received my transcripts from UCC. I am relieved to know that one of the international students has received hers after much pestering and reminding. My campaign Get Cat her Grades began this week. We will see how it works out. I’ll keep you posted as I’m sure you are on the edge of your seat awaiting the results, as am I.
Well, thanks for joining me on this first day of college recap. Stay tuned. More absurdness and comparisons are sure to follow. Or you can tune out if you like. That is an option too.
Sidenote. I have an intense dislike for my downstairs neighbor who very often loudly sings, watches his tv, and plays video games - all very loudly; smokes a great deal which I detest as my house gets all smokey and gross; and has a dog after which he does not clean up after. Prayers are welcome. :)
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