As was confirmed in my first year of uni, I really only try when: (1) I am somewhere new, relatively alone; and/or (2) I have a fuckload of stuff on my plate (which makes sense really, since I am an utter pig).
So, with the beginning of law faculty classes this week, it's finally starting to feel like Life here.
I still haven't had EU law (tomorrow afternoon), but just a note on the others:
- International Relations - first year
In stark contrast to both the well-intentioned, bumblingness of the Translation lecturer (FYI have I mentioned that I'm dropping his class? Kinda awkward since I need him to sign off my academic-enrolment form, but I'll use the third-year EU law course as an excuse), and the well-structured but non-enunciated, mumblingness of the Political History lecturer - the IR lecturer is a clear, decisive, well-dressed, somewhat butch woman who uses the trick that I find is used by most of my favourite lecturers: stating an important point, concisely, then immediately rephrasing it in an equally concise way that (optimistically) allows anyone who didn't get it the first time to understand, while also enabling others to understand the point in a different way.
I would fault, however, the lack of provision of any course outline (i.e. I have no idea how we're being graded on this, or even what I'm supposed to be reading); but once I am enrolled next week it should be all good ('cause I can't access the uni intranet at the moment).
On a non-academic note, the lecture was a bit hilarious. The ampitheatre (as they call it; alternatively massive lecture theatre) was packed, bar the edges of the very front row - and my row. I was seated near the end of the fourth row from the front, so I could plug in my laptop (also my notes are half in French and half in English, and sometimes I used English words in French syntax and vice versa, which I find interesting). At the other end was a gangly, bespectacled boy in a long-sleeved, pink top.
Pretty much it looked like this (X = people; and I'm in red, with pink boy in pink):
XX X X X XXXX XXXXXXX X X X
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX X X
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ahahahaha.
- Political History - first year (tutorial)
So tutorials are 70% of our grade, which is based on oral (10-15 minutes) and written presentations (which has been referred to literally as "composed commentary"; alternatively 'dossier'/file), on four articles (one main big one, then three littler primary sources, e.g. news articles and videos). In each tutorial (a weekly two-hour session), three students will provide oral presentations, and three will provide written presentations. Unless you tell the tutor before the tutorial starts that Life happened and you haven't done yours, you are at risk of being chosen; and regardless you are expected to participate in the analysis of both the subject and your peers' presentations.
In the course material stuff we were given in the first lecture, the lecturer had noted two general 'manuals' on the topic (European and American political history from 1945 to around 2000s, pretty much), and then an introductory bibliography spanning easily a dozen pages.
I'm pretty much so relieved that I've already done a heavy-reading legal history paper, because it intimidated the fuck out of the other exchange girls when I showed them later. But even so, the 12-page small-fonted article we had to do for yesterday's tutorial was pretty daunting (and I'm sad to admit I didn't finish it in time, though I did finish the the three little ones).
Non-academic note: I was rather impressed with the tutor. Similar to the IR lecturer, he was clear and well-spoken. However, he also managed to be attractive in an intimidating serious-business way, despite the fact that he was wearing a noticeably reddy-pink buttoned shirt under his jacket. And not just a plain reddy-pink shirt - the inner lining of the collar (with a little bit that stuck out just past the collar) and the inner edging of the shirt (like where the buttons go down) were striped red and white.
[Spoiler alert from 2013: Why did I say 'impressed'?! I totally had a crush on him, if this wasn't made evident at a later date. I even left an anonymous note in his pigeonhole after classes were over, which just had a heart and wished him happy holidays. Bahaha!]
I asked him in the break (after the one-hour mark, when 90% of the class disappeared - either to piss or, more likely, to have a smoke) what to do about my lack of access to the intranet, and he suggested that until I enrolled I should just ask one of the other kids (literally, 'colleagues' is the term used in French) to be super-nice to me and let me download the documents using their computer account.
Since I had nothing to lose, I decided to write a little note with such a request.
I was sitting at the edge of the table next to a guy who I had just found out was also an exchange student (from USA, East Coast; there was also another guy down the row from Australia), but who seemed to be rather dim (despite it being the first tutorial, the tutor had requestsed three presentations [oral only]; and EastCoast asked me what the hell was happening after the second oral presentation had finished).
Ignoring the awkward factor, I asked him to pass my note on to the girl sitting next to him, who was a local (let's call her HistoryGirl, since that's her major). She gestured to confirm the note was for her, then after reading my note, she smiled and nodded.
We agreed to meet at the library a couple hours later, after her class. I had written on my note that I would buy her coffee in exchange, but she had brought a friend, with whom she went up some library stairs after she'd helped me. SO I'm hoping still a potential friend, and will bring her some chocolate next week (I miss the History lecture tomorrow due to CUFLE placement test).
SPEAKING OF POTENTIAL FRIENDS.
Yesterday (Wednesday), I think sometime in the afternoon, I decided on a whim to place an ad on the noticeboard on the online uni intranet thing (I have access to it generally; it's just the course-specific stuff I can't get to yet). You can use it to advertise stuff for sale, accommodation, or even to ask for (what I understand to be) carpooling.
I offered a language exchange: English (native language, obviously) and Japanese (beginners; because fuck it I still remember like 90-95% of hiragana and katana, as well as basic syntax and greetings). I said I wanted to improve my French, but if possible would also like to dabble (god I wish I knew how to say dabble in French) in Spanish, Italian and/or Greek.
When I got home earlier this evening (Thursday), I ALREADY HAD THREE POSITIVE RESPONSES - all three for French, but the last one also knows some beginner-level Spanish (and I don't mind even if I'm just brushing up on what I already know).
So WOOOOO.
Also I went to 'Modern Dance' last night - only to find out that I was given an out-of-date pamphlet, and as such had arrived half-way through the two-hour class. On the upside though, I know now that it is a fairly casual, slightly-artsy-looking aerobics class, essentially - which is fine, since I ultimately wanted exercise anyway. Plus, while I was there I was able to confirm the time for the Proper Dancing class, which is apparently one hour long instead of two.
Anyway, since Modern Dance is casual, I wouldn't mind skipping it next week to go to the International Students crepe 'party'.
Either way, I should have LOTS TO DO now.
Also today the exchange girls and I bussed out to what is the equivalent of the Warehouse (but MASSIVE-er) in a general shopping centre area, and I finally got more house things that I hadn't let myself buy because I could previously only find expensive ones. Namely: a rubbish bin for the kitchen (with a pedal! Now I don't have to keep a big smelly plastic bag in the cleaning closet), a dishrack to dry dishes (light blue, about NZD3), a couple shot glasses (NZD0.30 each), a cute tin for flour/sugar (around NZD4), more tupperware (three containers for about NZD5), and a decent bottle opener (because the one I got at the local Foursquare totally fucked up my Welcome Bottle of Red for Kay). Also I found spaghetti for NZD1.20, and some other little cute things.
EXCITING STUFF.
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