It seems like school only just got out - and here I am back in class again. Not that that's a bad thing though! Of course getting up at 8 AM and doing homework and just generally getting back into that groove of school is tough to do in the middle of summer. That said, I really like my class so far.
Waking up at 6 AM is not the business, but luckily it should be the last time I have to do that for a long time! We woke up that early to meet at 6:45 with out RA and suitemates to go down to breakfast together. We all ate in the school cafeteria for the first time - I stayed with my suitemates and the girls across the hall and we honestly didn't talk much because, you know, it was 6 in the morning. Afterwards we all went off into the auditorium for our official orientation. I got separated from the girls and ended up sitting with what I'm assuming a few boys' dorms because, well, they were mostly guys. I was only a little embarrassed when I asked the boy next to me, who said he was from Georgia, whether he was a Braves fan, because he then told me that he was actually from the country Georgia, not the state.
Orientation went by pretty fast, the rules were reinforced once again for us - and they are super strict and super serious about all of the rules and regulations, in fact, around 8-10 kids are expelled each year. We all got subway and campus maps, and learned about access to athletic facilities. We also learned that we can potentially join clubs during our midday breaks.
Immediately after orientation we all went straight to class. My class isn't too a far a walk from my dorm, the library or the mess hall - anything really, Columbia's campus is pretty compact and therefore I can easily access all of the college buildings I need this summer. I actually met most of my classmates in the elevator on the way up to the classroom, and ran into Anmol on the way as well. We got slightly lost trying to find our way through the building's hallways and hidden hallway extensions but finally made it to class (on time). Our professor introduced himself - he's taught this program many summers before and will be teaching at Oxford next year. I'm really excited that we have such a qualified teacher - this class is going to be taught at the college level, just in a more compressed time. We all learned each other's names, pretty quick seeing as there are only 13 kids in the class. I should have realized it would be the case earlier, but there aren't very many international students taking the class (American Presidents, who'da thunk). There is one girl straight from Hong Kong who seems very nice, it's her first time in America too! Everybody else is from the states, but I was surprised to find that they are just as interesting as anyone. Among my classmates are a guy who is originally from Japan, currently lives in Hawaii, and attending Andover High School in Massachusetts, a few commuters from New York, and two girls attending nice schools in Florida.
After we introduced ourselves, we didn't really have time to discuss the syllabus because we had a rendez-vous with a librarian at the Butler library. She taught us essentially how to use Columbia's research tools and resources and we familiarized ourselves with the library and getting around. Basically, everyday for homework we will be reading an article about an issue relating to one of the presidents (we'll be working chronologically for the most part). In the morning from 10-12, we will have a seminar and discuss the reading. Now comes the fun part, in the afternoons, from 2-4, we will be spending that time in one of the two libraries doing research for our 20 page paper we will be writing throughout the duration of the course. I was actually really excited when I heard about it (I don't know why), because from what we've discussed so far it seems like I'll have a lot of freedom in choosing my topic - but I'll be learning more about the assignment tomorrow.
At lunch there was a fun little carnival with a rock climbing bouncy house, jumbo-sized games and mocktails, but it was so incredibly hot that I didn't stay as long as I'd have liked to. Instead, I met up with Simon and Emily, as well as Valerie, a Russian girl on my floor who's taking a drawing class. We all camped out on the grass and just talked about our days so far. I'm really interested in Valerie's drawing class, seeing as art is a huge interest of mine. According to her, art classes in Moscow are much more traditional and focused on technique, but her class here is much more lenient and encourages personal style. I talked to her about maybe getting a chance to meet her teacher some time during the midday breaks, so I look forward to that.
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| Me, Valerie, Simon |
My second class period was spent in the library, some classmates and I staked out a private room and did our homework assignment as well as get to know each other a little better. It is really intriguing talking to everyone and I definitely am going to look forward to seeing them all in class tomorrow.
I spent my evening with Valerie, Simon and Emily mostly blogging and doing schoolwork. After they had to head back to their own dorms and rooms, Valerie and I hung out in my room and doodled some. I'm looking forward to tomorrow!
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| Valerie's drawing of me |
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| My drawing of Valerie |
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