The Second Day Already!

It is the second day already and I can not believe it!  However it feels like I have been at Columbia and known everyone for years and years.  Some of these girls are as close to me as girls I have met five years ago.  Yesterday's homework was actually to read an article from the book that we received for our class. It is actually a book with a compilation of articles from George Washington to Barack Obama. The article we went over today was actually about The Wizard of Oz and it being a monetary allegory.  The author did not believe this argument so he spent the entire article disagreeing.  I really liked the style of teaching because we basically had a discussion about the article.

Campus and Butler Library

I enjoyed that the classroom was more discussion than a lecture.  I remember when I was a freshman in high school and I absolutely hated these classes and I think that I still did until now.  I realized that I do get nervous but I actually enjoy talking in class. I am nervous that I am going to get the answer wrong and that people are going to judge me but that is not the way everything works.  Everyone is really nice and no one judges one another.  This environment is nothing like the environment we have back in the WCCUSD.  There you know that no matter what, if you say the wrong thing, someone will judge you.

The discussion aspect really appeals me but also the time in the library appeals to me too.  Yesterday I had said I liked it, but today it was a lot more productive. I have realized that I want my research project to be about FDR and his policies.  He is an extremely interesting man that I think had a lot of experience and many amazing projects. He is such an amazing person and I am even more interested in him now that I have been to Hyde Park and his house. 

Everyday I learn more about international culture and the way things work in other countries. Today I learned about the Turkey riots that are increasing in size everyday.  People are not sleeping there and it surprises me how we have students who come from places like this.  I would never imagine being or living in an area that has riots where the police use a lot of violence in order to stop the.  I am really enjoying my time here and I hope that I continue to have a great education and learn a lot more about international affairs as well.

Artwork in the Library!

One thing that I forgot to mention is the library.  Since we are going to go the Butler library everyday, Monday through Friday, I have done a lot of exploring to find out where all the items are.  It has a huge collection but what else can you expect from an Ivy League school? There are so many resources and I wish that our school had resources, from libraries and online, like Columbia. Of course I do not expect as many resources but I feel like we could try to incorporate more online databases and information sites. I think this would really help students in WCCUSD.  Overall, I have been a great time, learning a lot, and making many new friends.