Univershitty

Just kidding. University isn't actually that shit this semester. It's partly because I've got buddies in all 3 of my classes (all that peer-networking and catching up late last year finally paid off!) and partly because I've just significantly lowered my expectations for university. Sad but true.

The main problem last year was that I just expected too much. I expected to love every single one of my subjects. I expected to be fully immersed in campus life. I expected a certain type of people to be in my classes. AND I EXPECTED TO MEET AND BEFRIEND LOTS OF CUTE GUYS.

Clearly I hadn't thought it through properly. If I did, I would've realised that communications is the last place on earth you would go to find a straight guy. Actually, let's just say it's the last place on earth you would go to find a guy. Period.

But anyway, let's not linger any longer on the painful ignorance of Cynthia. Let's talk about university and what I found most surprising during my last two days there.

1) Chinese classes are fun. Okay, maybe I'm jumping the gun here since I've only had like one of these but hey, it was a pretty cool lesson. The teacher is a really nice lady who's got a lot of infectious enthusiasm for teaching the language. One of the first things she did was tell us about her students who are now doing their In-Country study and how they're posting pictures of travel and dumplings on their Facebook page.

It's also very refreshing to have classmates that are not from Communications for once. You don't understand until you've done Comms but it's not exactly a faculty you would call....diverse. Let's just say there's a certain um, type, in Communications, (PR in particular). We're talking people that are mostly well-off, fashionable/chic, freakishly well-connected (e.g. family members who work and socialise in media circles) and for someone like me, a teensy bit unapproachable. I'm generalizing to a terrible extent here but it's also quite true. In Chinese though, you've got students from business, law, nursing, etc. And they all just seem so much more approachable.

2) I'm in Building 2 a lot. And by extension, building 1 as well. It's just surprising because last year, I was barely in/near the tower. The downside though is that I've got no classes in that fancy schmancy Business/Law building. Dammit.

3) I know and recognize people. Mostly from my classes last year but also from extra things like peer-networking or club activities. It's such a change from last year when I would walk into a lecture or class and wonder who to sit next to.

4) I have textbooks to buy. Urgh, my money. It's disappearing faster than the free creme brulees at TK Something.

5) My Foundations in International Studies class is made up of 85% Communications kids. Which is extremely saddening to me since it was supposed to be the only subject (apart from Chinese) where you will get students from different faculty backgrounds. GO AWAY COMMUNICATIONS, WHY ARE YOU SO OBSESSED WITH ME??

6) There is even less green space at UTS than ever before. No really. They got rid of that green lawn behind the tower, poured concrete over it and stuck in a few plants. I did hear that an even bigger lawn is in development though so maybe that's why they decided to get rid of the somewhat-barren-and-more-yellow-than-green space.

7) There haven't been any emergency evacuations yet. But this is UTS *knock on wood*

And that's all I can come up with so far. Until next time then?