Halloween, Chicago, End of semester 1

Before I discuss my interesting observations on my second trip to NYC, I’d like to go through October/November first.

* HALLOWEEN *

The traditional American trick or treat-fest, with pre-Christian pagan European roots, is just like any other supposedly ‘traditional’ festival, taken over by the inevitable currents of capitalism. Halloween is a great, but extremely commercialized event, allowing people to spend big money on costumes and parties. I found myself lucky enough to spend the weekend before Halloween with my roommate Sarah, and her boyfriend Virgil, at Sarah’s sister’s place in Salem: the prominent witch town and epitome of Halloween places. The small town in Massachusetts is very cute and…just like on TV. As it was Halloween-weekend, the town was very crowded and touristic, but it is said, that even outside these holidays some people walk around in witch-costumes all year-round, to keep up their witch town image.

BENTLEY COLLEGE
The Saturday night we went to Bentley College, a remote isolated, somewhat private, business school near Boston, where Virgil’s friend from his home university (in Vienna) lives. In the main hall was a great party going on, but we also spend time in the dorms, where students set up their own parties. It was incredibly fun to see how the close conglomeration of international exchange students there was just like at my university.



COSTUMES
Beside the standard pirates, goo goo-girls, maids, doctors, firemen and women, I was astonished by the creativity that people expressed in their costumes. One guy was all dressed in black, including the paint of his face and limbs. Meanwhile he kept on dancing around, with his white iPod in, which I found quite rude, but he stated to be the silhouette model from the iPod adds! I figured out that this sense of creativity is comparable to the Dutch tradition of making surprises and poems during Sinterklaas for December 5th.


[A real cop with a dressed-up prisoner]



IN BURLINGTON
The actual Halloween was on Thursday October 31, back in Burlington. At UVM there were no parties held, because our regulations are more strictly, so together with the international students, we went to a house party that was unlike others I have experienced so far. No cags of beer, no wasted freshmen or stupid drunk students in a packed house: no, this event was at a small-scale friendly setting, with older people around to have conversations and make friends with.






* CHICAGO *






I think it was odd to schedule a one-week of Thanksgiving recess three weeks before the end of the semester, but my Spanish friend Eva and I used it to visit Chicago, escaping last period stress. My cousin Sari lives in the Mundelein suburb, which lies one train hour a way from downtown: every day we traveled two hours back and forth!





The highly art-oriented setting of Chicago at Michigan Lake represents a blend of modern high buildings with relatively old classic architecture, with many interesting museums, and art work from known (like Miro), unknown and local artist scattered all over town. But I was also confronted with the great amount of homeless people dwelling the city. The fact that I have been situated in the relatively secure city of Burlington for a couple of months made this culture shock even bigger. And the sad and worrying thing is that the class hierarchy is often in conjunction with ‘race’.








For Thanksgiving we didn’t have the traditional stuffed turkey with mash potato and pumpkin cake, we prepared an Indonesian celebration dinner instead… (But when we got back to Burlington, we did have turkey with the internationals). The next day is known as Black Friday: the official start for the Christmas shopping season. For this occasion many big chain stores begin by opening their doors at 5am… For the lines of people waiting to spend their money!



* NAKED BIKE RIDE *

What you read is what you get! This half-annually event takes place at the end of a semester, signifying their relieved stress and anxieties. Coincidently (not), that Thursday was the first day of real snowfall, causing a beautiful white, and cold, setting in Burlington. Around midnight people started gathering at ‘Boulevard le Marche’, the main street through Living and Learning Center, my residence complex. I could have watched it from our balconies, but the true experience was to be among the exciting, drunk, and supporting crowd. In this naked bike ride/marathon most participants dressed up with a fun accesoire like wings, hats, shawls and bags. The route was circling around a certain campus area, so it lasted not longer than half an hour.

* END OF SEMESTER *

It goes as usual, with a lot of stress. Only this time, everything was extra awkward. I spent almost four months with people from my classes and with some I became friends, with many not, but it felt weird anyway to say goodbye during the last class, because there was a certain bond formed somehow. But Burlington is small enough to run into people by chance, so I wasn’t as if I would never see my classmates again. It were the international students who’d only stay for one semester I was likely to not see again, therefore I felt like spending some last time with them: dinners, parties, gatherings, and clubbing, With . With them it was the same: with some I became very close friends, with most I had a normal or even shallow relation, but all together we had one thing in common: we were all new in this country to study as international exchange students. This common denominator created and maintained a mutual sense of grouping among us.

End of Ramadan, Boston & NYC

I'm back! Starting off with some sad news unfortunately, but gradually this message will get better:

SENIOR MISSING
As of October 8, the front page news of our UVM’s paper The Vermont Cynic and the flyers that were spread all over campus announced the missing of the 21-year old UVM-student Michelle Gardner-Quinn. At first I was quite naive about it, because I doubted anything seriously harmful could have happen to her. She must have run away or something. But candles and posters saying ‘I am scared’ and ‘This is violence against women’ at the fountain in our University Park Place proved me the earnest of the case. After an intense week of waiting, hoping and searching, her body was finally found right outside of town.



I do no know more about the case. I felt the need to attend her memorial service, because I was quite affected by her death. Of course I’d rather not walk alone by night, but I have never really felt unsafe, and maybe that’s because I grew up in the city center of Amsterdam. That’s also the irony in this case: Michelle was an Environmental Studies student and went to school in South-Africa and South-America. She was warned to be careful there, but then this happens to her in Burlington, this small liberal uptown city where it is ‘supposed to be’ safe! You just never know, and once again: always expect the unexpectable…




RAMADAN 2006
Ramadan in Burlington turned out to be lonelier than I expected it to be. It’s been hard for me, and I don’t mean the actual fasting itself, including the waking up in the morning alone to eat, and break the fasting alone at night, because I’m used to that as I’ve mentioned before. There is a small Muslim community in Burlington (a majority South Asians, many Bosnians, and few Southeast-Asians, White Americans and Arabs), and I went to the mosque once to have iftar (break fasting and have dinner) there. It’s nice, but too remote a place, and the people that go there are mostly elders and families. Since there are no Muslims around here, no one is aware that it’s the month of Ramadan anyway. And if they are, if they’ve ever heard of it, they probably don’t even know what it is and the meaning of it, and guess what; they don’t mind and don’t care! So not only missing my family and friends and lacking a Muslim environment made me feel lonely, but the fact that the people around me showed no interest in this holy month pushed me even further into sincere loneliness. Of course people reacted surprised when I mentioned that I was fasting, and therefore am a Muslim (but you don’t wear a headscarf!), but then I was surprised on how little knowledge they had about Islam and that they didn’t question me further about Ramadan. Could ‘fear of Islam’ play a role, or is it truly just carelessness? Anyhow I felt there was no concern, no interest, no care, no understanding and no moral support, and that left me in wretched solitude. The shallow fun with all the people here is cool, but I’ve always preferred to hang around or go out with small-scale groups, and this kind of filtering month left me with a few good friends, who did support me, and with whom I’m happy with and know I can count on. This experience was needed to appreciate my family and good friends. Oh, how I longed to have the traditional iftars together with you guys!




BOSTON CELTICS VS NEW YORK KNICKS BASKETBALL GAME
The last Saturday morning of Ramadan 2006 we left to Connecticut by car to watch the Boston Celtics VS New York Knicks playing the pre-seasonal NBA game. We went with a random group of seven internationals, and that made the trip sometimes somewhat exhausting. We could never agree on where to eat, where to go (on the road and in the city) and what to do. Nevertheless I enjoyed it very much (it’s really fun to see people who actually don’t really know each other having ridiculous small quarrels in the van ☺). The game was held in Uncasville, too small a town, but known for its Mohegan Sun; gambler’s paradise! Out of the blue, in the middle of nowhere, this one big, high, modern, shining building popped out of the ground, and inside was this Indian/native American oriented center of gambling areas, shops, café’s and restaurants. This was the first building in the US I entered where you were actually allowed to smoke! In Burlington you cannot even smoke in café’s or on the terraces outside. I had so much fun observing all that happened around me. There were all kinds of people there and even children. I guess it also functioned as some kind of Saturday night hang out spot (just like in the Indonesian malls!).





The game was also in the Mohegan Sun, but I was not really impressed by it. It was too long, and unlike soccer games, where people tensely look forward to the first goal, basketball players ‘make points/goals’ every 20 seconds, so I didn’t feel any excitement or the value of the score. The place was most crowded during the middle of the game, because people just arrived late and just left earlier. So much for true fans, huh? Afterwards no Saturday night hopping downtown, because of course we got lost on the way and after three hours we finally arrived in our hostel in Boston around 1am.

[Boston, Government Center]


BOSTON
Why didn’t I end up studying in, the city where I always wanted to study? Boston is amazing! This is what I’m used to; a big city life, with many different cultures, an exciting, somewhat touristic city center, a wonderful green and open park, and very important: a huge variety of accessible food!
When I walked around town with Adrian from Switzerland (yes, we needed to split up the group), we coincidently met some other UVM-internationals! This shows how big, but then again, smallish, Boston is. Perfect isn’t it?
When I took the 5pm Greyhound-bus from South Station Boston, heading NYC, I was excited about spending Idul Fitri (the celebration of the end of Ramadan) there, but I also felt uncertain, because my aunt in NYC, at whom I would stay, had not yet confirmed on picking me up. But when I called her from some one else’s cell in the bus, she was already prepared to pick me up, so it was all good. And even if not, I was willing to search for a hostel somehow. I wouldn’t go back to Burlington; I had to, needed to and just would go to NYC!!

[New York City]


CELEBRATING THE END OF RAMADAN IN NYC
Idul Fitri turned out to be Monday, the next morning after my arrival at 10pm at Port Authority, near Times Square. In the morning we went to the mosque to pray together. The front of the building said masjid Al-Hikmah (what else?), Indonesian Muslim Community, oh my God, I was so happy! It was a really nice, clean and organized place, and sooo many people!

[Masjid Al-Hikmah; Indonesian Muslim Community]

[Outside the mosque]

OPEN HOUSES
It’s traditional to spend Idul Fitri, hopping from one place to another to meet friends and family, to gather and to congratulate each other, and of course, to enjoy food! At lunchtime we went to the house of the head of the Indonesian embassy. They had a huge house and a garden with tents to receive the guests. There were a lot of people and a lot of foooooood!!! I didn’t know anybody of course, but I enjoyed myself so much (es teler, bakmi bakso, sayur asinan, ikan, cumi, and oh ya, also hot dogs, halal!). I did meet some veiled girls, Afro-American, Spanish and White American, who converted into Islam and experienced their first Ramadan, also lonely as I did.

[Prayer area]

Next destination was the Indonesian embassy office itself, and wow, that was impressive, and very goldish from the inside. The building, the style and the setting reminded me of The Nanny’s house. There was not much food left, but we had to leave anyway, because my aunt and my uncle had to prepare for their own ‘open house’ to receive guests.

[Indonesian embassy]

NO DIFFERENCE
That night, it felt just as if I was in Indonesia, because the whole setting was the same: a beautiful big house, my two somewhat spoilt cousins, the maids, the driver and all these beautifully dressed up people in traditional clothing, which was very melancholic to see but also awkward to observe, that no matter where Indonesians are located in the world, they really remain the same attitude, behavior and all. The only things that fell out of place and made me realize that we actually were in the States, were the English, in American accent chattings in betweens, and the White and Afro-American policemen that wandered in and around the house. I did not really understand whether the presence of guarding cops was needed because it was an Islamic event or because my aunt is the second person of the Indonesian embassy in NYC. Was it truly necessary having a police car outside the house, or was it just this elitist attitude I find so typical to Indonesian people?



Anyhow, and again, I knew nobody, but I just enjoyed being among them. The house was crowded, even though my aunt also extended it by placing tents outside. Kids were running all over the place, but finally settled themselves in the TV-room playing X-box, as the youngsters around the age of 13 to 17 (like my cousins’) stayed in the basement playing music (drums and guitar, so sweet!). I was busy organizing my eating schedule, because again, there was so much! Bajigur, ketan hitam, soto mie, rendang, kue nastar, kaasstengels, pempek, so much more, and oh, I also had the best strawberry cheesecake ever that night.





NYC, MANHATTAN
The thing was that I had two papers due Monday and Tuesday, so I brought my laptop every time with me and worked on my papers whenever possible that weekend (on the road, in the car, at the open houses). After I finished at noon on Tuesday, I took the subway from Queens and got out somewhere near Chinatown and wandered around Manhattan by myself, finally ending up at Ground Zero.
There I was, in New York City, where all of status is located, where the cast of Friends suppose to live (you know I just love that show), the metropolitan center of the world, the actual definition of globalization, the focus of my study in Anthropology, where McDonald’s in Chinatown has Chinese prescriptions… It was overwhelming. My plan to explore Queens with a friend the next day, was ruined because there was only one train heading Burlington, leaving at 11.30am, so I ‘lost’ one day on the train that got me home at 10pm (!!!). New York, I’ll be back!

[Chinatown]





[Look what they taped on the add]

My New Dorm, Starting Ramadan & My Classes

My old dorm

NEW HOME
Firstly I’d like to announce that the residence of C High is my new home now! In my last post I already gave up all hope, but voila! That’s why it’s best to always expect the unexpected ☺ I did drop the Art House, because I couldn’t stand the attitude of the people there, but then there was Sarah, who lives in C 364, and she asked me if I wanted to be her roommate, since she still had a spare bed. Oh my God, yeah!
C building is the last part of Living/Learning Complex that’s not renovated yet, so it’s the only building that remained the balconies for this year! And the bathrooms are old, true, but it has a bath tube (not that I would use it though). Then there’s the daycare (mostly for the children of UVM-workers) that’s located in C-building, so when I’m heading home, little children are playing and crawling around the main hall! The rooms are a bit smaller, but it’s all worth it!




LADIES ONLY
I already knew Courtney and Katherine (who makes astonishing paintings!), and Kassie is my other suite mate. Then there’s Alexandria who’s NEVER at home (such a waste of that single room)! But the other four girls (yes, girls suite!) are so sweet! We spend great time together watching TV, chatting and eating in our living room. It’s lovely, and really the opposite of what I had in my former dorm in A-Low. There’s no morning sun though, but our place is really bright in the morning because of the reflection, and from noon it’s our turn to enjoy the warmly sun directly and relax on our balcony! Furthermore we have a counter full of food and tea, a microwave, and now also a refrigerator: I’m all set!




What’s more is Eva from Spain, a close friend of mine, and she lives just across the hall. Now we live so close by now, we can easily have our small talk, laughter, consoling, or cooking together. The hall between our suites is actually so small, that we usually leave our entrance door open, so that it virtually extends our small living rooms. People from Eva’s suite and from mine (and people downstairs, where other internationals live); we all hang out with each other, so it’s really cozy and there’s this homely atmosphere among the residents of C-High. This might be the same at A-Low, only that I felt kind of excluded. And Sarah, she’s a freshman as well, but we can get along very well. We actually do go downtown together, and we hang around with same friends. She’s lovely and caring, and I’m happy in my new home!

That's Sarah, Kath, Courtney, Me & Kassie!


RAMADAN
And then of course there’s the month of Ramadan… I knew it would be a lonely one, and it is, so far.
Next to this obligated month of fasting, there’s also an additional fasting period on Mondays and Thursdays on voluntary basis, which I’ve been doing for a while. So because I’m used to fasting alone, fasting during Ramadan in Burlington doesn’t make any difference. I wake up and eat alone, don’t eat and drink during the day alone, withdraw from chaotic daily life alone, and finally, usually, eat dinner alone again. It’s different, but it’s good, I’m enjoying it. I am surprised though, by the little knowledge Americans have about Ramadan, and about Islam at all. I’ve informed my friends about me fasting, but they keep on offering me cookies and having lunch.

LECTURE
This Friday I went to a lecture of a well-known imam Yusuf Estes, a white American from Texas who converted to Islam! The flyer depicted him with beard, djelebah (traditional Arabic long dress, I guess?) and all, so I was really curious! The place was not packed, but the attending Muslims represented the wide variety of Muslims in Burlington. They were mostly Asians, from Indian and Pakistani descendant, then Southeast-Asians and white Americans, and few Arabs. At the end of the lecture there was a Japanese women wearing a headscarf, with her little son with Afro hair (!), who publicly converted to Islam on stage by saying the Shahadat (a pledge to become a Muslim)! Amazing, people were hugging them afterwards as in welcoming and bless them. And the imam was really good! And surprisingly funny! And to me it was also extremely weird to see an Arabic-appearing white man clarifying about Islam with this Texan accent! His lecture had a good amount on emphasizing how terrorism is the enemy of Islam, and the peaceful nature of Islam. Afterwards I had a good chat with his wife, also from Texas, converted, and even wearing a burqa! This was even more bizarre, because I’ve never had a conversation before with someone who was completely veiled. I still don’t see the urge in wearing one in order to be a ‘good Muslim’, but as the imam said, we are not to judge others (in their practicing of Islam).




COURSE SCHEDULE
For those who are interested in my courses: let’s run through the classes I have.

STREET CHILDREN
I start the week off with Anthropology, on Street Children. It’s a small classroom, with four rows of these typical individual seats with writing desks, which are pretty small. I’m confused where to put all my school equipments, when there’s hardly place to lean both arms on it. But the almost 40 students do fill in the classroom to its maximum capacity. We do lots of readings, watch movies, and then discuss about it. There’s one girl, who actually brings her dog Foster (no, it’s not even a small one) into the classroom! He lies there on the ground next to her seat! One time we also had class outside, on the grass, in the shadows; so nice! And oh, it’s not uncommon for people to enter the classroom bringing a skateboard… Could you manage that Wiri and Mel?



HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
About 1,5 hour later Human Development starts in this relatively big auditorium, with approximately 200 students. It’s a 0-level class, so beginners, introductory and quite factual, especially the first part, which concerns the biological development. After this we’ll discuss the cognitive and social/emotional part of it.

In the States, class generally means class as in lectures. The possibility to discuss depends on how large the group is. The familiar ‘werkgroep’ or workgroups, in the Netherlands, where the (usually) large class will be divided in smaller amounts in order to rehearse and discuss the issues of the lectures (and give presentations), is uncommon in the States. Another advantage of this Dutch system is that the students will get to know each other. The relationships between the students and professors in here are informal, as in the Netherlands; the latter prefer to be called by their first name. However, it strikes me how this tendency to a relaxed atmosphere appears very shallow to me. The professors hardly know their students’ names (they recognize me though), but also don’t even offer time or effort for the students to introduce themselves. Some started their classes with asking where everyone’s from; Burlington, Vermont, Maine, Boston, New York, some even further away, Virginia or California, but no one beats me!

With Vanya & Anca

GLOBALIZATION
Then there’s my other Anthropology class on Globalization, which I’m taking with two other international friends of mine from Croatia and Romania, and the tree of us just looove our professor! Everybody loves Larry! He’s very enthusiastic and progressive, and has this Spanish accent sometimes, since he’s half Puerto Rican. I’ve taken a Globalization course at my home university as well, but it’s amazing to see how he, as an American, lectures about this topic. He talks a lot out of his head and from own experiences. It’s a 90 students class; we do get to ask questions, but we don’t really have discussions. And this class has the most comfortable seats by the way; just like going to the movies! Seriously, the seats, the floor that goes up as you go further to the back, and the whole interior: I think the designer of this classroom, is the same as of the cinemas.



DRAWING
On Tuesdays I have Drawing class from 5 to 8.30 pm, and it’s a great compensation for not living in the Art House. It’s on the third floor of the Williams Hall, which is also the department of Anthropology (such perfect combination). I feel like a pig in poo ☺ in this arty classroom, drawing, while viewing the lake and mountains through the windows! The best part of it is that we have a break when the sunsets, and that’s when we go through the emergency exit that leads to the fire staircase outside the building, and enjoy sunset! It’s a see-through staircase, so quite scary from the forth floor, but the view is amazing! And everyone can get there, so I get to meet people. About the class itself: we do pencil and charcoal (still life) drawings, make collages and we’ve even drawn a naked model (for me the first time!). It’s wonderful; I really find enjoyment and peace in drawing, and seeing my peers’ astounding work.




Silent walk with Yoga class

HATHA YOGA
The next morning I have an early wake up call for Hatha Yoga class that starts at 9. It’s divided in a theoretical and practical part. However I find my courses extremely fascinating, it does require many, many readings. So among these drainable courses it’s really motivating to have allying classes where I can express myself, in the middle of the week; my high peak!

WOMEN & GENDER
And then there’s my sixth class, Women and Gender Studies: once a week on Thursdays from 5 to 8.30pm. At first I was anxious about it: there were girls only and the shortcut redheaded German professor looked and spoke so harsh! I wanted to drop this class and take the other parallel introductory class. But that teacher turned out to be even more severe! She kind of rejected me because I already missed two of her classes (this was in the beginning when we were given the opportunity to add and drop classes within two weeks).
But now I’m enjoying this class with professor Connie Schutz (told you she’s German!), who turned out to be very good, objective and kind after all. And to be in a class with girls only makes it special; it has a confident character. Maybe that’s why I feel most at ease during this class. I find a lot of difficulties with expressing myself, especially during discussions, so I don’t always dare to speak up. I always need to let everybody know that I’m an international exchange student, so they know why I talk funny. I’m working on my improvement, but it’s really hard sometimes. But it's also the fault of the Americans! They mumble too much! I just cannot understand a word of what they're saying... Ar-ti-cu-late people!

I’ve dropped Statistics. I cannot combine my need to adapt in a new situation with all those digits and formula’s. I hope I’ll be ready for the next semester to take Statistics, the only required course I need for my home university!!!


This is a very rare scene though! People even leave their bikes unlocked when they go to class!!