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!!