A few days late, but this was last week's post.
Preface:
Instead of the my original plan of having biweekly posts, I've opted to write weekly posts.
Why? Because as you'll see, writing about just one week of college takes up an inordinately amount of space and will waste, oh, about a half-hour of your time
As for its structure, this post is divided up into each day of the week, starting on Monday, 9/2/13. And this, my friend, is what you're in for:
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Day One:
A total of seven class hours today. Four of which were consecutive, including two straight hours of calculus. WHOO.
Chinese: turns out that I'll be sticking with it. I made a real connection with the teacher this morning and it seems like it would be extremely valuable to stick with it for the year. Perhaps I'll get Rosetta Stone or Fluentz for further learning during the summer and possibly even earn a scholarship from the government to study abroad in China during summer in 2015 (Chinese is, apparently, a 'neglected' language).
Biology: currently auditing the class. The last time I uttered the word mRNA or ribosome polymerase was about four years ago, so naturally it felt like I'd never left the Chinese classroom. The professor, however, is a really cool British man who sports open-toed shoes and uses abstruse analogies that I'm sure I'll grow to love.
Calculus: damned if I do, damned if I don't. This class is way too easy for me. I'm currently requesting the next level up so I can take advanced economics classes, e.g. ecometrics or mathematical economics, come junior or senior year. However, the next level up is going to be a huge challenge for me, based on my hallmate's homework, which I just saw.
So, for now, I'm stuck. Odds are, I won't get into the other class anyway (they're twenty students over enrollment), but I'll hope for the best.
Crew: I seem to be built for the sport. According to the coach, I'd be a good Bow #1-- the guy right on the end of boat. Rowing on the erg machine was a bit of a struggle; I couldn't really get the form down, but I'm sure I'll be fine in a few days.
Philosophy/Film: Michael Roth is extremely hilarious. Based on the syllabus, it seems like the class is going to be extremely interesting (you can view the schedule of movies we'll be watching here; you're welcome, Wickersham).
We watched a documentary entitled Night and Fog. Very graphic portrayal of the concentration camps, right down to the latrines and bunks used by the prisoners. The theme this week is the question of whether images can portray the truth (see Plato's Allegory of the Cave). Although we can witness, some seventy years later, the brutal and inhumane treatment faced by those in the concentration camps, can we really feel anything? There are emotions evoked to be sure, but we'll never truly be able to experience such a hell.
Had a special moment in the dining hall this evening-- on a sidenote, I've also been taking photos of each one of my meals; you can view them here.
There were a few middle-aged dining hall workers talking in a corner. From what I heard, some of them are taking classes here. I was comforted by that idea. I don't know if the university offers a special program for them or anything, but knowing that they too were trying to obtain the most valuable investment, education, gave me peace.
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Day Two:
Chinese: learned about all the wonderful tones that the language has to offer. Also learned about the slight differences between the zh, ch, and sh in the languages. Yeah. Ain't nobody got time for that. Switched into chemistry in order to fulfill a requirement for the Earth and Environmental Sciences major.
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| My super fly faculty advisor |
Had interview with admissions office today. I absolutely killed it. Talked with Evan, one of the senior admission officers, who actually read my application.
Math: audited the next highest level. It's way too hard for me. So, with biology vying to be my hardest class, it seems that I'll be sticking to the easier class so I can maintain my sanity.
Philosophy and Film: can we really know what we know?
Pro tip: eating beets is hard; eating near-stale beets is even harder.
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Day Three:
We're not going to talk about how I accidentally ate macaroni and cheese. Definitely not.
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Day Four:
I've taken procrastination to a whole new level-- I've been practicing 'active procrastination' where I do somewhat useful things (such as editing this blog...) instead of tackling that one hundred pages of biology reading I still have to do.
Unintentionally, I arranged and rearranged my schedule so that I don't have any classes on Thursday. Whoo-hoo! Trust me, I needed this day off.
Ever since our impromptu swim test for Crew on Tuesday, I've been feeling sick. It's the common cold. Nothing more. A sore, raw throat and an unbelievably stuffed nose. And this is not the first time it's happened after swimming. My conclusion: I think I may be allergic to chlorine.
Also, for demonstration purposes, I served as the coxswain today, mainly because I was one of the smallest guys there. I'm 5'11", about 160 lbs; gives you a little perspective on my
"They're just like the Marines: last ones in, first ones out."
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| This is dangerously close to heaven |
I've also taken to being very creative in the dining hall. I've made what I call the PB&J bowl.
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| There's probably over 1,000 calories in that bowl. |
Recipe:
- A dozen about scoops of peanut, almond, and/or cashew butter.
- Small scoop of chocolate soy butter, because God, I have to live a little.
- A few scoops of strawberry or raspberry preserves
I am in heaven.
On a similar note, I've also been able to maintain a gluten free diet here, eating non-wheat, protein-heavy grains like brown rice, quinoa, couscous, and lentils. For vegetables, I have a lot of broccoli, spinach, and green beans.
I find that most people tend to write what we shouldn't. One of my favorite quotes:
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| Her name is Sydney! |
"I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long letter."
It's ironic, because I always tend to ramble in these posts-- but I have a reason! I want you, my reader with very fine tastes, to experience everything I see, eat, and listen to along with me.
But in honestly, it is truly more difficult to write concisely than to blabber on about the lily that Darian bought for our room.
While I'm at it, I'll state that I love the simple and powerful fact that I am alive right now, experiencing life in its most pure form. Feeling the soft breeze against my skin and the goosebumps abound.
I love looking back at history, at the faces of Wesleyan generations past. What did those men experience? Better yet, who are these men?
"You die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.”
I want to be eternal. No matter whether or not there's an afterlife (a question we all ultimately ponder), we live on in the thoughts and memories of others. Only when every memory of us walking on earth is gone do we truly stop living.
And yes, I did complete over fifty pages of biology reading tonight.
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Day Five:
Feeling a lot better, thank you. Back to classes.
Chemistry: now hosted in a large lecture hall, I feel like a forgotten number, which is precisely why I didn't choose a big state university. Oh well.
Biology: I don't know why, but Professor Weir is so damn giddy about everything. Honestly, whenever someone brings up protein synthesis, he can't help but jump out of his shoes and sing the high praises of polypeptide chains.
Crew: really starting to love the sport. We were out on the water for a good half-hour before working for another twenty on the erg machine. Really a great group of guys, too.
Just having the mindset of a collegiate athlete is otherworldly. I don't want to have any more of that vegan ice cream anymore. I want to eat nothing but nuts, grains, fruits, and vegetables. I want to be the strongest version of myself.
I headed back to my dorm around midnight. Not from a night of partying, no. Instead, I was at the library with my head in my biology and chemistry books, wishing my friends the best of luck with their party hopping.
On a sidenote, I'm pretty sure I was the only one in the entire library that night.
Lonesome Fred.
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