You might notice I did not post a Week 2. This is because it somehow got lost and I was dumb and did not back up the post elsewhere. But that's fine. One of my goals was to be kind to myself, and this was a valuable lesson. At least that happened to a blog post and not a paper. But we move onwards and upwards!
Before moving into the school portion of this blog, on Wednesday, my group and I went to Camden Market. The market was huge and had just about everything. We all ate lunch at the famed Cheese Bar. Everything was cheese, and I quite enjoyed my over-indulgent mac and cheese. I am lactose-sensitive, so my stomach felt it, but it was worth it! We also had cookie dough ice cream. Not ice cream with cookie dough but just scoops of cold cookie dough! This was not a calorie neutral day, and I promptly ate some steamed vegetables when I got home.
This past week was quite educational in both actually starting classes and my own self-discovery. I feel like I am exactly where I am meant to be and being challenged spiritually, educationally, and emotionally. I slip into depression when I am bored or unfulfilled, and so far, I am the happiest I have ever been. My classes are exceptional on all levels.
On Thursday, I had my Theology, Personhood, and Ethics. 25% of the class are study abroad students, and I managed to be at a table with just British students. I have two professors, Martin and Sarah, one for the first half of the semester and one for the second half. The logic behind this is that Theology is so nebulous and they don't want us hearing just one version. Also, they both grade our work, so it is fairer. Martain is a Theologist and therefore wants to give us a theological perspective. Sarah is a visiting lecturer, and she is there to provide us with a philosophical perspective. Martin explained how these viewpoints are often separate in the topic and that it is very rare to see a joining of the two. There was the usually Hell of syllabus reading and expectations, and I was very worried this would go on for three hours. But Martin was sure to give us a break every 45 minutes, and I am eternally grateful. Then it got really interesting. We were asked to answer the question, "What does it mean to be human."My group and I struggled because it a difficult question to answer without being ableist. Some people said being aware of yourself or having compassion for others. My group decided upon the idea that humans have the ability to look into the future and act in non-survival ways. Animals hibernate because they have to survive, so they bulk up. Humans have the ability to understand that their actions now impact their future in a non-survival context, i.e. not drink on a Sunday because of work the next day.
The second question was, "What does it mean to be human who believes in God?"We came up with the idea that humans are then second to some supreme being and that a human who believes in God is guided. Martin then tells us that most of us answered the first in a secular way and the second question in a religious way. He mentioned how some do not see a difference in the question, and that was a revelation.
My next class was Intro to the London Stage. The class itself has yet to reveal itself but the show we saw that night was exceptional. Master Harold and the Boys, is a three-person play where the white Harold, Hally, interacts with two black servants in his parent's restaurant on a rainy and slow afternoon in South Africa. The story centers on how Hally doesn't understand how Apartheid has benefited him both socially and emotionally. His parents were too busy to raise him, and the servants were his real parental figures. Hally doesn't get that the black servants are more of a man then he or his father is, and this greatly disturbs him. All through this, the two black servants are discussing an upcoming ballroom dancing competition. There is an excellent theme of dance and the universality of art. My only gripe with the show is the actor playing Hally looks like he is in his 30s, but the character is 17. I kept wondering why this 30-year-old had two servants helping him with his math homework. It wasn't until the last act when one of the servants mentions that he has looked after Hally for 17 years that it is clear how old he is supposed to be. Most people thought the play was dull and to be fair, it was a bit self-indulgent in the silent moments, but the dialogue was striking, and each word mattered.
I think this play would be great to teach something; I don't know...I'm not a teaching major. I had never heard of the playwright, Athol Fugard, but it warrants a re-read. One of the points the show's adverts wanted to stress was that it was banned in South Africa. I am still trying to figure out why it was banned, maybe because it portrays Black South Africans as strong and dignified. Perhaps because it, shows Halley as not in control. I am still trying to parse out the subversive nature of this play, and that is something we were asked to think about. I enjoy how this class is challenging us to see different kinds of theatre at different venues. My last class, on Friday, was Belief and Unbelief. I am again taught by two professors once again. Martin, again, and John. I forgot to mention this, but Martin looks like President Eisenhower and John looks like Alfred Hitchcock. I was not alone in the latter observation. The girl next to me said to her friend, "Oh God, Hitchcock is teaching us!"
There are two big and interesting things to note in this class. One: I am the only study abroad, student. This matters because during the ice-breaker question, "Why are you interested in RS (Religious Studies)" I had a unique answer. I said that I am taking this class because I cannot take it back home. The US has a weird relationship with religion and teaching it is fraught unless you are in a private institution; perhaps as the class goes on, I will write about this. Two: There is not a single white person except the professors. Never in my entire life have I experienced being in the majority. Most of the students were Asian, in fact, and it felt weird. I was told by my desk-mate, that she thought I was mixed. I have never been evaluated on how Asian I was. Back home, Asian is Asian is Asian. Here because there is such diversity, there can be evaluations of just how Asian you are. But on a larger scale, I am seen first as an American and an Asian second. Again because the U.K is diverse, it doesn't matter how you look; it matters what your accent is.
But back to the class. Again, I suffered the Hell of the syllabus. Torture has no boundaries. But then we got to talking and building a foundation of what Atheism is. Both professors are Roman Catholic but are deeply interested in Atheism and how people choose to believe or not. We had to go around the room, sharing our religious affiliations. A few were Christians, more were Muslim, but a solid half were Atheists. I was a bit uneasy about revealing my religious feelings because, in the States, I have rarely received a good reaction. But I might as well say it because it will probably come up, I am a Humanist Athiest. I intentionally put the Humanist before the Athiest. To my great relief, both professors just nodded and welcomed me warmly to the class. There was no weirdness about being an Atheist, and in fact, there was such openness to religion or lack there-of. There was no "In this class, we aren't trying to convert you so don't try and say we are"everyone understood why they were here and the class was completely open and honest. We talked about how an Athiest could believe in a God, Atheism in itself is a belief system, and thus the only true Atheists are those who have never heard or experienced any religious traditions and lastly how if someone isn't born into a faith it is very unlikely they will ever become religious. John brought forth an interesting question: What kind of a God is being rejected [by Athiests]? I left that class re-framing my own Atheism, and I am sure I will continue to re-define what I think I believe.
I met a lovely girl who I ate dinner with. She is British and Asian, and we had a great time parsing out the differences between American and England. She had a very hard time understanding thrift stores as opposed to charity shops in the UK. I think they are the same thing but she insists they are different. She is also the one who asked me if I was mixed. I told her no, and she said to me that before I said anything, she was sure that one of my parents was definitely British and the other Asian. The fact she thought I was even a little British sent me over the moon. She told me I was fair-skinned and how she never saw an Asian that naturally fair without makeup or bleaching. Again a wonderful insight into how out of the loop I am culturally as an Asian. But she was so nice, and I was very proud to make my own British friend, on my own and in a class. To be fair, all of my British classmates have been very warm and friendly.
The prompts for the final papers in both RS classes have me excited, which I cannot say I have ever been. I look forward to the topics that will be discussed in all of my classes, and I can say that all my professors are funny in that British sort of way. John said, "One can be an Athiest and believe in God, for example, if they think they are themselves a God while rejecting any moral God...like Trump or [Boris] Johnson seem to." All the British students had a good laugh.
Saturday was a trip down the Thames and Greenwich. I had paid for Social Program, which is a company that takes you on outings and trips. The river cruise was nothing special. Incidentally, I had heard this same tour now for the third time. But it seemed no one could hear it and the American couple behind was very confused, I had a great time explaining what the bored overhead voice was saying. The couple seemed pleased to have a better idea of what they were looking at.
The real winner was Greenwich. I never realized just how close Greenich is to central London. I am low-key a geography nerd and getting to see the Prime Meridian made me more excited than I thought I could be. I also got to see one of the first and still active Camera Obscura. Then I went to Greenwich Market and had lunch with a few people. The options available astounded me. If you are vegan or vegetarian, there is no shortage of options. I have to say the market was one of the best I have seen in Europe.
Overall differences/ observations
Things have due dates, but you can turn things in earlier. If we felt we had sufficient evidence, then we could turn our final paper in right after class.
One interesting thing is that it is quite normal to call your professors by their first name. Someone tried to say, "Dr. Martin..." and he said Martin was fine and we didn't have to go through the pomp and circumstance of addressing him as "Doctor."
Something that takes some getting used to in every class is "tapping in." Just like tapping into the underground with one's Oyster card, you also need to tap into class. This is how they monitor attendance. I have set an alarm on my phone, so I remember to do this.
As culturally aware as I am, I still am missing a lot of the jokes. John told us his last teaching job was at Strawberry Hill. "For the time being I am teaching here, but I was last at Strawberry Hill," and everyone laughed. I tried to look up Strawberry Hill, and I cannot figure out the punchline.
Paper is longer here. A4 paper is just a little longer than standard printer paper in the States. The folder I brought from him to hold my papers doesn't fit the paper.
This week has been very wordy and philosophical and less travel. But I am excited to see what these classes explore. I have also realized I think a lot on the Tube. It can be hard to hear people on the Tube and Wi-Fi doesn't work, so you are left with your thoughts. Later this week I will start posting "Tube Thoughts" on here. These are long stream of consciousness thoughts that I want to write about on their own. Coming up, I have a trip to Brighton, submitting my first ISEP blog post and my first opera alone.
Thank you so much for reading once again!
