This week weather wise has been up and down. It was coldish in the beginning of the week, getting increasingly nicer as the week went on. On Thursday the rain finally let up (after 3 straight weeks of it) and Friday was beautiful! I didn't even need a jumper! I had the last of my work due on Thursday, it was an oral presentation in my Social Marketing class. It went pretty well, the class only had about 70 kids in it, I thought there were more! It's actually really hard to know how many kids are in lectures since no one really ever goes to class here. Both of my marketing lecturers came up to me within the last two weeks and thanked me for showing up!! They both said that they noticed that I had come to every lecture and thanked me for it...if only that is how it was in the states! Lecturers "understand" that college kids have lives and can't always come to class (really can some of my professors at UVM have that kind of attitude? lol). Most kids don't come because the whole lecture is posted online and, since anyone today can become a teacher by inappropriately using powerpoint, it is very easy to publish your lecture to the internet. I still feel that coming to class gives you a leg up in the class, though many of my kiwi classmates would tend to disagree with me. They too think its strange that I show up to class and FEEL BAD about skipping. The kiwi way of life.
I have realised I haven't said much about my classes either. Well for the most part they have screwed up my spelling even more! I am a HORRIBLE speller, that is a fact...but for some reason I have picked up the English spelling rules VERY quickly and find myself having to remember what the American spelling is!! I am going to be totally confused when I have to write a paper back in the states....can someone just remind me to switch word's language from New Zealand english back to American english?? or my business professors will hate me lol. I have learned that I do not like the New Zealand education system. I am a liberal arts girl all the way!! No one over here has any diversity, they all take the classes they need to graduate (which is almost entirely classes within their major) and don't really explore any other options. I was talking to one of my group members in my social marketing class about her major. She is a double journalism/ marketing major. I said that was an interesting mix and asked what she was thinking to do with it (since she will be "graduating" in November). She said that she hates marketing, and was just taking it as something to fall back on since journalism is a very hard job market to break into. That just totally surprised me. I mean if you have come this far in your schooling, you should at least find something you like! I mean I know there are heaps of kids back home in majors that they also don't like and are just doing it for the money they can make after school...but they confuse me too! I could never even think of doing something in school that you didn't like! why do it? you're paying enough money to go, well not as much here, but still, you're paying, why not actually enjoy it? I have a hard enough time going to my math classes (it's not maths...no matter how much my flatmates try to convince me otherwise!) So yeah, kiwis are too focused! The system needs to put some fun back into education, let kids take the stupid classes and find something they enjoy, especially if its not their major!
I also HATE how english is taught here and I feel horrible; this is the first ever english class that I hate despised. I have enjoyed most of the books we have read, I have even enjoyed some of the lecturers...but I cannot stand the tutorials and the majority of the lectures. They assume everyone is a mind reader and that you should pick up on certain aspects of the book to analysis, even if they have never mentioned it before! Also, for tutorials, class participation means NOTHING...all they count is attendance...so OF COURSE no one talks, or even prepares. It's painful sitting in on EVERY one of my tutorials becuase it's like pulling teeth, I fee bad for the tutors, well really only my comms mark. tutor, he was the only competent one. The other two either didn't care at all about the tutorial and just allowed us to work on our projects (social mark) or wasn't ever prepared himself and never had any topics ready to discuss and just hoped we would come up with something on our own (English) its painful.
So when I do come back it will not be to study...maybe as a Butler employee...but that is another story . . .
Cheers!
~Marjorie
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