Classes Start :)

Lecture room for Visual Culture

You know what feels amazing? Having NOTHING control you or your body but yourself. I gave up coffee (and I say “give up” because I’ve been addicted to the caffeine since middle school.) After a few weeks of intense caffeine withdrawals and headaches, I am free! I’m mentioning this because it is a huge part of my happiness level here. I love how naturally energetic I am yet calm at the same time. This has contributed to my level of ease. My first day of class was today and I was completely relaxed and excited. It was Intro to Visual Culture and I’m taking it to satisfy an upper level general ed. I have a female Aussie professor who is so thrilled about the arts and has the most eccentric mind.  This class is very different from the art history class I took last year, because visual culture focuses on how YOU interact with art and why. Our first assignment is to go to a contemporary art museum and write a reflection paper on your reactions to the artwork and analyze why you had that reaction. For example she showed us a view pictures of sculptures and paintings at the beginning of class, and I gasped. One was of a nude young girl photo shopped in a landscape painting. Why did I think that was initially against my moral code? Then we saw a sculpture constructed of nothing but reindeer meet. I was both intrigued and a bit repulsed by the image. Why? The class only requires questions. If you find a deeper insight to that question, then wonderful. If not, keep on asking questions.

The R block of campus

The second class I am taking is Interpersonal Communication. This is an elective I would have to take at UWEC, so I figured I would benefit from taking it abroad. Again, I am the only American in the three hour class. I love that! The professor is like a youthful, hip grandma and she is soft spoken yet assertive. I find that type of personality very easy to listen to and learn from.  We sat in a circle with just our chairs and went over the syllabus and talked about the main model of communication. (sender + receiver + noise=message) Speaking of noise, there were birds outside the classroom (which is in a building right next to the rainforest) that were VERY loudly sending messages to each other for the duration of the three hour class. I just sit in class and have to realize that I am actually IN class.

My last class is Australia, Asia and the World and I think I am most excited for this one. From the first five minutes, I knew the young, very energetic male professor would be a good one. All he did was profess how essential communication is. In any subject, no matter what the context, you need communication, and effective communication to take place in order for any progress to happen. The class is shaped around who Australia is, where they fit in, and how they affect the world. Also, we will discuss how keenly Asia is affected by Australia and vice versa. In America, we have always learned about the European influence in our history, and the Chinese market in today’s world. I can honestly (and embarrassingly) say that I didn’t even think about other country’s influencing Australia. I love realizing that I’m ignorant about a topic, because then I can quickly and thoroughly fix that. I except to gain a better understanding of Australia’s contemporary views on their history, indigenous background and relations within the globe. SO excited. Oh, and Baden (our prof) brings in mango juice every tutorial to enjoy.

After taking just these classes, I have never been more sure about a choice. I was meant to come here, to this uni, and take these classes with these Aussie peers, and professors. I’m where I belong for the next four months.