Legally Brunette and Lost in a Foreign Country
10/04/2011
I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king. – Queen Elizabeth I
How gorgeous?!
On the 25th of September, the international students studying at Kent got to visit Leeds Castle for the day. Not only was it a castle (I mean hello? - a true English CASTLE?!), but it was here that my beloved Queen Elizabeth was imprisoned before her coronation. I sauntered on the same ground that Elizabeth walked! It was also the castle that King Henry VIII transformed in 1512 for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Certain rooms were set up to look as though you were peeking in on the daily life of Catherine. We got to see the Master Bedroom which had silk bedding threaded with HC monograms, her bathroom which had a pail (that must’ve been awkward) and a wooden “tub” for her washing that was draped with linen, which doubled as an indicator of status and wealth. The weather was lovely, 75 and sunny and there were birds flying over the water ala “The Notebook” (sigh).
Master Bedroom
Leeds Castle make ya, JUMP, JUMP! Uh huh, uh huh.
It was beautiful!
Christina and I!
It has only rained once since I’ve been here and that only lasted for 15 minutes. On Saturday it was 82 degrees and sunny! This past week people were laying out to soak up the unusual, summer-like rays and were having picnics outside of their houses. One thing I can say is that everything here is picturesque on campus and I feel so privileged to be studying here. Speaking of studying, classes began last week. Before they started I was so excited to have something to focus on and put my effort into. Campus here is much larger than IU East. We have 20,000 students here compared to the 4,000 in Richmond. It takes me about 15 minutes to walk to central campus where the majority of all classes are. The daunting task of finding my classes was one of the difficulties I faced the first week. I got lost PLENTY of times and even missed my first lecture because I couldn’t find the classroom! I was so embarrassed and quickly emailed my lecturer to apologize! I also had a scheduling conflict once I got here. I was registered for a class that takes place in the spring instead of this autumn term, so when I got here I was one class short of fulfilling the full 16 credits I needed. I finally worked out that issue with the help of the international office on campus who registers international students, but I was so stressed out that my schedule wasn’t finalized and that almost every class was already full! I thankfully got placed in a History of Medicine class which I’m finding to be very interesting. This year I am taking all of my elective credits. I am a Biology major but this year I’m taking a majority of liberal arts classes. I know, I know, you think I’m slacking by taking the equivalent of 200-level classes instead of 400-level Immunology, but I took this opportunity to study abroad to broaden my thinking and experience classes that I would’ve never been able to take at IUE. Because I’m taking many classes outside of my major, I find that I am unable to think how the class requires me to think. Exhibit A: I am taking a course called, Gods, Heroes and Mystery Cults: Religion in Ancient Greece. This is a second year course at Kent (they graduate in 3 years here, not 4) and many of the students are Classical Studies majors who have had many Anthropology and Religion courses, where I have had none. At Kent our classes are divided into lectures and seminars, teaching and talking, respectively. The lecture is one-hour long, once a week, where the lecturer gives us information about our weekly topic and the reading for that week and then the seminar is 2-hours long where we are spilt into small sections and discuss the assigned reading. So in this Greek seminar I was asked questions I have never been asked before in all of my life and found the way I should be thinking is not the way I was thinking, so when the lecturer asked me a question, I answered and the room stopped. I obviously was on another planet or something when listening to the question because it was made apparent by everyone in the room that my answer was incorrect. My face turned red and I was mortified. When I’m in these classes outside of my major I am in awe at the conclusions that some people draw. After getting lost almost every day last week, stressing out about my unfinished schedule and having to think broader than I’ve had to in my whole life, I felt stupid and incompetent. To draw a reference, if I may, I felt like Elle Woods walking into Harvard with expectations that this year would be just like senior year, except for funner and that happy people just don’t kill their husbands….they just don’t. On Thursday I had a good cry session where I wallowed in my depression by listening to Bon Iver and an assortment of other depressing songs. Noticing my sullen attitude, my close friend Christina came over and we bought junk food and watched “Notting Hill” and “Bridget Jones’ Diary” while she tried to reassure me that everyone is having a hard time adjusting because we’re in a DIFFERENT COUNTRY. But still, I have always felt like I’ve had a grasp on everything in my life, especially in my studies. I have always been that annoying overachiever with an enthusiastic, Hermione-esque hand raise, yet here, last week especially, I feel like a stupid girl who can’t even find her way around. But this is a new week, and thus far it has been wonderful. I’m starting to realize that just because sometimes I may feel stupid and like a damsel in distress, the intelligence and the zeal for learning I’ve had my entire life doesn’t just disappear because of a rough week or a relocation to a different country. I may just be a feeble, young girl, but I have the heart of a king and will soon prove to myself and others that I can handle more than you think. After all, who won the court case for Brooke Windham? Think about it… 'Til next time-
Kels
