Why not? With just one week left of classes, I thought I would come up with a couple of top 5 lists about my entire undergraduate experience at McGill.
Top 5 Courses
5. FRSL 207, 211, 321, 431: French, all 4 years! This has been the only consistent part of my time and McGill and, although I've had three different profs, I really enjoyed all of my time in French- after all, I came to McGill with virtually no ability to speak French and now I can definitely get by in the language.
4. ENGL 315: Shakespeare, Fall '06. This was a long time ago, full of pretentious English students, and a complete elective for me (grade didn't count). In fact, this was the only course I took after first year that was a complete, irrelevant, just for fun elective. And it was lots of fun! Even if the prof was wacked out, I enjoyed his lectures and I enjoyed getting to read lots of Shakespeare.... I'm not sure when I would have otherwise.
3. ANTH 401: Comparative Anthropology, Fall '08. This was a semester course I took last semester with my then-thesis supervisor. At about 15 students, it was the smallest class I took at McGill. And there were so many characters in the class, that it was hard not to be entertaining. The readings were interesting (there was this one anthropologist who wrote about nomadic entertainers in Pakistan, and as part of his research he laid crunched up in a crib for 8 hours staring at what a baby would see.... and he made a sketch of this!), as were the discussions. Then of course the prof would have his anti-postmodernist tirades every once in a while.
2. ANTH 307: Andean Prehistory, Winter '08. I normally I'm not a big fan of archeology, but this class was fantastic. South America had always been a mysterious place for me, but it's ancient civilisations were even more mysterious. I simply did not know anything about them, and taking this course opened my eyes to so many interesting mysteries obscured by history. Although the class was an awkward size (about 30-40), the prof was fantastic and kept her lectures stimulating and organised.
1. ANTH 422: Contemporary Latin American Society and Culture, Winter' 09. This was a fantastic course! I was a litttle sketched out at first becuase it was once a week for three hours.... but the three hours flew by. This was a mostly student-led seminar, so interesting discussions always ensued. The readings and other course material were fantasically well-selected.... and the prof is even having the whole class over her house for a seminar party!
Top 5 Most Disapointing Courses
5. ANTH 358: The Process of Anthropological Research, Winter '09 (ongoing). I had very high expectations for this course.... I thought to myself, finally, something concrete! To be fair, this hasn't been terrible. The prof is young and inexperienced, but she tries very hard. But the lectures are dreadfully boring and often way too abstract to be relevant. The sad thing is that I don'T feel as though this class has made me any more prepared to go into the field.
4. ANTH 337: Meditteranean Society & Culture, Fall '07. With such a promising title, I guess I really had my hopes up. This wasn't a useless course- indeed, the prof making us do group presentations at the end was an interesting way to tie up the course. And the readings were generally quite well-selected. But my god were the lectures boring. Well except the guest lecture by my future honours thesis supervisor: "How many of you have tried sheep cheese before? No one? Good! Because I have some for all of us!".
3. ANTH 355: Theories of Culture and Society, Winter '09 (ongoing). Well, to be fair, I wasn't expecting much from this course, so I'm not sure how "disappointing" it was/is. But I felt I had to put this one there because it's SUCH a dreadful course. Readings are wayy to excessive, they are in a textbook with a font size of 2, and they are excerpted from their original sources - so you don't have any idea of the context. The text book we use actually edits out the concrete examples that the writers use to illustrate their overly jargonised and abstract points. The lectures similarly are so abstract that you actually have no clue what the prof is talking about. Not to mention, the prof left for 3 weeks to meander about in Africa and spent half the class before the midterm talking about his "travel" stories (which were SO boring), before handing us the most psychotic review sheet ever: we had to prepare for 25 IDs and 20 essays in less than 2 days!!!
2. ANTH 338: Native Peoples of North America, Fall '08. This class was a fiasco. The instructor was incredibly boring and disorganised. The textbook was atrocious- each reading seemed like it was written by 3rd graders and said the same thing, "White people are bad and with their alcohol destroyed the lives of the poor natives". The exams were erratic and tested the most irrelevant meticulous details.
1. ANTH 492: Honour's Thesis. Well... of course, this had to be the biggest disappointment.
Top 5 Fixtures of the McGill landscape
When I'm in grad school and beyond, what things -other than courses- will remain in my memory when I think about McGill? What thins will I most associate with the McGill landscape?
5. Never-ending construction
4. Chaos at the bookstore in the first week of the semester / in Shatner on Activity Night
3. Long winters
2. Samosa Sales
1. Red tape (bureacracy!)
Well, those are the lists I came up. If anyone else has another suggestion for a McGill top 5, let me know. :-)
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
February, March and plans for April, May, June, July and August
Hello readers. You might have noticed a lack of updates on my part.... unfortunately, a combination of a lack of free time and a lack of inspiration are the culprits. I thought I would update my readers on what's coming up in my life- in case anyone was keeping track.
Late February I went to Guatemala. I encourage you, if you haven't already done so, to check out my facebook profile for pictures- this will also give you a good idea of what I did there.
As for my impressions, I found it very interesting to compare to countries like Morocco and Thailand. These three countries are all quite similar in being "developing" countries with a pretty substantial tourist trade. Guatemala, given its history of civil war and gang violence, probably has the worst reputation for violence among these countries; indeed, I was constantly told to be prudent and guarded. Remarkably, however, I had virtually no problems with touts in Guatemala. This is remarkeable indeed because in Thailand and Morocco, touts ands hustlers are a constant hastle, particularly for the unitiated and in heavily touristed places. Yet there I was, having never previously stepped foot in Latin America and confining myself mostly to the most touristy of areas and..... nothing! Well.... apart from the typical late bus or the cab driver "conveniently" not having change. This, combined with fantastic food, beautiful natural scenery, vibrant cultures (indigenous and mestizo), and, perhaps my favourite part, stunning ancient ruins makes this country, in my eyes, a fascinating destination in which I could have easily spent another month.
Touts aside, I still prefer Thailand to Guatemala. Even though this was not a problem for me, Guatemala DOES have a problem with violence that virtually does not exist in a country like Thailand. Sure, you might be equally as likely to get robbed in some way, but Guatemala has an astronomical homocide rate and guns and machetes are everywhere. Unfortunately, until statistics change, one must always keep up his guard when in Guatemala... even in villages! Guatemala was also relatively expensive..... well, certainly it was cheaper than North America, but prices were much more expensive than Thailand.
The other thing that bothered me about Guatemala was all the gringos (foreigners). Of course, I have no problems with adventerous people exploring something new.... what bothers me is the typology of people doing it. In a country like Thailand, many travellers are young, open-minded Europeans. North Americans are quite rare in Thailand, but when you do find them, they break the mould of the typical North Americans.... not only is it relatively rare for North Americans to go shoestringing, but they normally don't do it in North America. But Guatemala is in the US's backyard.... in fact, Guatemala has a palpable US influence in the landscape that one simply does not see in Morocco or Thailand. From taking shoes off in the airport, to the American fast food chains along the highway, to the petrol priced bizarrely in gallons (and quite expensive!), to the dearth of sidewalk cafés. And similarly one finds the "Ugly American" I try so hard to avoid. You either have self-righteous missionaries or air-con Sheraton tourists- neither of whom I have much connection. From people who think they are enriching the lives of the poor Guatemalans to people who won't touch them, speak to them, eat with them, or even eat their food. In fact, during my flights down, everyone except this one Dutch couple could not understand why a young Canadian/American student would want to spend a week backpacking in Guatemala. You couldn't believe how many people asked, "are you a missionary?". Of course, then I meet Dutch and Germans who understood completely what it was that I was after... (which in itself is not something tangible or even easily expressible in words). .... Then you have what I like to call "Lonely Planet Travellers" - a curious type ubiquitous in almost all of the developing countries I've seen (Burma being the one exception).... these are sloppily-dressed twenty-somethings who feel a self-moral sense of superiority in expressing "solidarity" with the locals in compromising their own personal hygeine and proudly taking the lowest-quality transport, accomodation, and food they can find..... all while, of course, finding any possible opportunity to get stoned. But please stop me before I stereotype too much. :-)
Just days after getting back from Guatemala, I received an e-mail from NUS..... I was accepted with a Research Scholarship.... that means they will completely subsidise my tuition plus give me a $1500 SGD monthly stipend. Needless to say I accepted the offer right away. They will send me an "offer information booklet" in late May, so for the moment I know very little other than that orientation is sometime in early August (around the 3rd).
From early March until now (and most likely for the final two weeks which remain in my undergrad career), I have suffered from a severe case of senioritis....
I officially finish on April 22. After about a week or two between Montreal and New Jersey I will be off to San Diego for about 4 days (7 - 11 May). From San Diego (well, LAX technically), I will fly to Easter Island.... well,with stops in San Salvador, San Jose and Santiago de Chile. I will be in Easter Island from 12 - 16 May. Then I fly back to Santiago, where I will be for one week (or until the 23rd). I will probably travel a bit around Santiago.... but I haven't planned this far yet.
On the 24th of May I will be back in Montreal for my graduation and those sorts of festivities. I will leave Montreal for good on the 30th.
Then I am (presumably) off for my internship in Washington, DC. I say presumably because I haven't heard much about this, other than that I have a background check interview next Tuesday. I will have more details about this as I learn more.
Late July I will be off to Singapore!
That's my life as it stands now. Until next time.....
Late February I went to Guatemala. I encourage you, if you haven't already done so, to check out my facebook profile for pictures- this will also give you a good idea of what I did there.
As for my impressions, I found it very interesting to compare to countries like Morocco and Thailand. These three countries are all quite similar in being "developing" countries with a pretty substantial tourist trade. Guatemala, given its history of civil war and gang violence, probably has the worst reputation for violence among these countries; indeed, I was constantly told to be prudent and guarded. Remarkably, however, I had virtually no problems with touts in Guatemala. This is remarkeable indeed because in Thailand and Morocco, touts ands hustlers are a constant hastle, particularly for the unitiated and in heavily touristed places. Yet there I was, having never previously stepped foot in Latin America and confining myself mostly to the most touristy of areas and..... nothing! Well.... apart from the typical late bus or the cab driver "conveniently" not having change. This, combined with fantastic food, beautiful natural scenery, vibrant cultures (indigenous and mestizo), and, perhaps my favourite part, stunning ancient ruins makes this country, in my eyes, a fascinating destination in which I could have easily spent another month.
Touts aside, I still prefer Thailand to Guatemala. Even though this was not a problem for me, Guatemala DOES have a problem with violence that virtually does not exist in a country like Thailand. Sure, you might be equally as likely to get robbed in some way, but Guatemala has an astronomical homocide rate and guns and machetes are everywhere. Unfortunately, until statistics change, one must always keep up his guard when in Guatemala... even in villages! Guatemala was also relatively expensive..... well, certainly it was cheaper than North America, but prices were much more expensive than Thailand.
The other thing that bothered me about Guatemala was all the gringos (foreigners). Of course, I have no problems with adventerous people exploring something new.... what bothers me is the typology of people doing it. In a country like Thailand, many travellers are young, open-minded Europeans. North Americans are quite rare in Thailand, but when you do find them, they break the mould of the typical North Americans.... not only is it relatively rare for North Americans to go shoestringing, but they normally don't do it in North America. But Guatemala is in the US's backyard.... in fact, Guatemala has a palpable US influence in the landscape that one simply does not see in Morocco or Thailand. From taking shoes off in the airport, to the American fast food chains along the highway, to the petrol priced bizarrely in gallons (and quite expensive!), to the dearth of sidewalk cafés. And similarly one finds the "Ugly American" I try so hard to avoid. You either have self-righteous missionaries or air-con Sheraton tourists- neither of whom I have much connection. From people who think they are enriching the lives of the poor Guatemalans to people who won't touch them, speak to them, eat with them, or even eat their food. In fact, during my flights down, everyone except this one Dutch couple could not understand why a young Canadian/American student would want to spend a week backpacking in Guatemala. You couldn't believe how many people asked, "are you a missionary?". Of course, then I meet Dutch and Germans who understood completely what it was that I was after... (which in itself is not something tangible or even easily expressible in words). .... Then you have what I like to call "Lonely Planet Travellers" - a curious type ubiquitous in almost all of the developing countries I've seen (Burma being the one exception).... these are sloppily-dressed twenty-somethings who feel a self-moral sense of superiority in expressing "solidarity" with the locals in compromising their own personal hygeine and proudly taking the lowest-quality transport, accomodation, and food they can find..... all while, of course, finding any possible opportunity to get stoned. But please stop me before I stereotype too much. :-)
Just days after getting back from Guatemala, I received an e-mail from NUS..... I was accepted with a Research Scholarship.... that means they will completely subsidise my tuition plus give me a $1500 SGD monthly stipend. Needless to say I accepted the offer right away. They will send me an "offer information booklet" in late May, so for the moment I know very little other than that orientation is sometime in early August (around the 3rd).
From early March until now (and most likely for the final two weeks which remain in my undergrad career), I have suffered from a severe case of senioritis....
I officially finish on April 22. After about a week or two between Montreal and New Jersey I will be off to San Diego for about 4 days (7 - 11 May). From San Diego (well, LAX technically), I will fly to Easter Island.... well,with stops in San Salvador, San Jose and Santiago de Chile. I will be in Easter Island from 12 - 16 May. Then I fly back to Santiago, where I will be for one week (or until the 23rd). I will probably travel a bit around Santiago.... but I haven't planned this far yet.
On the 24th of May I will be back in Montreal for my graduation and those sorts of festivities. I will leave Montreal for good on the 30th.
Then I am (presumably) off for my internship in Washington, DC. I say presumably because I haven't heard much about this, other than that I have a background check interview next Tuesday. I will have more details about this as I learn more.
Late July I will be off to Singapore!
That's my life as it stands now. Until next time.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)