Beginning of Semester
Oops, it's actually the END of the semester now, but I think I can remember about how I was feeling a few months ago. The biggest mistake I made and wish I had been more on top of around August was my study abroad...stuff. This semester has been so overwhelming as a result--I felt constantly busy with all of the forms and paperwork and technicalities that I hardly had enough time for my school work. I was not aware of the stress that was about to ensue at the beginning of the semester.
Otherwise, I was very happy with how the Paideia program left off at the end of the Spring semester. I felt closer to the group and felt like we'd accomplished a lot. I didn't realize how drastically the size of our cohort would change this semester, but I actually ended up liking it a lot. I was way more comfortable with everyone and it was really cool that each person brought in their own readings to discuss rather than something from a set list. I've gone back and forth with my opinion of this, but ultimately I've decided I think it's best for people to choose their own topics, even if it is a little more difficult to come up with something. I also really liked meeting in the media room rather than one in the cafeteria. I thought it had a better vibe and was more private. Plus it was more convenient being in the cove rather than the commons because I no longer have a meal plan.
So maybe it's no longer the beginning of the semester, but I can see that all of my previous expectations have been met. As far as the program goes, I feel like this semester was a nice sort of break. We all worked very hard the first year with our community service work, and just generally had a lot more going on. This time around it was great to just have intelligent discussion with an interesting and versatile group of people. That's exactly what this section of the program needed!
End of Semester Reflection
I think I enjoyed Paideia even more this semester. I liked it last semester, but I felt much more comfortable with everyone and ended up talking a lot more around the whole group. It seems like everyone is getting to know one another better and that really makes the experience of it much more enjoyable. The smaller group was also really nice. I feel like people who weren't really that interested or were too busy dropped out, and that's definitely a good thing. The people who remained seem to be much more interested and that makes for better discussion.
As far as personal growth in the program, I have spent the entire semester absolutely stressing about study abroad. I've been preparing and applying and filling out and waiting and buying and all of this shit for so long and it's been really really tough. I didn't realize just how much work would go into this, and I'm still not done. It's HARD! But I'm so super appreciative that it's finally about it happen. I leave for London on January 1st and I am terrified. I am so so excited about going, but I have a lot of reservations. I know it's lame, but the thing that's tripping me up most is being in a relationship. I've been trying for the past year or so to avoid dating because I didn't want to be attached to anyone when I was abroad. Of course I met the greatest guy in the entire world and want to get married and all of these ridiculous great feelings 2 months before I leave. So I am bummed about that, but I'm trying to not get too worked up about it. Six months is not forever. I'm also very concerned about money. My best friend is currently studying in Sweden, and he ran out of money quickly. I know that there's basically no way for me to keep up the lifestyle I've been living for the last few years, and that's really scary to me. I have so many reservations and so many things to be excited about...I just have a lot of feelings about it! It'll be amazing though.
As far as my creative works go, I'm still thinking I'll use my capstone for this. I have been too busy to think about much other than study abroad recently.
Readings/Student-led Discussions
I really enjoyed all of the articles everyone picked for the cohort to read. I guess I'll start by discussing my own. I haven't read Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals because I'm too cheap to buy a hardcover book, but it seems really interesting based on the article I picked for the class to read. One of the main points it brings up is that just about everyone is entirely aware of the cruelty involved for the animals in the meat industry, particularly in America. Everyone has seen Peta videos or heard about the awful conditions of animals slaughtered for fur or chickens that can't support their own body weight because they're so pumped full of hormones and shit so people will eat them. This is all common knowledge. However, people still continue to eat meat, despite all this information, because they think it tastes good. I think this is entirely stupid because I know about all the best meat substitutes and because I never really liked meat in the first place. But it's hard for me to argue with because my main reasoning for becoming a vegetarian was that I didn't like the way meat tasted. Actually, my entire reasoning was pretty selfish and maybe even a little superficial. It does make me feel like I'm better than other people. But I digress. Katie brought up a great point during our discussion of the article: that the meat industry provides a whole hell of a lot of jobs, which are hard to come by in the current economic times. Now, I had never proposed that the entire world become vegetarian. I would not expect nearly enough people to switch over to create a problem in the industry. Hell, I'm not even telling other people how they should eat--it's just not my style. But I do genuinely believe that if it can be done healthily, why not?
There are a few other problematic issues on the subject. For one, Foer doesn't mention veganism. I'm with him though. As I said to the cohort, I hate vegans. I think they're making their lives harder for everyone and that they're being too whiny and too unreasonable. But that does sort of problematize Foer's argument. I don't know what to think!
I liked Katie's article too. It was well-written and enjoyable to read, and I totally agree that humor is a great tool for learning. I know most of my favorite professors incorporate humor into their lessons, but more than it being funny, I feel like it's showing the students a bit of their personality, which I feel students greatly appreciate.
Michelle's article was interesting as well. I am all about the arts and english and writing, but it was really refreshing to hear a scientific connection to these sorts of things. It really goes along with the liberal arts education I think we're all after at Southwestern.
