School Daze

The last ten days have been exciting and fun-filled, which is why I haven’t posted. Sorry about that. Monday the 21st was supposed to be timetable day, but that was a lie. I didn’t get my schedule until Wednesday, but the wait was worth it as I’m very satisfied with my modules. For anyone who doesn’t already know, a student at UWE is enrolled in a “course,” the program of study, and then takes “modules,” what we call classes, that are in the course. Degree programs here are generally three levels, equal to six terms of study. Many modules run for both terms rather than being done in one go.

When I arrived, I’d automatically been enrolled in modules at the first level of study. This was worrisome as I’ve had most of that material already through VCU. By Wednesday, however, it had all been sorted out and I’m now taking modules across all three levels of study. This means that my schedule is completely irregular, but I get every Friday off, and if I have any lectures at all on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, there’s only one.

Genetics and Evolution is still a mystery class as I’ve heard nothing from the instructors and it isn’t up on Blackboard yet. (Yes, they use that over here; yes, it’s still annoying.) Research Design and Analysis II has a lot to do with statistics, but this level is focused less on quantitative data and more on squeezing numbers out of qualitative research.

In my first Science in Court lecture this morning I learned that the UK Supreme Court became the final court of appeals for the country today. It was the House of Lords until this morning, and you can read about that here. If you don't really care who was sworn in, you might instead want to know that the carpet used in the new courthouse was designed by the same fellow who did the cover art for Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band. I’m really looking forward to the rest of this module, as the British legal system is very different from the American, so there are loads of new things to learn.

I’m also going to be taking Biological Psychology and Individual Differences, a series of lectures on how the brain and the body interact. New to UWE this year is my final module, Forensic Psychology, which also includes information on criminology. I am particularly excited to be taking this class, as it is essentially the reason that I’ve over here at all.

I have applied and been accepted to work as a notetaker for Disabled Services here at the university. I’m also qualified, apparently, to provide “general support” for students, so if they need me, I’ll get a call. I showed up to take notes for a student on Tuesday, but he didn’t need me so I scooted off. I get paid for showing up, though, which is nice. Not taking notes allowed me to go to a little mini-concert at the university’s Health and Wellness centre. A brass quintet played a variety of pieces including a lovely arrangement of “A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square.”

Speaking of concerts, I have joined both the University Singers and the school’s Chamber Choir. University Singers is a large group made up of students, faculty, and community members. We’ll be learning and performing Beethoven’s "Mass in C," and I am absolutely delighted to again be singing classical music in a large group. Chamber Choir is a much smaller group of music faculty and interested students singing a cappella pieces. Our first rehearsal was this afternoon, and the music is going to be a great deal of fun. We’re beginning the Christmas music now because both of our concerts this term are scheduled for December, but it’s not your typical old carols. Well, old perhaps, but not typical.

One of our pieces is a 15th century carol called “Welcome, Yule” written by Sir C Hubert H Parry We’ve also started a Czech selection from the "Koleda" collection, written by Antonín Tučapský, and an absolutely bizarre, sixteen-minute piece called “Rejoice in the Lamb,” which was arranged by Benjamin Britten. The text is the work of Christopher Smart, who seems to have had a huge thing for animals. Between the lyrics and the really freaky time signatures, the song is going to be a LOT of fun.

What else can I relate? The weather is getting a little cooler, but it remains mostly sunny. Sunsets here turn everything a very rosy pink, which is pretty if you happen to be looking down over town from Filton Avenue. Lauren and I walked on Saturday from campus to Colston Girl’s School on Gloucester Road, thinking it was only a couple of miles or so. Wrong, it was 4.3 miles, and the bus back was so ridiculously late that we opted to walk all the way back, mostly uphill. Oops.

In my free time I have managed to knit a little more than 18 inches of the cabled scarf. I’d have gotten farther, but I keep discovering missed stitches and ripping out several rows to go back and fix it. It will be worth it in the end, though, to have a perfect pattern from end to end. I’ve discovered Heroes, a television series that is scientifically implausible but fictionally awesome. American free TV sites don’t work here, though, so instead of something nice and legal like Hulu, I am forced to find the episodes hosted on Chinese and Spanish sites instead. Oh well.

I’ve joined a local DVD rental service to provide movies for nice nights in. I intend to expand my cinematic horizons to include more Hindi films. Tonight I expect to be watching Om Shanti Om. My flatmates are all doing well, and last night several of us played card games in the kitchen. It’s confusing to play cards here because while some games have the same names/rules, many others go by the same names but are played by different rules. Others have familiar rules with different names. We get it straight in the end, though, and I’m told that neither the rules nor the names matter much once you’re drunk enough.