So, I think for the first time since I got here, I’m genuinely happy. I mean, I haven’t been sad these last two weeks, I just haven’t really felt particularly cheery, sedated if you will. But today I noticed that I’m feeling more awake, people are being more sociable towards me, or I’m being more outgoing, or both. Generally I think I’m just getting better adjusted. Anyway, today started off normal enough, waking up a good hour before I actually had to get up, having a brisk walk across a very windy railway bridge, and getting my eardrums blown out by the inevitable train that has to blast past every time I’m right up against the tracks.
I also realized something today, when people say that New Zealanders are laid back, that’s kind of an understatement. My laid back and relaxed is my classmates focused, and their laid back and relaxed is my flat out lazy. As such, I’ve been tearing it up in my classes so to speak.
In English the teacher called me up to the front before class and handed me “The Death of a Salesman” (the book that they had been reading in class.) I told him that since he had mentioned that I could go to the uniform shop to borrow it, I already had it. He then said, “oh, good” then asked for my e-mail address so that he could mail me the pages that I needed to read by tomorrow to be caught up. I told him that since it was so short (only about small 100 pages with 12pt font) I had finished it already, at this he looked kind of surprised and said that in that case, he wouldn’t need my e-mail address. The class then went on to feature some presentations, one of which was three days late and obviously done on a sheet of loose-leaf ten minutes before class. Another one was quite obviously copy and pasted (the handout was written as a fluent and in-depth analysis of the book as a whole, while the two presenters were exchange students from India and Japan who spoke very limited English), and the teacher remarked only that they must have done “some research”.
In electronics we were given three graphs of the conducting patters of a diode, a transistor, and a MOSFET something-or-other. We were then asked to write a small arrow next to the graph, showing what direction the lines would shift if there was an increase in heat. I jotted down the arrows on our tables white board and waited for a while for the rest of the class to finish. The teacher came over to check our progress since we were talking about things other than diodes, and, upon looking at our white board (with the arrows on it) said “ookay, who looked in the book for the answers” like we had just played a practical joke on her. No one really said anything so I asked if we were supposed to check our answers with the book. She then asked who did the arrows, so I said that I did, she asked me to explain the answers so I did, and again, she looked genuinely surprised that I hadn’t just gotten some lucky guesses in, said “good job” and walked away to the rest of the table proclaiming “yeah, we knew that”.
In art design there isn’t really a class so much as time to work on your projects, but I surprised myself with how many subtleties and subliminal messages I picked up in a set of Swiss style posters I was analyzing. I think it was around that point I realized what a great position I was in; the standards I’ve set for myself are higher that the standards that the teachers set for the students, and higher still than the students set for themselves.
Plus I don’t have any homework tonight.
I also realized something today, when people say that New Zealanders are laid back, that’s kind of an understatement. My laid back and relaxed is my classmates focused, and their laid back and relaxed is my flat out lazy. As such, I’ve been tearing it up in my classes so to speak.
In English the teacher called me up to the front before class and handed me “The Death of a Salesman” (the book that they had been reading in class.) I told him that since he had mentioned that I could go to the uniform shop to borrow it, I already had it. He then said, “oh, good” then asked for my e-mail address so that he could mail me the pages that I needed to read by tomorrow to be caught up. I told him that since it was so short (only about small 100 pages with 12pt font) I had finished it already, at this he looked kind of surprised and said that in that case, he wouldn’t need my e-mail address. The class then went on to feature some presentations, one of which was three days late and obviously done on a sheet of loose-leaf ten minutes before class. Another one was quite obviously copy and pasted (the handout was written as a fluent and in-depth analysis of the book as a whole, while the two presenters were exchange students from India and Japan who spoke very limited English), and the teacher remarked only that they must have done “some research”.
In electronics we were given three graphs of the conducting patters of a diode, a transistor, and a MOSFET something-or-other. We were then asked to write a small arrow next to the graph, showing what direction the lines would shift if there was an increase in heat. I jotted down the arrows on our tables white board and waited for a while for the rest of the class to finish. The teacher came over to check our progress since we were talking about things other than diodes, and, upon looking at our white board (with the arrows on it) said “ookay, who looked in the book for the answers” like we had just played a practical joke on her. No one really said anything so I asked if we were supposed to check our answers with the book. She then asked who did the arrows, so I said that I did, she asked me to explain the answers so I did, and again, she looked genuinely surprised that I hadn’t just gotten some lucky guesses in, said “good job” and walked away to the rest of the table proclaiming “yeah, we knew that”.
In art design there isn’t really a class so much as time to work on your projects, but I surprised myself with how many subtleties and subliminal messages I picked up in a set of Swiss style posters I was analyzing. I think it was around that point I realized what a great position I was in; the standards I’ve set for myself are higher that the standards that the teachers set for the students, and higher still than the students set for themselves.
Plus I don’t have any homework tonight.
: )
ReplyDeleteOh! (That smile was all I was going to have to say about this, until I remembered something...)
ReplyDeleteI had a dream last night that you flew home for the weekend (yes, ridiculous) because you were miserable. You explained that it wasn't overall, just that particular day or weekend, and that you'd be fine when you returned on Monday (apparently you had the day off, so somehow it was feasible.) I'm glad that my apparent subconscious worries are unfounded... or I am psychic and it was some kind of premonition about this post, and you finally feeling better adjusted- haha : )
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ReplyDelete:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
ReplyDeleteHoly christ! I actually do have monday off.
ReplyDeleteI frighten myself.
ReplyDeleteThis is a test.
ReplyDelete