Uni
This pic is is of Okover stream, which runs through the campus forms a
super
beautiful core of a very pretty campus (although some of the interior
designers were quite fond of bare concrete). It also runs past the
organic
community garden on campus (where there was a delicious organic BBQ
today
for one dollar) which is also really really neat. Just thought I'd
post a
bit about the uni and my papers (courses), since this is study abroad
and
because today i finally got my enrollment all straightened out
(hopefully,
enrollment is a difficult process). First off, NZ courses usually meet
only
two hours a week (for lecture, then there is usually a tutorial of one
hour
and sometimes a lab) and seem to run any which time on any particular
day in
any particular lecture theater. This can make for a bit of an erratic
schedule - but the real advantage is that Friday classes can be
avoided
fairly easily, which is a timetable that I am really enjoying. I got
lucky,
as I am in four classes that count for requirements at home, are at
good
times, and that have good lecturers (professor is apparently a title
that is
seldom bestowed upon mere mortals here, so lecturers are just called
by
their first or last names) and are interesting. My papers are:
Algebra&Cryptography (think code breaking - it's always
interesting to hear
a lecturer talk about 'the enemy'), Perspectives on Maths (oh yeah,
'math'
is a plural here - this course is a history of maths with a little bit
of
philosophy of maths thrown in at the end), Human Computer Interaction
(the
basics of designing computer programs that people can actually use -
aka
programing good GUIs using java), and Intro to NZ Politics (this
should be
very interesting as NZ has plenty of unique quirks and a pretty
volatile
political system - plus I know little to nothing, so there will be a
heaps
of looking things/people/events up on wikipedia). Just finish up with
a
couple of great things: 1) no books to buy for the semester, as the
library
has a couple of copies of each of the books for my courses on three
hour
loan. 2) the library has heaps of beanbags to read on. 3) it is
completely
socially acceptable to walk on and around campus barefoot (to the
library,
class, the student union - or to the bank, the dairy, or the grocery
store)
and students (including me today) take full advantage of it.
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