Hello Everyone!!!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted because I’ve been so unbelievably busy with the start of school. Classes started on the 17th, and so far I love all of the courses I am enrolled in. I am taking a wide range of classes here at UCT, but I need all of them to graduate from Towson next spring so it works out well. While here, I am taking Astronomy, The Media in South Africa, South African Dance, and Media and Society.
Although my astronomy class is every single day, it is definitely one of my favorites. It is so cool and I’m learning so, so much! The professor is really great and gets us involved to make class and tutorials go by faster. The other day we got in groups and were labeled different parts of the galaxy, and had to get in positions with our other classmates to represent it accurately. I was the moon, and proudly wore my moon sticker all day :) Today we are visiting the South African Planetarium which I really look forward to.
I also am really loving the South African Dance class. I didn’t have enough credits, and I still need an art and creativity core credit for Towson, so I decided to late-enroll. It is definitely a step out of my comfort zone considering I don’t have the best sense of rhythm and really don’t like being on stage, but I wanted to try something different and learn something new. Thankfully I have a few friends in the class who have helped me catch up on all of the moves since i have missed a few minutes of the dance. I’m sure we will post videos of our complete dance by the end of the semester ;)
One thing that has taken me by surprise is how difficult some of my classes are. Much more work and time is required for all of my classes in comparison to both colleges I have attended in the states. Because every class is a lecture with approximately 200 other students, we are required to sign up for two tuts (tutorials) per class to attend each week. This way, the professors can assure that we are getting more individualized attention from the TA’s and the help that we need in class. In addition, my tut TA’s have given us separate assignments, projects, and test which makes it feel like I’m actually taking 8 classes.
School is definitely more intense here, especially because I’m used to the convenience of scheduling my own classes and times at Towson, whereas at UCT, the lectures are only held at one time for every student. As a result, I have class daily from about 9am to 5pm, but luckily I have a great schedule of some really awesome classes!
Now that I’m really starting to get settled in, I joined a gym called Zone Fitness down the street with a few friends so we can stay in shape while we’re here. With all of the delicious food, it won’t be hard to gain a few pounds!! I have also started getting into the routine of grocery sopping every few days, rather than going out for every meal (although much more convenient and delicious).
Luckily, there are several grocery stores about a mile down the road, so I usually walk and grab groceries at my favorite store, Woolworth’s aka Woolie’s, on the way back from classes. The food has no preservatives so everything goes bad much quicker which means buying less and shopping more. The fruit and bread are completely moldy if I don’t eat them in 3 days! I have had to learn to only buy enough for a few days, rather than the entire week like I do back in the states.
We have also had a great time attending the rugby games here at UCT. Although I have absolutely no idea what is going on, the atmosphere is such a blast! For every home game, everyone wears the school “vests” (otherwise known as tank tops :) ) and there is food, beer, and loud music. So much fun!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted because I’ve been so unbelievably busy with the start of school. Classes started on the 17th, and so far I love all of the courses I am enrolled in. I am taking a wide range of classes here at UCT, but I need all of them to graduate from Towson next spring so it works out well. While here, I am taking Astronomy, The Media in South Africa, South African Dance, and Media and Society.
Although my astronomy class is every single day, it is definitely one of my favorites. It is so cool and I’m learning so, so much! The professor is really great and gets us involved to make class and tutorials go by faster. The other day we got in groups and were labeled different parts of the galaxy, and had to get in positions with our other classmates to represent it accurately. I was the moon, and proudly wore my moon sticker all day :) Today we are visiting the South African Planetarium which I really look forward to.
I also am really loving the South African Dance class. I didn’t have enough credits, and I still need an art and creativity core credit for Towson, so I decided to late-enroll. It is definitely a step out of my comfort zone considering I don’t have the best sense of rhythm and really don’t like being on stage, but I wanted to try something different and learn something new. Thankfully I have a few friends in the class who have helped me catch up on all of the moves since i have missed a few minutes of the dance. I’m sure we will post videos of our complete dance by the end of the semester ;)
One thing that has taken me by surprise is how difficult some of my classes are. Much more work and time is required for all of my classes in comparison to both colleges I have attended in the states. Because every class is a lecture with approximately 200 other students, we are required to sign up for two tuts (tutorials) per class to attend each week. This way, the professors can assure that we are getting more individualized attention from the TA’s and the help that we need in class. In addition, my tut TA’s have given us separate assignments, projects, and test which makes it feel like I’m actually taking 8 classes.
School is definitely more intense here, especially because I’m used to the convenience of scheduling my own classes and times at Towson, whereas at UCT, the lectures are only held at one time for every student. As a result, I have class daily from about 9am to 5pm, but luckily I have a great schedule of some really awesome classes!
Now that I’m really starting to get settled in, I joined a gym called Zone Fitness down the street with a few friends so we can stay in shape while we’re here. With all of the delicious food, it won’t be hard to gain a few pounds!! I have also started getting into the routine of grocery sopping every few days, rather than going out for every meal (although much more convenient and delicious).
Luckily, there are several grocery stores about a mile down the road, so I usually walk and grab groceries at my favorite store, Woolworth’s aka Woolie’s, on the way back from classes. The food has no preservatives so everything goes bad much quicker which means buying less and shopping more. The fruit and bread are completely moldy if I don’t eat them in 3 days! I have had to learn to only buy enough for a few days, rather than the entire week like I do back in the states.
We have also had a great time attending the rugby games here at UCT. Although I have absolutely no idea what is going on, the atmosphere is such a blast! For every home game, everyone wears the school “vests” (otherwise known as tank tops :) ) and there is food, beer, and loud music. So much fun!
