STUDYING Abroad

I am writing this after completing my first written assignment for my classes at UCT. Today was the second day of classes, and I have now had at least one class meeting for each of my four courses. While we are only doing introductory work in most of my classes (I say "most" because the four page essay I had to write tonight seems a little more advanced than introductory), I have enjoyed the subject matter of them all so far. I am particularly interested in my Contemporary Art and Visual Culture class, which came recommended to me by a Tufts student who also studied abroad at UCT and loved this particular course. The class is a 100-level course, and is thus designed for first-year students. While I am sure the class would bore an Art History major, I have never taken a class remotely like this one before, so I find it really engaging. I am also really excited for my Democracy, Social Change and Development course, which is a 300-level course, and is thus very demanding. This is the course for which I already had to read two dense articles and then write a four-page response. The other two courses, African Language and Literature II and Race, Class, and Gender, seem fine, but the lecturers (i.e. professors) are not particularly engaging. I hope that with time and more interesting material to discuss, these professors will become more passionate in their lectures.

Whereas at Tufts I have recitations for some of my large classes, at UCT, every class (they are all enormous considering the fact that there are 20,000 students enrolled at the uni) has a tutorial, during which students submit the majority of their graded assignments. Much like at Tufts, lectures are very broad and impersonal, so the tutorials (dubbed "tuts" here) are meant for in-depth discussions. The main difference between recitations and tuts, though, is that each tut covers different material. Students enroll in tuts based upon their specific interests. All tuts require the same amount of work, but the assignments are tailored to each tut's unique subject matter. T.I.A. - This is Africa!

Apart from academics, it has been quite an experience just being on a campus that has so many students around at all times. There are lines for everything, from department offices to food courts. Luckily, I found a place outside of the food court called Souper Sandwich (I'm sure that anyone who studied at UCT know about it!), which serves really inexpensive grilled paninis that are made-to-order. Needless to say, I plan on eating there every day! In addition to the long lines, the campus has a general aura of anonymity due to the large number of students that are there at any given time. Granted the fact that I know almost no one at UCT, it still feels as though I could walk around all day and not see one face that I recognize. As strange as it is for me to be in an environment that is so different from what I am used to at Tufts, I am really enjoying being able to do my own thing while I am on campus. Because I am constantly around people when I get back to my flat, it is a nice break to be alone while at school. I should note, though, that there is at least one American student that I know in each of my classes, so I am not entirely alone during classes. While it is nice to see a familiar face when I arrive in class, I wish that I had chosen courses that attracted fewer foreigners and more South Africans. I suppose that I am here to learn as much as I can about South Africa, and my course selection reflects that, so I am not too concerned about the seemingly overwhelming international (read: American) presence in my classes. I am going to make an effort not to sit with the Americans I know during class so that I can branch out and meet South Africans. 

In brief, I am really happy with UCT so far. It's nice not to have to worry too much about grades, as I only need a passing grade to get credit at Tufts. That said, I am here to learn and I want to get the most out of all of my classes, especially because they are so different from those that I usually take. I am sure there will be more to say about classes as the week progresses, so look out for an update!