I write this post in Seattle airport as I await my long
journey home for Christmas after spending six great days in Washington. As I
sit here, I am able to reflect sufficiently upon the past four months I have
spent in the United States. There have been definite highs but similarly, there
have been lows. I am unable to put everything in words but here are a few things
that have stood out for me.
If I am being honest, I am disappointed with UT’s Geography
department and it has indeed made me realise how great the department is at
UCL. I took three geography classes this semester, in addition to a gender
studies class. I felt as if all my classes expected very little of you: the
required readings often only repeated what was taught in class, whilst the
class content was relatively easy.
Furthermore, the semester was a total of
sixteen weeks (nearly double that of UCL’s) but I did not feel as if I learnt a greater amount that I would normally at UCL. Instead, ideas and concepts were
taught more slowly and often, the material became repetitive and boring by the
end of the semester.
Exams were not essay based and instead short answer. Therefore,
I felt as if I was unable to properly engage in the subject or exercise
critical thinking. It sometimes very much felt like school again. Additionally,
I read very few academic articles, which was especially disappointing for the
class I took about the Anthropocene when it is such a pioneering topic within
academic journals. Instead we read non-fiction books that seemed to be aimed
for an audience with little environmental science knowledge, which I found dull
and slightly patronising.
However, everyone knows that a year abroad is not just about
academia; I am hugely thankful for this opportunity and as time goes on, I
become even more appreciative. I’ve met so many new people and made friends
from different countries and continents. I’ve seen places that I never thought
I would see and I’m experiencing a culture that, regardless of the common
language, is so very different to that of the UK’s. I have been able to
experience Thanksgiving (which basically feels just like a Christmas dinner
without the decorations and presents) with family in Wisconsin, witnessed the
shock of the presidential election and been part of the disappointed mass, and
saw my favourite band whose tour coincidentally came to Texas.
I’ve been incredibly impressed with the university’s
facilities: many buildings on the campus are modern builds and have great open
spaces to work in, there are multiple cafes, and even specific places to nap.
However, the sports facilities are probably the best in my opinion; there are
three gyms on campus, an indoor running track, several squash courts, a
climbing wall, two pools and even a hot tub, all in addition to renovated sports
fields and tennis courts north of campus. I am currently on the women’s Ultimate Frisbee team, Melee, and therefore I am profusely thankful for the gym and
fields, especially as UCL’s facilities in this area are arguably very dire in
comparison. We practice as a team three times a week in addition to working out/throwing twice a week; we are able to do this due to the facilities that UT
provides. I am probably the fittest I’ve been regardless of the amount of
American junk food I’ve been eating.
I could write so much more about the experiences and
differences I have encountered but I’ll save that for May. However, I would
like to include that I have found vegetarian and vegan food in Texas and
consequently, I am still sufficiently nourished… I didn’t know what this first semester would
bring but I can now certainly confirm that I do indeed have a soft spot for
Austin. I look forward to returning in January and seeing what the remaining
four months will bring.
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| Finishing the semester in Seattle |
