Eugenia's Blog

See you on campus next fall!

Time has flown by so quickly!

I remember sitting down writing that first entry introducing myself and my plans for the year, and even longer since I got that DU letter at the start of Orientation week. II'm still amazed at everything that has happened in the last 10 months, and/or 3 years... but who's counting? I've gotten a chance to travel to places that I didn't even know existed, and my world is bigger and brighter than it has ever been.

While this will be my last post, the entries on this blog are going to stay up for the rest of the summer, so for any new visitors, I'll like to point your attention to a couple of the more informative entries:

Life at DU

• Some reasons why I choose to enroll at DU
• Spring pictures of our beautiful campus
• Dorm life - and pictures of my room, 1st year in Centennial Halls!
• Clubs, Recreation and Volunteering - getting involved with the community!

Academics at DU

• Studying abroad at DU - The whole application process, and some things you might want to consider! While it might be straight-forward bureacratically, it can be fairly stressful when you're applying, so take a quick look and familiarize yourself with the process. 
• Timetables and Scheduling
• Important GPAs to take note of
• Tips: Registering for classes
• Foreign Languages at DU - and on the immersion experience

In my other posts, I muse and whine and celebrate my experiences studying abroad in Kyrgyzstan (See here, here, and I guess this one is from Uzbekistan) and Russia (See here, here, and here for a start), and there're more entries around for you to discover.

 

I hope I've given you a glimpse into my life as a student here at the University of Denver, and helped in some way or other to help you figure out if DU's the right fit for your undergraduate education.

I guess this is bye for now but, do say hi if you recognize me around campus next year! До свидания!

 

An eventful year at DU

One of the worst things about being away on study abroad, is receiving all the updates on cool, awesome events that you can't possibly attend. Still, I masochistically look through them, and here are some of the things I would have gone on (or at least, scrambled to get tickets for), had I been on campus this quarter. Anyway, I wished I could have been there!

• Condoleezza Rice's visit a month ago. My friends regaled some of the highlight of the evening - her insights on US foreign policy in the Middle East and Asia... And of course, hearing first-hand accounts of Qaddafi's crush from her sent them into peals of laughter.
• Madeline Albright's speaking event in April. (Her father, Josef Korbel, founded the Graduate School of International Studies at DU; the school's named after him.)
• Trips to Golden/ overnight trips to the river with DU's Kayak Club.
• Talks, movies, dinners, etc. with the Honors program... We got to watch previews of the first and second parts of the 7th Harry Potter movie last year! It's fun just to hang out with friends, and meet other students whom you probably kind of know from class or attending other events.
• Smaller student-organized stuff like the study abroad student speaker session that a friend of mine's putting together.
• May Days's gonna be happening soon - it's that week in May, where all your friends from out of town are back in Denver for summer holidays, and DU kids still have a month of classes and finals left and it'd be a downer, but MAY DAYS is a week of fun, concerts, sno-cones, funnel cake, lemonade, waterslides etc. on Driscoll Lawn, and everybody's just chilling outside even though we should be being more productive. This is when all the tie-dye shirts appear, or better - no shirts, because it's May, and it's Denver and the weather's always beautiful!

 

In my time at DU, I've had the opportunity to learn, experience, and do... stuff! It's nothing that I've been dreaming of doing or anything, but things come up, and you say "yes"/"hell yeah", and get on board! This is my reminiscence post, and hopefully it gives you a glimpse into my life at DU. There might be an overrepresentation of socialist cakes in this post ;)

• Kayaking down the Colorado river, and stopping for a quick dip in the hot springs along the river.  
• I got to meet Noam Chomsky! Before, I had just read his articles on-and-off, and had heard of him from the field of linguistics. But meeting him, and getting to speak with him briefly, I caught a glimpse of his brilliant mind. The man took half the content of what I had been studying for 6 weeks in my graduate class on the International Political Economy, condensed it into a concise 1-minute schpiel, and topped it off with a precise insight. All that, with an understated humility about him. (Did I mention that we pulled together this event in 8 weeks? SO many things had to go right to make this happen, and I never knew there were that many departments in DU that you had to contact to get things done. But everyone at all the departments were amazing, and Team Chomsky rallied and got. things. done. Which is also how we managed to get 2500 attendees with just one week of publicity!) 
  
  
• Attended a 3-day Citizens Emergency Response Training program, where I learnt the basics of weather spotting, terrorisim spotting, how to organize command structures and conduct search-and-rescue operations in emergencies. I also learnt how to use a fire extinguisher, and which types of fire extinguishers to use for different types of fire!
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• Went for the annual conference of the American Economic Association - one of the best weekends I've had!
• Had my mind BLOWN by amazing professors who opened my eyes to depths and dimensions of the world, thought, everything! The best class I've taken, hands down, was Ethical Foundations of Global Economic Policy, where we examined the implicit and explicit assuptions of various schools of thoughts. It's depressing for all the right reasons, in that you will have no choice but to discard a mono-framwork view of the world, learn to always question the assuptions and basis of your arguments, recognize the ethical assumptions you make, and decide actively whether you'll still choose to make them. This class changed my life, and will continue to guide my learning for a very long time! I've had other inspirational professors too - who would have thought that a 1xxx-level poetry class would be fodder for pondering, and spark so many interesting conversations 3 years on?
• Epic cake decoration, DU editions -  My suitemate (and soon-to-be-flatmate ;)) and I won an ez-bake oven at a cake-decorating competition in our hall 
• This went on to inspire bigger and greater things, like a Marx cake that a friend and I baked, for an impromptu communist party we had in class. Later that quarter, on a separate occasion, the Econ department had an underground party, which we had the pleasure of attending, to celebrate Karl Marx's birthday. There were fun t-shirts involved, and too many Richard Marx songs. They ruined many Disney movies for me, and this had got to be one of the weirdest 2 hours of my life. We bailed out early, and as I emerged from Sturm Hall out onto the lawn, I remember feeling shell-shocked, and I had no idea what had just happened, but I knew it was a lot of fun.  
• Um... let's say we took this even further, and I'm not prepared to share what this cake was about, and the absolute geek fest that was the baking of this cake. Literally half of the class partook in the decision of cake/frosting flavour, baking and decoration, and you would be surprised how many of these tasks and items can be linked to comparative democracy theories.
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This list would be three times as long if I didn't censor myself, and that'd be just the stuff that's linked to the university. I'm getting excited about returning to DU for the Fall already! Plus, for everyone who's starting at DU Fall 2012, WELCOME!!! How psyched are you for the presidential debates!?!?!? Everyons's getting psyched up, and I'm looking forward to all the satellite events around campus. 

the silence between my ears

It gets scary, when I realize that I have no important thoughts in my head, and I struggle with a simple 12-page paper on Russia and the petrostate, which I *know* I should be able to churn out quite painlessly over a weekend, even allowing for procrastination time. 

Russian classes range from doable to difficult, but the difficulty comes from the language aspect, rather than any complexity of thought. The English-medium courses are interesting, but given that they are survey courses, and I knew practically nothing about the subjects... they're about as difficult as 1xxx, and 2xxx classes (with the exception of the history ASEM that I took last year). I've been away from my circle of friends, the people I discuss stuff with, and I've been surprised to find that not many people would choose to watch the daily show/ state of the union address etc./ read the news, and sit around and snark about them, or have serious discussions about injustice, politics, т.д. The brain is like a muscle - you have to use it, or it'd atrophy.

Also, I'm not trying to be a smartass... it's not about intelligence; it's about interests. The enthusiasm with which the other study abroaders go out to pubs and clubs? That's how I feel about guest lectures, having coffee with interesting people, and going to... maybe 80% of my classes at DU (preparing for them is a different matter ;)). I know, I know. Some of it is within my control. Independent thinking? Possible, but bleh. It also requires more self-control than I'd like to use during my free time, and you're still bound by your own assumptions (whether you're aware of them) when you try to play your own devil's advocate. 

Study abroad has broadened my world. I knew nothing about Russia before I stepped into my first Russian 1001 class Fall quarter of freshman year (being a '90s baby, and also, my country never really did the whole cold war thing). Central Asia? I had never even *thought* about it, or realized that it existed, before I started looking at the program which I decided to embark on last semester. There are two parts to my struggles, I think, the first quasi-external, and the other internal: 1) I'm away from my community of people (friends, classmates and professors), on whom I've come to rely on for good conversation. 2) An information overload, and knowledge/awareness that grew literally from zero, to whatever it is I have now. I understand, as we all should, that frameworks are there to be used consciously. Since there isn't a framework that I consider истина (truth - absolute truth?), I float in uncertainty. Rightfully so, and I wouldn't have it any other way. But I do understand the draw of fixed assumptions and that one world view - it would be easier not to think. It would be easier, to have the option to "know everything", and you won't have to keep questioning. :/

Still, forget easy!!!!! My goal when I return (to Singapore this summer for an amazing internship, and to DU, my intellectual haven), is to collect my thoughts and everything new, into some semblance of organization.

Sometimes you have to take a step back, in order to see the big picture! 

 

 

 

(And I guess there's another way you could read this - some of you could take this as an excellent sign for your time abroad! Bring on the travelling, and partying!)

"Adventures" abroad you'll never want to have!!!

Sorry for the long break in blog entries! It has been quite... eventful here in Moscow to say the least! We're now at:

• 1 broken foot on a train
• 1 almost-deportation for purely bureaucratic reasons
• 1 fish-sandwich-caused case of appendicitis

It's bleak, and funny all in one.

A random musing - most people go to college/abroad, and discover how independent they are capable of being, having to take care of food/laundry/finances/admin stuff on their own. It's my 3rd year living abroad in my 3rd country now, and I think that my experience in university has taught me how to depend on others, and be there for those around me! With my parents and family, hahaha I'm not being unappreciative, but...I already knew I could count on them, yeah? Hahaha but it's not like they had a choice in liking me; they just had to deal with me ever since I was born ;). But when you're living together with friends (in this case, friends who were strangers just 3 months ago), when you rally around to support someone when they need it, stage mock-interventions for reexaminations of life choices, call to make sure they're safe, clean up their puke (bleargghh), medicate them when necessary...That's... community? And the most surprising thing about it is - I'd never thought about until I started to write this post - it all just comes naturally!! There just isn't an option. When you're abroad - alone, and?/but? together, you have each others backs. My thoughts are pretty jumbled and I don't know where I'm going with this, really.

 

 

Anyway, here's me wishing for a less exciting last month in Moscow! ;)

what a week!

This past week! Phew! I'm officially over the plateau, and am now on the road of progress in my Russian acquisition! It's strangely comfortable living in Moscow. My friends here in Russia have other friends studying abroad in the traditional study abroad countries (UK, France, Spain, Italy, etc.), and from comparing stories, they see immediately that student life in Russia isn't your typical study abroad. I don't know what they're talking about, because compared with my time in Kyrgyzstan where everything felt so new and strange and exotic (and wonderful!), being in Moscow is familiar and much like living in any city, really! Except with crazier stories, and darker humour ;)

- like I said, just a normal study abroad experience :)

We found an amazing Mexican restaurant with a happy hour, and this past Monday was something quite magical. I'm not sure what's come over me, but I've been to more bars this week then I  had in the whole of last month. Oops. I guess I'm done with being stressed, but that's no reason to slack off. Work hard, play harder. Time to buckle down and study! (and tomorrow, we party.)

Health insurance for international students

All students enrolled at DU are required to carry adequate health insurance coverage (requirement details can be found on the Health and Counselling Center website)

DU's Student Health Insurance Program (SHIP) is pretty comprehensive and covers most stuff, and is a great option - I'm pretty sure that co-payment is $0. However, at a hefty price tag of $2,420 a year, unless you anticipate using the HCC's services often, it probably isn't financially wise.

Most local students are under the coverage of their parents' health insurance. What about us international students? There are alternatives available; I'm covered by ISO insurance. There should be a place where you can select the plan you want, and I think once you indicate that you're from the University of Denver, the plans shown should be in alignment with DU's requirements, but you should DEFINITELY double and triple check. 

Of course, the out-of-pocket fee is higher, but I found that this was more than adequate for my level of use. I visited the HCC twice in my 2 years at DU, and paying the annual HCC fee gets you subsidized rates anyway.

Do whatever works best for you! :)

Adventures in Moscow

In Bishkek and Moscow, the study abroad program takes us on excursions almost every week to different cities and towns, cultural activities (opera, orchestra, dance), and museums. It's a whirlwind of stuff that I can never seem to keep up with - 12 hours of Russian lessons (+homework/studying time), 3 college classes, 2 internship things (thankfully, I work from home), excursions and sleep... I'm just gonna go with the flow, and try to keep my head above water :) Here are some of the things I've done so far!

 

Arbat Street

The first day of sunshine that week :)

 

Opera at the Bolshoi Theatre

It was an excellent performance, and the singers' voices were wonderful - still, I'm a fairly uncultured individual :p and I'm not sure I'll be eager to repeat that experience anytime soon!

 

Space Museum

You might not be able to guess, but this picture was taken today, March 24th, and it's still -10degC => 12degF in Moscow. Come on, spring! We're waiting for you!

The space museum highlights all the achievements of Soviet and Russian space technology, as well as international milestones in space. The gifts from NASA and the American moon-landing team to the Soviet Union are displayed here. It's a pretty cool museum, albeit with slightly cranky women yelling at children who move too close to certain objects hahaha.

The taxidermied bodies of Belka and Strelka, and the sputnik they went to space in.

 

 

...tbc!

A town-hall meeting with the American ambassador to Russia

Everyone else on my program is American, and have headed to the new ambassador's residences (in the embassy) for a town-hall meeting.

... and I'm not there because my passport looks like that:

Oh well

My flatmate offered to sneak me in in her purse, but I was like -ok that's enough with the short jokes hahahaha. :)

It's that time of the year again - Housing

The housing application process for first years is the easiest thing ever. When you accept your place at DU, you fill in a questionaire with your details, and living habits - Do you go to bed early, near midnight, only in the wee hours of the morning? Do you study with music on? How tidy are you? (If you're tidy, you want a tidy roommate, and if you're messy, your tidy roommate might make you clean up more often than you want to.) Having been living with roommates of VASTLY different habits, this is the Best Idea Ever. You pick which Living and Learning Community you want to live on (and apply to), which dorm you'll prefer to live in (JMac, Halls, or Towers). Sometime in the summer, housing assignments are made, and listed on webcentral, and you can get in touch with your new roommate!

For 2nd year housing, you'll get to exercise greater choice, but that also means more planning is involved! In spring quarter of 1st year, you'll form groups of between 1 to 6 people, and apply for housing according to lottery numbers. Each of you submit an application online, and you'll get lottery numbers, and you'll use the earliest one on your team. From those lottery numbers, you'll get a room selection time, and ALL of the memebrs of your group need to be there (or have a proxy form signed) to pick your rooms. The configurations of the suites are different - some are two double-rooms, some are 4 single-rooms, some are 1-double and 3-singles... and they all have different prices, so... you'll need to know exactly what to pick. It's kind of stressful, but you'll eventually get a place, since on-campus housing is guaranteed (actually, compulsary) in your 1st and 2nd year. 

Now, who knows what's happening? This year, as a going-on-4th-year student at DU, I've just submitted my housing application, and I guess the room selection will take place on 19th April, but I don't know if I will or won't get an apartment. *narrows eyes* And my friends who are looking to live off-campus are looking for places, and I won't be joining them in their search? It's strange. Anyhow. That's what on my mind now.

On Diversity and Inclusiveness -

So. I know DU gets a lot of flak for being a rich white-kid school, and I do joke about it sometimes when I overhear crazy conversations in Sturm. (I feel that that isn't the majority of the population; they just happen to stick out a lot!) Perhaps it is class-ist, but I've found that the 3 (kind of) immediately apparent parts of identity - 1)gender, 2)ethnicity, 3)sexual orientation - aren't things that anybody ever has to feel endangered by, which is the way it should be ALWAYS. Here's my point though - I didn't realize how inclusive the DU community is, until I found out about how it is in other colleges around the US. 

I've overheard some rather disturbing conversations my American friends have had about race and how it is viewed, especially with respect to greek life. For context, they go to school in South Carolina, Indiana, and Texas. (Okay, shush, Coloradans with your Texas jokes - the Texan university is actually the most liberal one described out of the three of them!) I will acknowledge that greek life is not necessarily the most accepting, embracing group that everyone can or wants to be a part of - for example, you will be far more likely to find a libertarian in a fraternity or sorority, rather than an anarchist.

They were talking about RACISM in fraternities, and what was surprising was the nonchalant way they were talking about it. It's not that they agreed with it, it's just that it would seem that nobody in these universities of 20,000+ undergraduates thought it was necessary to challange this system at all. Warning: Some of what I'm quoting is going to be very offensive.  "Yeah, I know you have fraternities, but can the black kids get in?" "Well, the black kids have black sororities, so yeah. " "No, but can the black kids get into the other ones?" "No, mostly just the white kids. But white kids can't get into the black fraternities either."

At this point, I was shocked. "EXCUSE ME?"

"Asian kids can get into the sororities, though. I know this one girl, and she got into XYZ, which is actually a good sorority. Asian guys, though, can't get into good fraternities."

HELLO? That doesn't help. Am I supposed to care that racism against Asians is less than racism against blacks in their universities? That might possibly make it worse, because it means that they actually THOUGHT about their bigotry!*

What the heck? I'm mad, and where do you channel such feelings and thoughts?

I don't know how sheltered I've been. I'm not sure how I should feel - am I that ignorant about social problems? I always associate bigotry and terrible things with middle-aged and old people, and I take comfort in the fact that new thoughts have to work themselves into to society with generation-shifts. I know that there are many good, sane, moral older people, and I'm glad they're arround. But when things get bad, I always think - well, the racists, the homophobes, those who believe global warming doesn't exist, anti-evolutionists etc., - they're all going to DIE eventually, and we'll be one step closer to goodness. Seeing young people so wilfully EVIL takes this coping mechanism away from me.

I've spent TWO WHOLE YEARS living in the US, and I've been insulated from this STUPIDITY, which is apparently not uncommon. I'm glad I live among who I do, but as for these other people - what is wrong with them?!

GRAH!
It's bullsh** that we should ever have to fight for EQUAL RIGHTS. Yet, look at all of history - labourers vs. landlords, slaves vs. free people, women vs. men, LGBTQTIAABCDEFG;) vs. society....and these strugles still continue. When will people learn not to be absolute bigots?!!??!

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*I would like to think that Greek life at DU is above this. I'm going to hold back all my usual snark and have some faith in humanity (surprise!).