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.

Done