Hello everyone!
It’s a new year and we are back on the hill. I had a very restful and relaxing winter break with my family and friends at home. Minnesota made sure to give me both snow and freezing cold temperatures while I was home. Over break I watched a lot of TV and finished all of Brooklyn Nine-Nine so I am all caught up. I also read an amazing book called All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung. I would definitely recommend it if you have extra time to read. It’s a memoir about Nicole Chung’s life growing up as a Korean adoptee with a white family in Oregon. Whether you are an adoptee or not it provides great insight into the realities, issues, and dynamics of transracial adoption. This first week back has been overall really great. Lots of new classes and I am still getting used to my new schedule. The night before the first day of classes my friends and I went downtown to get Thai food for dinner to celebrate a new semester. |
| My schedule as of 1/26/2020 |
This semester I am taking Art 207 Pre-Columbian Art History, RELS 241 Religion and Culture in Hindu India, ECON 220 Financial Systems, IA 350 Social Justice in the Global Economy, and a bouldering PE class. Since I have pretty much been taking only international affairs courses (and other courses for the major) for the past 3 semesters I get to use this semester to try out other disciplines like art history and religious studies. I am loving my art history class because I have previously taken Colonial Latin American History and my E&D class last spring was about Mayan history so I already have a lot of background knowledge. It is cool to learn about a subject I am interested in from a new perspective of art. The ECON 220 class is beneficial because I could use it for the Political Economy minor if I pursue it further and the class is only 10 people which is really nice. Lots of practical knowledge to be gained from learning how the financial system works. The religious studies class is super interesting as well. I have always wanted to take a religious studies. I love my international affairs course too. It is a night class so it only meets once a week on Thursdays from 5-8pm and is like a book club where we read a full book for each week and discuss it in depth. Social justice in the global economy is so important in the world today and the professor, Elizabeth Bennet, is incredible in the work she is doing to fight for social justice and in her teaching abilities.
Besides taking classes I am involved in a wide variety of extracurriculars and jobs. This semester I am working at the circulation desk in the library (10hrs/week) which has been really nice. I am also still working in the English and History department office (2-4hrs/week) and giving tours. I am the Community Service and Relations Chair for ASLC and the Director of Community Outreach for the Campus Activities Board. I am also on the climbing team, in Adoptee Club, involved in College Outdoors, and on the student advisory committee for the Vice President of Student Life. Dance Y audititons are next weekend so hopefully I’ll be adding dance to my list of activities.
The professor who is leading my study abroad trip to Thailand in the fall invited all of us to his apartment for dinner tonight. I am excited that I have a lot of friends in the program and I am looking forward to meeting everyone else. Throughout this semester we will have more formal meetings where we learn about the program details and everything else we need to know.
Have a wonderful day,
Sarah