As I write this, I am cross-legged on my bed in a crumpled heap, my head is throbbing with a fever and I shiver, cough and sneeze every few minutes. I've finally decided to make myself feel better by giving you an update on me.
You may be surprised to hear that I am enrolled to study Spanish, German and Mandarin at UNSW. I've decided to go through the Bachelor of Arts program because it'll give me access to the best teachers in Australia when it comes to learning languages, for free (well, for now - I will have to pay back the fees through taxes once I start earning money). Three languages sounds like a wonderful learning experience in theory, but I am prepared to drop one if it gets too much. I may also be eligible to do student exchange at an overseas university, if I am able to remove that 'absent fail' from my record.
I'm ambivalent about being part of the UNSW ambiance again, but I hope it will have some elements of fun and surprise. At the very least, I hope I run into 3 interesting persons this semester. It has to be an improvement on spending most of my time at home, learning about the world through online publications and social media.
This will be a new adventure in the land of tertiary education, because I have exclusively taken Arts courses which stress creative connection-making and analysis. 2 lectures and 1 tutorial. Up to 30 pages of reading per week. The languages, however, are structured differently - 2 lectures and three tutorials (I think), with memorisation as the main technique for passing exams.
If I don't take to it, it's no big loss. Ultimately, I want to be a renumerated author, and my study of languages is due to personal interest and the strong likelihood of me moving out of Sydney eventually. I have a passion for Barcelona, and hence becoming fluent in Spanish is my first priority; and if I can also pick up German, and a bit of Mandarin, it would be very rewarding as well. I was hoping to take up French, but it clashed with Spanish, so German seemed to be the next best choice.
You may be surprised to hear that I am enrolled to study Spanish, German and Mandarin at UNSW. I've decided to go through the Bachelor of Arts program because it'll give me access to the best teachers in Australia when it comes to learning languages, for free (well, for now - I will have to pay back the fees through taxes once I start earning money). Three languages sounds like a wonderful learning experience in theory, but I am prepared to drop one if it gets too much. I may also be eligible to do student exchange at an overseas university, if I am able to remove that 'absent fail' from my record.
I'm ambivalent about being part of the UNSW ambiance again, but I hope it will have some elements of fun and surprise. At the very least, I hope I run into 3 interesting persons this semester. It has to be an improvement on spending most of my time at home, learning about the world through online publications and social media.
This will be a new adventure in the land of tertiary education, because I have exclusively taken Arts courses which stress creative connection-making and analysis. 2 lectures and 1 tutorial. Up to 30 pages of reading per week. The languages, however, are structured differently - 2 lectures and three tutorials (I think), with memorisation as the main technique for passing exams.
If I don't take to it, it's no big loss. Ultimately, I want to be a renumerated author, and my study of languages is due to personal interest and the strong likelihood of me moving out of Sydney eventually. I have a passion for Barcelona, and hence becoming fluent in Spanish is my first priority; and if I can also pick up German, and a bit of Mandarin, it would be very rewarding as well. I was hoping to take up French, but it clashed with Spanish, so German seemed to be the next best choice.
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