Boasting

There are many reasons why one should decide to pursue his higher education in the United States (just as there is a plethora of reasons for deciding against it) — Individual-oriented learning, community involvement through dozens of clubs that grasp upon every possible interest, or diploma with American address on it are amongst those typically cited. Yet for me the main reason is different, it’s the highly acclaimed (and here commonly referenced) possibility of subscribing to periodicals for no more than petty change.

The availability of the cheap national daily newspapers or weekly magazines creates an opportunity to approach certain classes in a captivating way that combines the learning of theory and its immediate application to current events. For instance, a semester-long subscription to the New York Times is among requirement materials for my Political Science: Intro to American Government class (along with a pricey textbook we seldom open). The usual class time-table is then as follows: we are all expected to read the top news and opinions before we come to class (which starts at 10.00am) so that we can immediately start discussing the major events, mainly in politics and business. This discussion lasts for about an hour, and the last 15 minutes is devoted to quick reference of the syllabus which follows the birth of American democracy. The idea is simple — we are expected to do the laborious reading as a homework so that the precious class-time can be spent not on explanation of the general idea but rather only on pointing out at peculiarities of the past, and otherwise fruitful sharing of ideas about the present. The focus on homework as a main mean of obtaining knowledge differs significantly from the Czech system where the lectures provide the information (and because there is a lot of information, there must be lots of lectures — 13 years of pre-university education in total). Albeit I frequently despise the American concept when the clock signals 1am, I certainly prefer this style in the long run. Nonetheless, I am digressing from the main point of this post, and that is pure boasting.

My subscription list for this semester currently includes printed copies of The Economist, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal for a price of $100 in total. I am contemplating subscribing to the New Republic as well, as I find the content and style of writing very inspiring, although sometimes arguable.

I have never been this happy.

Cold night in a library

I didn’t see it as a disadvantage of disasterous magnitudes when I learened our dorm room lacks airconditioning. But today, after having to endure yet another day of humidity one cannot escape, I succombed to my temptations and decided to exploit all the opportunities the Musselman Library offers me.

The Musselman Library represents a prominent place on campus. Located conveniently just 30 seconds from my dorm, one minute from the dining center, and about two minutes from each of my lecture halls, the nearly fourty-years-old structure of unorthodox architecture (that looks like a gothic cathedral mixed with alien spaceship) has a special meaning for me. Its floors two to four are so called quiet floors where no distractions are not tolerated, hence creating a space of last escape when one is annoyed by the crowd, or just wants to get a work done (which is impossible in the dorm; there people would come into your room if the door is open, or knock franatically until you open the door and let them in). Fourth floor in particular is however extremely friendly for library campings which can now take place because the place is finally open 24/7.

So here I am, hidden in a corner sound-proof booth that is used for video-watching, sitting on a comfy couch and waiting to finish a rather entertaining Facebook conversation with one of my friends who is reluctant to join me. I’m looking forward to go “to bed” soon.