Sunday 30 September 2012
Michelle Obama
I was fortunate enough to get the chance to watch Michelle Obama speak at UNI. This is of course apart of the Obama election campaign, and I must say, she does a really good job! She's a great speaker and really knows how to captivate an audience.
Monday 24 September 2012
Friday 14 September 2012
Making American friends!
I have said it before, and I'll say it again: Americans are so friendly and outgoing. I had three wonderful encounters with some Americans today.
1) On my way to the Maucker Union (basically a center where you can buy food, drinks, hang out with friends, there's computers, etc.), I saw a guy and a girl walking towards me. Since coming here I've learned that if you have eye-contact, you should be friendly and smile, maybe even say hey. So as I passed them I smiled, they smiled back, and the guy, who by the way was very neatly dressed in a suit, turned around and said that he loved my outfit. What a great start to my morning!
2) I've signed up for an American conversation partner who I can hang out with to improve my English and learn about American culture. I met her today for coffee, and she's very sweet. We had a nice chat about this and that, and when our conversation started circling around winters in Iowa, she offered me to loan her spare winter-coat. Also, we're making a kind of "bucket-list" over the things I gotta see/taste/experience while I'm here. I like her already!
3) Walking back to my dorm after meeting with my partner (her name is Kendall), I passed two American girls. They too commented that they really liked my outfit. When I said thanks, they could immediately hear that I wasn't American so we started talking. In the end we exchanged numbers, and I have an invitation to hang out with them anytime.
So basically... I love Americans! They're not afraid to speak their mind and not afraid to initiate a conversation with a stranger. I'm sure that this is how you make friends in America, and I very much like that!
1) On my way to the Maucker Union (basically a center where you can buy food, drinks, hang out with friends, there's computers, etc.), I saw a guy and a girl walking towards me. Since coming here I've learned that if you have eye-contact, you should be friendly and smile, maybe even say hey. So as I passed them I smiled, they smiled back, and the guy, who by the way was very neatly dressed in a suit, turned around and said that he loved my outfit. What a great start to my morning!
2) I've signed up for an American conversation partner who I can hang out with to improve my English and learn about American culture. I met her today for coffee, and she's very sweet. We had a nice chat about this and that, and when our conversation started circling around winters in Iowa, she offered me to loan her spare winter-coat. Also, we're making a kind of "bucket-list" over the things I gotta see/taste/experience while I'm here. I like her already!
3) Walking back to my dorm after meeting with my partner (her name is Kendall), I passed two American girls. They too commented that they really liked my outfit. When I said thanks, they could immediately hear that I wasn't American so we started talking. In the end we exchanged numbers, and I have an invitation to hang out with them anytime.
So basically... I love Americans! They're not afraid to speak their mind and not afraid to initiate a conversation with a stranger. I'm sure that this is how you make friends in America, and I very much like that!
Saturday 8 September 2012
The trip to Chicago in pictures - part 1
On the road to Chicago
In Chicago
Tall buildings! Skyscrapers!
The Navy Pier
Fish n' Chips American style
Downtown Chicago
Millennium Park
Baseball game! Chicago Cubs vs. San Fransisco Giants
In Chicago
 |
| Breakfast at IHOP |
The Navy Pier
Fish n' Chips American style
Downtown Chicago
Millennium Park
 |
| The famous Magnolia Bakery |
Baseball game! Chicago Cubs vs. San Fransisco Giants
Friday 7 September 2012
Study, study, study, socialize, study
It's been a while since I last wrote, and I feel bad about that. I want to update the blog regularly, but sometimes I just don't have enough hours in one day. This weekend I'll make an effort to post some photos.
First of all, I think fall has finally arrived. It's still warm here, very warm, and it'll continue throughout September I'm being told, but at least there's a bit of rain here and there and some clouds. Last night I saw thunder. I've never seen so much thunder in one night. It kept coming, and it looked beautiful. I almost had to be pulled inside a building for safety because I was so fascinated by the sky.
Of less dangerous things I've been doing, I went to Chicago last weekend! It was a prolonged weekend due to Labour Day. We decided to go on Thursday, rented a car Friday and arrived in Chicago 6 hours later. Chicago is an AMAZING city. I've never seen anything like it. It's just huge and so diverse. You can drive through one part of town that's clearly inhabited by Mexicans and then 5 minutes later, you're in the Polish area. My favorite part about the trip was seeing the skyscrapers and visiting the Navy Pier. If you've never seen a skyscraper before, like I hadn't, there's no better way to describe the feeling of standing next to one, than saying I was incredibly dizzy. They stretch right into the sky. I can't believe something like that is man made.
Also, I went to see a real baseball game in Chicago! Chicago Cubs vs. San Fransisco Giants. The tickets were pretty cheap, around $30 per person, and we could buy them 2 hours before the game started. The friend I went with told me that it was because the Cubs are a pretty bad team, so tickets are cheaper. The game was exciting at first, but 4 hours of slow play, a lot of stops in the game and one homerun made it a bit dull. Plus the atmosphere was not that good. I'm a football kind of girl (soccer to you Americans), so I guess I'm spoiled when it comes to amazing crowds, chants, support, etc. The Americans weren't really interested in the game it seemed. They talked, ate, drank and it seemed to be more of a social gathering for them than an actual game. When the fans of the opposite side started chanting, the Cubs fan (the vast majority) didn't even reply to them. WTF. I did not understand that. The only time the fans livened up was in the beginning when they sang the national anthem, when they sang "take me to the ballpark" and when the Cubs hit a homerun.
So I want to cover some of the academic stuff as well, and I think the easiest way of doing it is by taking one class at a time.
Argumentation & Debate
Funnily enough this is a class about debating. Not just any kind of debating though but policy debating. The objective of this class is to be able to dissect arguments (telling good ones apart from bad ones), being able to debate yourself (construct arguments, win debates), and also enabling you to think critically. So far this class is great. It's structured in the same way as in high school. We sit in a classroom (around 15 people), and we get points for participation - meaning that its a good idea to raise your hand once in a while. Atm we're covering Toulmins model, which I already know so that's a plus, and we're also going through a handbook on debate that tell you how a debate is structured, how you take notes, how to reply to an argument, etc. etc.
To show you an extreme example of how fast some of the debaters talk, I'll link a video. FYI we're not expected to debate like that (phew, thank god):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui8XXE1friM
I've handed in one assignment which hasn't been graded yet, and next week I have a quiz.
UNI-tv production
In this class we learn about TV production, more specifically related to the university's own tv-station "UNI-tv". Every week we'll produce a 30min live show that will be broadcasted on campus and in the town of Cedar Falls. We'll research stories, make news packages and do all of the production, reporting and anchoring ourselves. So far I've made one news package about international students (I filmed it, interviewed a person and edited it myself). For the first live show I'm doing a piece on a career fair here at UNI. This is a pretty interesting class since we get a lot of hands-on experience. Human Centered Informatics (Humanistisk Informatik) is all about theory and unless you commit yourself to it, little practical experience. This is what I love about classes and general teaching at University of Northern Iowa - they insist on the students actually learning their craft.
The only assignment I've had so far is making the news package and writing a script for it. I'm not sure if its graded or not - my teacher is from China and sometimes it's a bit hard to understand her.
Multimedia
The name of this class really says it all. We're working with a lot of different software: Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash etc. So far I've created graphics and animations in Photoshop and Flash, and since the class is progressing rather slowly there's not much to tell other than my final exam/project is whatever I choose. I think, I'll make my own website where I'll display my resume.
Interactive Digital Communication
This is by far my favorite class. My teacher, Bettina Fabos, is incredibly passionate about her work and it's a whole different experience actually having a professor who loves what she does. Her enthusiasm is very contagious. We work mostly with Photoshop, but we'll also cover some other software. I'm self-taught in Photoshop and have been using it for many years now. I'll allow myself the small boast that I'm quite good at it by now. But I don't know everything, and every week I'm learning new things in this class. I'm learning about copyright: how to find photos you're legally allowed to use. I'm learning about fonts: how they express different moods, their history etc. I'm learning about design and art history as a whole. Before I just designed graphics very casually, paying no heed to what traditions I might be using (and misusing) in my work, but now I'm beginning to realize that there's a long history of different styles leading up to the digital art that I'm creating. I feel like I'm gaining new perspective, new skills and a context to place my work within. All in all, I'm loving this class!
Film Criticism: Stanley Kubrick
All of the above classes were chosen specifically to improve and hone my skills when it comes to the journalistic trade. This one was a bit of a spur of the moment decision. My counselor was very excited about it, and since Kubrick is one of the greatest directors ever, I was easily persuaded to take it. Also, I wanted a 5th course to get more credit so it was perfect. In this class we watch movies made by Stanley Kubrick. So far we've watched: The Killing and 2001: a space odyssey. We then discuss them; both the narration, the cinematic effects, use of composition etc. This is not my first class about movie analysis, so I'm able to keep up with the rest of the class. If you haven't looked Kubrick up on wikipedia by now, let me just mention some of his other movies: The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, A Clockwork Orange. You should recognize him by now.
Wow, I just realized that I've written a lot of stuff without any pictures. Sorry! If you've actually gotten through all of the above without falling asleep then congratulations!
And let me just briefly mention how I as an international student fare in the classes on an academic level (this will particularly be helpful for other Danes who wish to study a semester abroad).
The professor's do not accommodate you. What I mean by this is that they will not change their way of teaching, their pace or their assignments just because you're an international student. You should definitely introduce yourself to them in the first class so that they know that you're international, but do not expect special treatment. What they'll do though is help you if you ask them. If you have a hard time understanding the assignment, some of the terms, etc. do not be afraid to ask. Either raise your hand in class and ask them directly about it, or just wait until after class. You can also send an email. They'll gladly help you and if they can't, they'll guide you to someone who can help you. Now that was a bit gloom! But fear not - if you know a decent amount of English, like most Danes do, you'll have no problem keeping up with all the Americans. I've yet to experience something I didn't understand or the pace being to fast. I've also participated in class, and while people have to get used to the accent and for a moment look very puzzled, they'll understand what you're saying. Don't be afraid to speak out. Your English will only get better this way.
.. My fingers are hurting now..
Have a nice weekend all!
First of all, I think fall has finally arrived. It's still warm here, very warm, and it'll continue throughout September I'm being told, but at least there's a bit of rain here and there and some clouds. Last night I saw thunder. I've never seen so much thunder in one night. It kept coming, and it looked beautiful. I almost had to be pulled inside a building for safety because I was so fascinated by the sky.
Of less dangerous things I've been doing, I went to Chicago last weekend! It was a prolonged weekend due to Labour Day. We decided to go on Thursday, rented a car Friday and arrived in Chicago 6 hours later. Chicago is an AMAZING city. I've never seen anything like it. It's just huge and so diverse. You can drive through one part of town that's clearly inhabited by Mexicans and then 5 minutes later, you're in the Polish area. My favorite part about the trip was seeing the skyscrapers and visiting the Navy Pier. If you've never seen a skyscraper before, like I hadn't, there's no better way to describe the feeling of standing next to one, than saying I was incredibly dizzy. They stretch right into the sky. I can't believe something like that is man made.
Also, I went to see a real baseball game in Chicago! Chicago Cubs vs. San Fransisco Giants. The tickets were pretty cheap, around $30 per person, and we could buy them 2 hours before the game started. The friend I went with told me that it was because the Cubs are a pretty bad team, so tickets are cheaper. The game was exciting at first, but 4 hours of slow play, a lot of stops in the game and one homerun made it a bit dull. Plus the atmosphere was not that good. I'm a football kind of girl (soccer to you Americans), so I guess I'm spoiled when it comes to amazing crowds, chants, support, etc. The Americans weren't really interested in the game it seemed. They talked, ate, drank and it seemed to be more of a social gathering for them than an actual game. When the fans of the opposite side started chanting, the Cubs fan (the vast majority) didn't even reply to them. WTF. I did not understand that. The only time the fans livened up was in the beginning when they sang the national anthem, when they sang "take me to the ballpark" and when the Cubs hit a homerun.
So I want to cover some of the academic stuff as well, and I think the easiest way of doing it is by taking one class at a time.
Argumentation & Debate
Funnily enough this is a class about debating. Not just any kind of debating though but policy debating. The objective of this class is to be able to dissect arguments (telling good ones apart from bad ones), being able to debate yourself (construct arguments, win debates), and also enabling you to think critically. So far this class is great. It's structured in the same way as in high school. We sit in a classroom (around 15 people), and we get points for participation - meaning that its a good idea to raise your hand once in a while. Atm we're covering Toulmins model, which I already know so that's a plus, and we're also going through a handbook on debate that tell you how a debate is structured, how you take notes, how to reply to an argument, etc. etc.
To show you an extreme example of how fast some of the debaters talk, I'll link a video. FYI we're not expected to debate like that (phew, thank god):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui8XXE1friM
I've handed in one assignment which hasn't been graded yet, and next week I have a quiz.
UNI-tv production
In this class we learn about TV production, more specifically related to the university's own tv-station "UNI-tv". Every week we'll produce a 30min live show that will be broadcasted on campus and in the town of Cedar Falls. We'll research stories, make news packages and do all of the production, reporting and anchoring ourselves. So far I've made one news package about international students (I filmed it, interviewed a person and edited it myself). For the first live show I'm doing a piece on a career fair here at UNI. This is a pretty interesting class since we get a lot of hands-on experience. Human Centered Informatics (Humanistisk Informatik) is all about theory and unless you commit yourself to it, little practical experience. This is what I love about classes and general teaching at University of Northern Iowa - they insist on the students actually learning their craft.
The only assignment I've had so far is making the news package and writing a script for it. I'm not sure if its graded or not - my teacher is from China and sometimes it's a bit hard to understand her.
Multimedia
The name of this class really says it all. We're working with a lot of different software: Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash etc. So far I've created graphics and animations in Photoshop and Flash, and since the class is progressing rather slowly there's not much to tell other than my final exam/project is whatever I choose. I think, I'll make my own website where I'll display my resume.
Interactive Digital Communication
This is by far my favorite class. My teacher, Bettina Fabos, is incredibly passionate about her work and it's a whole different experience actually having a professor who loves what she does. Her enthusiasm is very contagious. We work mostly with Photoshop, but we'll also cover some other software. I'm self-taught in Photoshop and have been using it for many years now. I'll allow myself the small boast that I'm quite good at it by now. But I don't know everything, and every week I'm learning new things in this class. I'm learning about copyright: how to find photos you're legally allowed to use. I'm learning about fonts: how they express different moods, their history etc. I'm learning about design and art history as a whole. Before I just designed graphics very casually, paying no heed to what traditions I might be using (and misusing) in my work, but now I'm beginning to realize that there's a long history of different styles leading up to the digital art that I'm creating. I feel like I'm gaining new perspective, new skills and a context to place my work within. All in all, I'm loving this class!
Film Criticism: Stanley Kubrick
All of the above classes were chosen specifically to improve and hone my skills when it comes to the journalistic trade. This one was a bit of a spur of the moment decision. My counselor was very excited about it, and since Kubrick is one of the greatest directors ever, I was easily persuaded to take it. Also, I wanted a 5th course to get more credit so it was perfect. In this class we watch movies made by Stanley Kubrick. So far we've watched: The Killing and 2001: a space odyssey. We then discuss them; both the narration, the cinematic effects, use of composition etc. This is not my first class about movie analysis, so I'm able to keep up with the rest of the class. If you haven't looked Kubrick up on wikipedia by now, let me just mention some of his other movies: The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, A Clockwork Orange. You should recognize him by now.
Wow, I just realized that I've written a lot of stuff without any pictures. Sorry! If you've actually gotten through all of the above without falling asleep then congratulations!
And let me just briefly mention how I as an international student fare in the classes on an academic level (this will particularly be helpful for other Danes who wish to study a semester abroad).
The professor's do not accommodate you. What I mean by this is that they will not change their way of teaching, their pace or their assignments just because you're an international student. You should definitely introduce yourself to them in the first class so that they know that you're international, but do not expect special treatment. What they'll do though is help you if you ask them. If you have a hard time understanding the assignment, some of the terms, etc. do not be afraid to ask. Either raise your hand in class and ask them directly about it, or just wait until after class. You can also send an email. They'll gladly help you and if they can't, they'll guide you to someone who can help you. Now that was a bit gloom! But fear not - if you know a decent amount of English, like most Danes do, you'll have no problem keeping up with all the Americans. I've yet to experience something I didn't understand or the pace being to fast. I've also participated in class, and while people have to get used to the accent and for a moment look very puzzled, they'll understand what you're saying. Don't be afraid to speak out. Your English will only get better this way.
.. My fingers are hurting now..
Have a nice weekend all!
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