Myths

It's been a while since I posted last, so I'm sorry. I'll try to post my university essays and other things here so as to leave you reading, but I'm not sure how much fresh material I'll be able to write. University is not busy, but I have become increasingly pathetic and lethargic. Whenever I am presented with the decision of blogging or doing nothing, I choose the latter. So, forgive me, but then again, thank me for bringing myself to write the following:

I have officially completed one semester at university, and am fresh into the second one. I am really looking forward to the super long 4 month break that university provides, and am quite enjoying the relatively short duration of courses. In high school, it was annoying, I think, to have to deal with prolonged courses in high school. They were always full of meaningless homeworks and rather meaningless people. Spending every other day with the same teacher also, in a way, forces you to hate them. High school was not a good learning experience for me; neither was it especially socially enlightening, but that's beside the point. University has proved to be quite different.

For the first time in my life, I'm a straight A student. I did a sparkling job in the 5 courses I took in first semester, which impressed my mother, which is really important. This semester I'm taking 5 more courses, three of which are distinctly political, which means that I have an even better chance of getting straight As this term, too. I'm amazing - let's just get that out of the way. But what is less than amazing? University.

When I started university, I was presented with a series of myths as to how exactly my university life would be. I will now provide you with a detailed description of the myths, so that you, dear reader, can start-up your university life with a realistic perception of how lame university truly is. 

Myth #1: "You'll meet so many cool people!"

I was told that university would be crawling with new friends; meeting new people would be a breeze. Moreover, the wide-range of people would ensure that I would be able to find some like-minded individuals and strike-up friendships that would last a lifetime. What a lie! University is far from that. Perhaps it has a lot to do with the fact that I live in Vancouver and go to UBC, but no one seems interested in making new friends and talking. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that my generation of students -the kids that were accepted by UBC- have spent so long burdened under the darkness of AP courses, SATs and over-achievements that they have forgotten what socialization is. Perhaps they don't even feel an urge to make friends anymore; maybe they are perfectly content with the textbooks. No matter the reason, the fact remains.

Thus far, I have only met one person who has actually said "hello" to me outside of class discussions. This Indian boy called Animesh. He's cool. He really liked the fact that I introduced myself as someone who DJs  (the professors know that no one can make friends, so they forcefully request that everyone turn to the person sitting next to them in lecture hall and introduce themselves with a fun fact.) He, despite not at all looking the part, proved to be really into electronica. From that day forward, he always greeted me because he thought it was so cool that I DJed. Unfortunately, he was so timid that even greeting me seemed as though it caused him significant pain, so our conversations never really became anything more than pleasantries. I finished the course I took with him last semester, but I still occasionally see him on campus and he always smiles and says "hello". I don't know if it's appropriate to call him a friend, but he's someone distinctly new that I met at university and maintained some degree of contact with. Everyone else, well, they never speak to you again after the lecture ends. 

I would like to believe that it is all as a result of logistical reasons - each lecture has 300 people, so the chances of sitting next to the same person each lecture are slim to none. Sadly, I don't think that that's it. 

Myth #2: "People in university are paying to be there, so they'll be interested in the subject matter!"

Oh, if only. I'm studying Arts. I expected, as a result of the things I was told, that my classes would be brimming with kids who are really interested in politics and writing and humanities. These kids would love to interact and discuss topics akin to ones I enjoy, right? Maybe I'm deaf because that's completely wrong. All of the kids seem to be taking courses because they have to. No one has any real interest. Again, I think this is because no one had any time to develop interests in their textbook-burdened lives, but still.

Our professor asks a question and dead silence ensues. Our professor begs for a few responses and eventually the same handful of people that always raise their hands, raise their hands. The professor sadly chooses one of them and continues his lecture. Children who are vying to be the next Prime Ministers are too afraid to answer basic questions because 1. they aren't sure if they know the answers, and 2. they are horrified of speaking in front of people. These are not people who like to talk or who are interested in what they're learning. No, they're people who seem to be too preoccupied with holding in their poop from fear to think of anything regarding politics. It's really sad.

There are more myths that I'll reveal as university continues to unravel, but for now, that just about sums up my grievances. My next post will deal with some friend-grievances, but I won't pester you with that right now. Instead, I'll wish you a more eventful and fun time in university than the one I'm having. I wish you one that involves less unnecessary lectures and more normal children.