 |
| This is what my "walk in the park" looks like. |
It's a good feeling, don't get me wrong. A new opportunity; no stereotypes (except for, you know, the whole American thing. I've lost count of how many people have asked me if I'm voting for Trump). A chance to be a better person. But the process involves lots of "new"-- like, slap-in-the-face amount of "new." If "new" was a material I would be drowning in it. New accents; new people; new food; new education style; new subjects; new culture. It's enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed, but more importantly, it makes me realize what I loved about home in the first place. However, I prefer to sit back, relax, and take all that "new" in with appreciation and a bit of fun as well. It's a refreshing change, after all.
Speaking of change, I take this opportunity to give a full example of a normal weekday at Dollar Academy. Much like the Academies, of course, not every day is remotely the same-- extracurricular activities, meetings, and other tasks makes it impossible. But I'll do my best.
7:15 AM
A still half-asleep girl with the weekly chore of waking the house up walks around the rooms, ringing an increasingly annoying bell. The worst part of the day.
7:45 AM
I walk over with a group of girls for breakfast, which is usually quite good. Fruit is popular here (my favorite: peaches), but usually there are different breads and protein choices here. Scottish people do like their sausages.
8:45 AM
Registration class begins. This is literally just a class to see if the students actually show up for the school day. We usually just sit and check our social media.
9:00 AM (ish) (Monday, Wednesday and Friday)
Assembly, or in the Culver lingo, All-school Meeting. However, it is a bit more formal. Teachers process in while wearing black gowns, and we sing a hymn. A bible verse is read, and announcements are given from the Rector (short for Director).
9:05 AM
Class time; an hour for each. A few free periods thrown in as well, on some days. They are on a rotating schedule, so no one class is first, so I'll just pick an order randomly for descriptions.
ADVANCED HIGHER GEOGRAPHY: This course is a bit more scienc-ey than I though it would be, yet equally as fascinating. The highest class in my schedule, we will take an exam at the end of the year, but we also have our own annual project. For this, we must write about a geological issue, and have a folio of an area that we choose to study.
HIGHER MODERN STUDIES: Possibly my most interesting course so far, "Mods" is basically the study of current events. Our three units--terrorism, social inequality, and democracy in Scotland-- are all globally prevalent, and studying them in depth is grounding and thought-provoking. However, it's also the class I've gotten the most prep (A.K.A homework) in so far, which is not so lovable.
POLITICS: After AP Government and Politics, this course is a bit repetitive for me, but it is a good course nonetheless. My favorite teacher is in this course; he is humorous and encourages discussion albeit a bit provocative (his wall is covered in left-wing and even Communist leaders).
ITALIAN: This course is a module, which in Culverian means a non-solid (sorry, all you non-Culverites. This translation thing is probably extremely annoying.). It only meets Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, so today was my first class. Instead of solely focusing on the language, we also discussed the region, history, and culture of Italy, which I appreciated.
HOME ECONOMICS: A once-a-week course, I haven't had Home Ec yet. But from what I've been told, it's just baking and cooking. Not much to report here then.
12:30 PM
The long-awaited lunch time. While day students have the choice to pack their lunch, and if boarders decide not to go into town, the dining hall serves salad, pasta, a main course, wraps, and soups. The salad bar is usually quite good, with fresh fruits and vegetables, but unfortunately students must choose between the choices above and cannot, say, get a soup and a salad.
1:25-3-25 PM
Whatever classes we did not have in the morning occur at this time, except with much less energy.
3:25 PM-5 PM
Free time, fine arts, volunteering, clubs, or sports. For now, this is mostly my reading time, but on Monday I had orchestra class, and in the future I plan to do more activities to keep me busy. Thanks, Culver.
5 PM
What would be "dinner" or "supper" is now "tea," a label I am still getting used to. Frankly, this meal is the worst-- less choice, and just plain bland food. Did I mention that each meal comes with a potato dish of some kind? Yes, that gets old after a while. One can only have so many fries, apparently.
6-8 PM
This is "prep time," or CQ, or homework time. Which is now, so technically I am being a bad student with no discipline. Usually classes don't give out more than a half an hour each, with the exception perhaps of some advanced highers. Even if boarders are done with their prep, they still have to prop their doors open so those Netflix-watchers don't get carried away.
8 PM- Whatever time I go to sleep:
I think of this time as sort of personal: get done what I could not during the day, do some reading, maybe even draw in that coloring book Mom bought for me. Sometimes Heyworth House girls get together and watch a movie, play a game, or compete in Just Dance on the Wii.
On weekends, we can go to Stirling, which is about 35 minutes away, to do some shopping or to see a movie. The school also very kindly offers trips for us throughout the year-- I am looking forward most to Escape Glasgow, a simulation game in Glasgow, Scotland where my house girls and I will be trapped together and must find a way to escape.
Although I say that my routine is set and fixed, it is only partially true. Our timetables are not set in stone until two months pass, so I could decide to change a class. And who know what I might join next? Field Hockey? Ecology Committee?
It looks like the "new" has only just begun. Bring it on.
Speaking of change, I take this opportunity to give a full example of a normal weekday at Dollar Academy. Much like the Academies, of course, not every day is remotely the same-- extracurricular activities, meetings, and other tasks makes it impossible. But I'll do my best.
 |
| I'll bet your school doesn't have a view like this. |
7:15 AM
A still half-asleep girl with the weekly chore of waking the house up walks around the rooms, ringing an increasingly annoying bell. The worst part of the day.
7:45 AM
I walk over with a group of girls for breakfast, which is usually quite good. Fruit is popular here (my favorite: peaches), but usually there are different breads and protein choices here. Scottish people do like their sausages.
 |
| The main building, and the prettiest one. Most of my classes are here. |
8:45 AM
Registration class begins. This is literally just a class to see if the students actually show up for the school day. We usually just sit and check our social media.
9:00 AM (ish) (Monday, Wednesday and Friday)
Assembly, or in the Culver lingo, All-school Meeting. However, it is a bit more formal. Teachers process in while wearing black gowns, and we sing a hymn. A bible verse is read, and announcements are given from the Rector (short for Director).
9:05 AM
Class time; an hour for each. A few free periods thrown in as well, on some days. They are on a rotating schedule, so no one class is first, so I'll just pick an order randomly for descriptions.
ADVANCED HIGHER GEOGRAPHY: This course is a bit more scienc-ey than I though it would be, yet equally as fascinating. The highest class in my schedule, we will take an exam at the end of the year, but we also have our own annual project. For this, we must write about a geological issue, and have a folio of an area that we choose to study.
HIGHER MODERN STUDIES: Possibly my most interesting course so far, "Mods" is basically the study of current events. Our three units--terrorism, social inequality, and democracy in Scotland-- are all globally prevalent, and studying them in depth is grounding and thought-provoking. However, it's also the class I've gotten the most prep (A.K.A homework) in so far, which is not so lovable.
POLITICS: After AP Government and Politics, this course is a bit repetitive for me, but it is a good course nonetheless. My favorite teacher is in this course; he is humorous and encourages discussion albeit a bit provocative (his wall is covered in left-wing and even Communist leaders).
| This guy really, really likes Che Guevara. |
ITALIAN: This course is a module, which in Culverian means a non-solid (sorry, all you non-Culverites. This translation thing is probably extremely annoying.). It only meets Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, so today was my first class. Instead of solely focusing on the language, we also discussed the region, history, and culture of Italy, which I appreciated.
HOME ECONOMICS: A once-a-week course, I haven't had Home Ec yet. But from what I've been told, it's just baking and cooking. Not much to report here then.
12:30 PM
The long-awaited lunch time. While day students have the choice to pack their lunch, and if boarders decide not to go into town, the dining hall serves salad, pasta, a main course, wraps, and soups. The salad bar is usually quite good, with fresh fruits and vegetables, but unfortunately students must choose between the choices above and cannot, say, get a soup and a salad.
1:25-3-25 PM
Whatever classes we did not have in the morning occur at this time, except with much less energy.
3:25 PM-5 PM
Free time, fine arts, volunteering, clubs, or sports. For now, this is mostly my reading time, but on Monday I had orchestra class, and in the future I plan to do more activities to keep me busy. Thanks, Culver.
 |
| The entrance to Heyworth House, my new home. |
5 PM
What would be "dinner" or "supper" is now "tea," a label I am still getting used to. Frankly, this meal is the worst-- less choice, and just plain bland food. Did I mention that each meal comes with a potato dish of some kind? Yes, that gets old after a while. One can only have so many fries, apparently.
6-8 PM
This is "prep time," or CQ, or homework time. Which is now, so technically I am being a bad student with no discipline. Usually classes don't give out more than a half an hour each, with the exception perhaps of some advanced highers. Even if boarders are done with their prep, they still have to prop their doors open so those Netflix-watchers don't get carried away.
8 PM- Whatever time I go to sleep:
I think of this time as sort of personal: get done what I could not during the day, do some reading, maybe even draw in that coloring book Mom bought for me. Sometimes Heyworth House girls get together and watch a movie, play a game, or compete in Just Dance on the Wii.
| I'm actually surprisingly good. Don't judge. |
On weekends, we can go to Stirling, which is about 35 minutes away, to do some shopping or to see a movie. The school also very kindly offers trips for us throughout the year-- I am looking forward most to Escape Glasgow, a simulation game in Glasgow, Scotland where my house girls and I will be trapped together and must find a way to escape.
Although I say that my routine is set and fixed, it is only partially true. Our timetables are not set in stone until two months pass, so I could decide to change a class. And who know what I might join next? Field Hockey? Ecology Committee?
It looks like the "new" has only just begun. Bring it on.
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment