I can put away the 700+ course book away for now. Just had a mid term test this morning, and despite having just slept four and something hours last night I feel suprisingly 'alive'. One more long, busy day tomorrow, and it's a week of Autumn Break! : )
I guess the test went alright. It's International Relations, one of those courses in which you can sort of get a passing grade if you know a thing or two about current affairs, history and international politics. Besides the technical stuff about theories of realism, liberalism the rest seems like 'general knowledge'. Though that didn't mean it was that easy. It's been over five years since I had a 'test' (technically not exam), and I, and others, really had difficulty knowing how much to write and what to write.
Ten questions, 90minutes, and we were supposed to write 100 words for each question. How do you discuss whether the post-Cold War order is based on world or international order and discuss the differences in 100words? How do you assess the disadvantages and advantages (there are advantates!!) of nuclear proliferation, and refer to North Korea specifically? Or even debate about the difference between the European Union and other regional arrangements, as well as analyse the 'final goal' of European integration in just as few words? I just wrote and wrote what I knew, using one side of A4 for each question, and with my handwriting that's a couple of hundred words per answer!
After a quick bit to eat, two friends and I decided to 'relax' and try catach a movie to kill time before this fascinating extracurricular lecture tonight. We walked from cinema to cinema, but in the little town of Leiden cinemas don't open till 19.00! Shocked, horrified and bored we walked a bit more...and actually ended up in... church. A really beautiful Calvinist church, completely spacious and empty on the inside, and by the looks of it you can hire the church for all sorts of events. On a picture I saw people having a dinner party, with wine and all, right in the main hall. In a month's time the International Whisky Festival will be held there too. This is, after all, the Netherlands, where literally anything goes.
Some people today were talking about Facebook today, and how wonderful it is. It's basically an online "social utility that connects you with the people around you", where you can search and connect with (long-lost) friends, and meet new ones. I've signed up, and part of the 'personal details' asks whether you're interested in 'man or woman'. I'm just thinking if this would be a place to subtly 'come out' if I just tick 'man'. I mean my friends will be able to see all the details, and if they look closely enough they might see and find out. I've heard many secrets are revealed and spread on this thing, and I'm not really bothered if words get out. But then I wonder how they would take it. Really inclined to do so...
Really looking forward to this little break. Time to catch up on some reading, get prepared for up-coming assignments, comment in my blog on issues I've been dying to write about, work further on "Loving you, loving me"...and of course, relax a little! Maybe take a trip outdoors...get out into nature and the wild. Something I miss, even though the last couple of weeks since term started has been pretty wild enough.
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