From some random lecture

I am sitting in some random lecture about Parliamentary will, which is given by this random lecturer from some obscure college of Cambridge; he's also a wine steward. I am absolutely enthralled with and fascinated by his commentaries on punctuations and taxes on juke boxes, motivating me to check my facebook/email/twitter account/igoogle music tab/and finally my blogger.

I am 3/4 way done with the program here at Cambridge, and it's been a happy but trying experience so far. Lectures have gotten better - with science lectures on sustainability and an impending tour of the botanic garden, history lectures on memories and history (totally within the realm of my research topic), and a couple of ISS lectures on international politics and government. I have found that for most lectures, the elaborate title is the often the most exciting aspect of that lecture. Our discussion sections on selective afternoons are rather uninspiring and often insipid. My supervisions are getting better and better though - we started off with a discussion of culture, moved on to Fukuyama and history, flirted with Kant and his theory of aesthetics, and now we are pondering about human nature. Various lectures and my supervisions have challenged my understanding of the world or a Hegelian perspective on history and international relations (even though I do not believe that Realism should have sprung from Hegel's writing on sovereignty and international relations... but that's a different issue now). I find it hard to defend my position - how do I reject the Existential view that history is random and prove that we are developing towards a state of perfect harmony? How do I prove that all human beings are rational and that there's one value to which all humanity aspire to? I am now debating whether I should continue with intellectual history or should I move on to analytical philosophy?

I am also struggling to mature and grow up a bit here in Cambridge. Conversations with friends that I have made here, who are from various parts of the world, have made me see the grave deficiencies in my understanding of the world and human nature. I am exploring another aspect of my personal life that I have usually ignored out of fear, bad time management, and general bad luck. This process is a bit daunting but through it, I am reaffirming my selfhood and identity. When challenged, I realize the set of moral and life beliefs that I hold dearly to my heart. There are just some beliefs that I refuse to give up, not out of stubbornness but out of self-preservation in the sense of a self-identity.

Nevertheless, I still look forward to go home - eat good food, meet up with friends, start research for grad school or job search, visit San Francisco, and most importantly, go back to Yale!

First attempt from Cambridge, UK

So it's my third official day at Cambridge, and it's been a rather trying experience. I am doing the Global Summers Program (GSP) that Yale established in partnership with Cambridge and 10 other universities around the world. My specific program is called "Cambridge Connections" and the purpose to allow you to make "connections" between different fields. I was doubtful of the concept behind the program at first because, well you know, would I really extract something from science that could be applied to my research on Hegel. Now I am fully convinced that the whole program is just random and does not achieve the goal it's set out to because there's absolutely no connection to be made at all! Well, even if there's something out there in science that Hegel relates to, Cambridge has not shown me that. The program is rather disorganized, and only superficial attention is paid to the students of GSP. Our lecture schedules were not made at all despite the fact that we had to fill out lecture preference grids twice prior to our arrival at Cambridge. Our supervisions are coordinated haphazardly despite the fact that we had to turn in a research proposal before they picked our supervisors. I think this would have been a nice program to do when I was a freshman or sophomore but definitely not as a senior since I am already focused on a specific field in political theory. Cambridge was supposed to provide me with some insight and guidance in terms of my academic pursuit, but rather, the program has only thrown random things in my way.

Second of all, our accommodation is rather ghastly - dark shower rooms (yes, only one dim light for all four stalls (two of which are bathtubs and which no one uses) with no where to put your shampoo/etc, sinks with only burning hot water or super cold water (they don't come out of the same faucet), and internet-less rooms. The dorms do not have internet and it's trying me nuts. Thank goodness that England is rather chilly even during the summer so the computer room downstairs do not get burning hot with all the computer fans.

But nevertheless, Cambridge is beautiful, even with 8 showers per day. It reminds me of a even greener Yale where the concept of trimming trees does not exist. British people are just lovely with their accents, dressy attires, and willingness to help you out. I love the people in my program, who are all international students from China, Australia, Japan, Iran, Singapore, just to name a few. I found a pair of running shorts for 2 pounds, which was also a big boast to my day. They also gave me a library card, which made my day even better. I haven't had time to explore Cambridge a bit, but I will make sure that's taken care of once my essay is done tonight (388/2000 words.. keep on going....)

Thoughts in New Haven

I have been in New Haven for the past 3 days, and it seems like I have been moving non-stop. I guess that's just the way Yale is - constant working/studying, hanging out with friends, and attending lots of meetings. It's been busy but I am feeling good. Especially after being abroad in Spain last semester, I definitely feel like I have missed a lot - like what's going on at the AACC, what should I do in preparation for the job hunt next semester (shivers), and how I am supposed to have found a senior paper adviser already (really?).

I met with adviser (or ex-adviser since she's going to be away for next year) yesterday about my research project, and it was incredibly helpful but it also made me realize how much work I still need to do. Professor Ochoa is just amazing in terms getting me to think about the structure of what I am thinking about/why my topic is even relevant or interesting. She's great in teaching me the fundamental tools of a research project - which I am quite slow at getting at. I also regret not doing much research while she was still on campus. Now I pretty much feel like I am on my own.

I am still trying to figure out what I really want to do next year, and my plans keep on changing - work, graduate school, fellowship, or a random project? Being away from Yale and all the information people throw at you, I felt like life after graduation was so far away. But now, I guess not and I am rather behind in planning.