Apart from being randomly insulted on a gaytard's blog and facebook, this semester has been going great, Alhamdulillah.
After feeling bouts of loneliness and alienatiation for a year since the Great Friend Mishap Of 2008, I think I'm finally getting my groove in Sociology. At first, it was kind of intimidating to be in a class of strangers, especially being the youngest, but I'm learning to shed my shyness and self-esteem issues by slowly approaching them one by one. And I've found out that Soca students are very friendly people once you get a conversation started with them :-) There is still the wariness in me when it comes to making friends and growing too close, I think because the fear of being ditched has now been permanently etched inside of me. So the few friends I've been making, I keep them at arms length. You know, like divulging little personal information, and limiting contact to the bare necessities, like classes or when we accidentally bump into each other. Not because I don't like these friends I've been making, but because there is always that niggling little fear that history would repeat itself with these new set of people. The fear that if I open myself up and show the vulnerable, real side of me, they'll just spit in my face that I have an attitude problem and never deign to glance my way again.
Whoah, okay, I didn't mean to let out like that. Sorry.
Anyway, back on topic. Classes are LOVE this semester. For some reason, my strict but grandfatherly lecturer for Anthropology seems to have taken a liking to me ever since I asked one question in his first class. Ever since then, it's been "Anisah, do you know the answer to this?", "Anisah will take attendance", "Anisah will coordinate the class into groups", "Ah, Anisah, I'm sure you know the answer." It's flattering that my name gets called out multiple times in ever class with him, especially as he's most feared and revered lecturer in the whole of the anthropology department. He's been teaching for 70 years, for crying out loud, and has taught half the lecturers in the department. It also makes me buck up, studies-wise, because I obviously don't want to embarass myself when he inevitably asks me questions. On the downside, I probably piss off my classmates for looking like a Suck Up.
Sociology of Marriage and Family is taught by the head of department, who is extremely nice and warm in a motherly sort of way. She teaches us about how social forces shape our expectations of what marriage and family life would be like, and the various types of marriage and family patterns that exist. Like, what constitutes a family? Is it a social group related through blood ties and marital relations? If so, then what about cohabiting couples? What about lesbians/gays who have children? What about adoption? And Kak Aisya cracked up when I recited the definitions behind the 7 norms (or types) of residence for married c0uples -- neolocality, patrilocality, matrilocality, avunculocality, bilocality, ambilocalitya and natolocality. The joke is too geeky to be explained here though.
The other classes I'm taking are Social Change and Development, Industrial Sociology and Islamic Aqidah. A bit difficult due to the reading material, but I can tackle it with patience, perseverence and hard work.
After feeling bouts of loneliness and alienatiation for a year since the Great Friend Mishap Of 2008, I think I'm finally getting my groove in Sociology. At first, it was kind of intimidating to be in a class of strangers, especially being the youngest, but I'm learning to shed my shyness and self-esteem issues by slowly approaching them one by one. And I've found out that Soca students are very friendly people once you get a conversation started with them :-) There is still the wariness in me when it comes to making friends and growing too close, I think because the fear of being ditched has now been permanently etched inside of me. So the few friends I've been making, I keep them at arms length. You know, like divulging little personal information, and limiting contact to the bare necessities, like classes or when we accidentally bump into each other. Not because I don't like these friends I've been making, but because there is always that niggling little fear that history would repeat itself with these new set of people. The fear that if I open myself up and show the vulnerable, real side of me, they'll just spit in my face that I have an attitude problem and never deign to glance my way again.
Whoah, okay, I didn't mean to let out like that. Sorry.
Anyway, back on topic. Classes are LOVE this semester. For some reason, my strict but grandfatherly lecturer for Anthropology seems to have taken a liking to me ever since I asked one question in his first class. Ever since then, it's been "Anisah, do you know the answer to this?", "Anisah will take attendance", "Anisah will coordinate the class into groups", "Ah, Anisah, I'm sure you know the answer." It's flattering that my name gets called out multiple times in ever class with him, especially as he's most feared and revered lecturer in the whole of the anthropology department. He's been teaching for 70 years, for crying out loud, and has taught half the lecturers in the department. It also makes me buck up, studies-wise, because I obviously don't want to embarass myself when he inevitably asks me questions. On the downside, I probably piss off my classmates for looking like a Suck Up.
Sociology of Marriage and Family is taught by the head of department, who is extremely nice and warm in a motherly sort of way. She teaches us about how social forces shape our expectations of what marriage and family life would be like, and the various types of marriage and family patterns that exist. Like, what constitutes a family? Is it a social group related through blood ties and marital relations? If so, then what about cohabiting couples? What about lesbians/gays who have children? What about adoption? And Kak Aisya cracked up when I recited the definitions behind the 7 norms (or types) of residence for married c0uples -- neolocality, patrilocality, matrilocality, avunculocality, bilocality, ambilocalitya and natolocality. The joke is too geeky to be explained here though.
The other classes I'm taking are Social Change and Development, Industrial Sociology and Islamic Aqidah. A bit difficult due to the reading material, but I can tackle it with patience, perseverence and hard work.
Ooops, I'm late for dinner. See ya!
