I don't mean to burst my own bubble, really, but this first week of class has been more one of downs than ups. Part of that, I think, has just been getting back into the swing of rigorous coursework. But there's more to it. So here are the lowlight highlights:
Sunday was laundry day. Exciting. I know. But it was a little too exciting when the cap to my laundry detergent got cracked and a puddle of lavender scented soap seeped its way to existence in the bottom of my wardrobe. I caught it before it made too big of a mess but the clothes I had in my mesh hamper got soaked through with the sudsy substance. I rinsed them out as best I could, but I'm still not entire sure what to do with them. What I think happened with the cap is I'd had the bottle of detergent in the bottom of my hamper and when I set it down after getting back from putting my dirty laundry in the wash, I must have let the hamper fall a little too hard, so the cap cracked. On the bright side, my room smells a lovely scent of lavender now.
Monday was the first day of classes and it as well as it could have. I managed to find all of my classrooms, the professors were interesting to listen to, and I've found several friends in each of my classes. But the excitement of the first day was overshadowed by my uncertainty over which classes to enroll in. I was torn between taking a 20-credit class that I think would be pretty easy but is a prerequisite for a class I want to take next semester or taking two 10-credit classes that are likely to be very difficult but extremely interesting and very relevant to my specialism (Machine Learning). Plus, like I said in my last post, the registration system here works very differently from what I was used to back in the States. I "selected" my courses via an online course planning system but had no confirmation I was actually registered for the classes I wanted. Which is probably okay since I changed my mind so much anyway. Finally, yesterday (21/9), I got confirmation of my classes for the year. In the end I decided to make things hard for myself. I went with the two challenging 10-credit classes. Also, for the class I wanted to take next semester, I have been able to get the prerequisite waived since the 20-credit class is similar to one I took as an undergraduate. And just to make things even harder for myself, I'm still planning to attend the lectures for the 20-credit class and do the coursework for it where I'm able--time permitting--because I think the review will be good preparation for the more advanced class next semester. All that being said, I know that I will learn a lot and it will totally be worth it! ...As long as I don't fail anything.
With all the math intensive classes I'm taking this semester, I wanted to spend Tuesday and Wednesday reviewing the many topics and equations I've learned over the years but seem to have floated from my mind -- a bit like bubbles. I remembered a lot of the basic concepts, but the problem sets/exercises I forced myself to do were challenging, frustrating, and eventually resulted in me moving on to something else. I don't feel as comfortable with the math as I feel like I should feel, but I'm determined to press on and challenge myself, and I'm wondering if this might just be a case of impostor syndrome. I think I'll just have to have another go and take each problem a little slower in smaller chunks so I don't overwhelm myself. After all, I have until April/May to prepare for exams. Yep, that's right! My exams--even for Semester 1 classes--are all at the end of Semester 2. Welcome to the UK University system! So if you're planning to visit me between March and June... I'll be in the library.
That's about it for this week. Sorry I don't have any pictures. I didn't think you'd want to see an off-white, opaque puddle of laundry detergent. But now that I've wiped the suds away, I'm left with a very clean and very nice smelling wardrobe. In another sense, once I've wiped the suds of a lazy summer from my mind and can get back to a clean slate, ready to be scribbled all over, I'm ready to learn. And if the suds start creeping up out of the shower drain, I just have to remember where I am--I'm in freaking Edinburgh!!--and I'm left with a cleaner, shinier, more perfect picture of what I'm doing and why I'm doing it.
Stay informed. -NLD
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