Melissa's Home
Migration and Diaspora Studies (SOAS) 2006-07International Students Reception
| Entries:
|
|
Migration and Diaspora Studies (SOAS) 2006-07
Well, I've definitely fell into the student's routine. I was able to roll out of bed early enough this morning to attend St. Martin's Church. It was not like the churches back home in that there was a swarm of little nuggets of joy (children) running around, playing with plastic cars and keeping a lot of noise. The only relief the congregation received was during the not-long-enough sunday school when the children left to work on their craft projects. And the minister insisted that she wouldn not proceed until the children quieted down. It definitely was NOT Emmanuel. We had to juggle between three different sources and none of them were the Bible. It was similar to the Episcopal church I attended in Miami except a little more chaotic. By 11:30 we were out the door and I was on my way to a nice peaceful nap.
Despite earlier ambivilence, I decided to go to the SOAS reception. There were hundreds of students piled into the auditorium to hear the school Director's Welcome speech. After a very thorough two or three scans of the room, I was disappointed to see only a few dark brown faces. It's been quite interesting because the only people that I met in African Studies are white Americans or Asians.
I was disappointed at the reception that seemed to cater to a fewer number of students. After a solid 30 minutes, myself and a few other students decided to go outside for some fresh air. We found that the idea quickly spread and soon enough the party was outdoors.
Conversation was great!! It is wonderful to see so many people passionate about doing things for the greater communities and humanity as a whole. Many people I met were either in Development Studies or Cultural Studies where they planned to work for a non-profit organization. Basically a bunch of people eager and excited to change the world.
I guess the SOAS Director was right, this is "A Place that Dares to be Different" and so are its students.
After four hours of socializing, I rode the train back with Rasha. She's a very nice girl from Syria with an equally colored background. I just hope she finds somewhere to stay. =)
Back home, I was greeted by the television's roar of tens-of-thousands of fans and I knew that someone's football (American) stadium was welcoming me home. I could think of no better way to end Sunday's escapades than laying in bed watching football with my Dad. (Sorry Giants' fans - You got beat...bad!!) |
Locations Visited: London
Add Comment
Comment Policy:
Only signed in members can comment on journal entries. Please sign in now or register if you would like to leave a comment. Comments are sent to the owner of this journal for approval before being made live on the site.