After class is done the afternoon is filled with lunching, catching up with people, or milling about soaking up the last rays of fall. Last week Viv and I headed downtown to buy trainers and sports bras so we could approach this 'gym business' properly. Sigh. But (surprise surprise) we came out of Victoria's Secret with not what we set out to buy. And nek minnit - Viv and I are looking at each other guiltily as the cashier passes us our new shoe boxes, which, you guessed it, didn't contain trainers. Quote Viv; "We're a bad influence on each other." After all the money I spent on non-fitness stuff, we just went straight home to avoid any more temptation. So looks like the gym is off the tables for a bit. Barneys however, not so much.
So school, what I'll *allegedly* here for. The rundown is I'm taking courses that link into my degree at home, three of which include; Criminal Justice, Criminology and The Death Penalty. Needless to say they are all incredibly invigorating, despite the fact that they are basically all full of freshman. The course content is so colourful, the teaching method so professional, and NEU's claim to fame is to have the country's best Criminal Justice Undergrad program. Legit. The professors here are highly qualified, have all had extensive experience in the field and going to class has now become one of my favourite things to do. Not even kidding. My textbooks cost me an arm and a leg but I couldn't care too much, because for the first time, I enjoy reading them. They're entitled things like, 'Just Revenge - Costs and Consequences of the Death Penalty', 'Criminal Justice in America', 'Code of the Street: Decency, Violence and the Moral Life of the Inner City', 'The Death Penalty - Opposing Viewpoints'. I mean, I couldn't imagine a course load more interesting than that. And I've been told numerous times that everything I'm studying will make me a 'better informed citizen of the United States' and particularly in criminology help to 'analyse and counteract threats of terrorism to the United States'. People here are tremendously preoccupied with terrorism.
There are courses you can take, whole undergrad degrees, that focus on international security and terrorism. In class, I would say at least half wanted to pursue a career in counter-terrorism law enforcement or national security. It's something that always comes up...everyone has something to say, but on the whole, it has been manifested and ingrained as a constant fear for the FBI, CIA, local and state governments and its citizens. But for me, the elaborate analysis we're doing on crime statistics, my fear resonates in being a victim of a random act of violence. Don't check out the crime stats for the US guys, they are positively alarming. The proportion of high school shootings, bombings and random gun fire into the crowd is very much unrepresented in international news. Also, if that didn't do it Mum, this should render you incapable of sleep; America incarnates the highest amount of prisoners in the Western world annually and hence prison overcrowding is a huge issue. Meaning that 2/3 of offenders for serious felonies are actually in the community or probation or bail, and only 30% of the really bad guys are locked up. Now that's comforting.
I enjoy getting out of bed every morning because it takes me 10 minutes to get to school, the sun (so far) has always been shining and the campus busy. The only thing that stops me literally skipping to class is fear of being disowned by the friends I have already seduced into liking me. Or perhaps it's the sheer joy of knowing that I don't live in a country where capital punishment is acceptable, or worse, where Tony Abbot is the Prime Minister. I am amazed at some people's...opinions shall we say, in reference to morality in a democratic Western society. There are people that strongly advocate for the death penalty, and sometimes I will admit, I leave class feeling a little shaken up. In Australia I think we are desensitized to the idea of a Nation that willingly takes human life, when it preaches that murder is wrong. Some of the privileged academic resources we bear witness to are unsettling. But that's why I'm here, right. To bear witness to the unsettling justice system that is America. I suddenly feel like I've been treated to a very sheltered life on my little island I call home.Everyone likes to be a novelty. And for me, that's a daily reality. Whenever I raise my hand to say something in class, people always turn to look and stare at me curiously (some people looking confused as to where I'm from). The professors have taken to asking me opinions as a non-citizen, and I find myself the constant informer of international policies, in regards to crime, criminality, laws and corrections. It's not so bad. Considering these guys are all freshman, I have a bit of background-knowledge and insight into a lot of the topics we cover, which helps too. But all in all, people are always happy to get to know you, ask you questions and find out about the foreigner I guess.
I honestly couldn't choose a favourite class amongst them all. But if I had to say, it would be my Criminal Justice class, because there's this bloke who has TERRIBLE sideburns, like, I'm talking sideburns that cover your entire jawline. And the kid has gotta be like, 18. And his name is Alex. So it's a little Community Starburns joke for me, and I giggle on the inside every time I see him. And I wonder if
...whilst the freshman are staring blankly at me when I say a word differently like 'prohibited' or look at me dimly when I explain the geographical difference between Melbourne and Brisbane, any of them are possibly thinking the same.
>>>QUOTE OVERHEARD: "Yeah, like, I really don't think that American's really need to travel, like, not even to Canada. Like, I mean, like, we have everything we need in our own country. Do'ya know what I mean? There's no need to go anywhere else"<<<
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