Ends and Beginnings

Sesija (a semester's worth of master's classes in three weeks) is over. I already have the results of two courses: an 8 and a 9 (out of ten). I'm happy with that, since I don't have the prerequisites for a master's in educational management (a bachelor's in education), and i'm studying everything in a new language and a new atmosphere and a new system, each of which bears heavily on my ability to achieve.

There are still a couple essays and exams over the coming weeks, but now that classes are over i'll have time to prepare for them more realistically. So far half of what I've achieved has been through sheer wit (luck). Especially in education philosophy...Lemme explain, no, there is too much, let me sum up:

Day One. Because I have to do all my regular work anyway, I sit in lecures half listening and half working on my lap top on unrelated work. Add to that, half the time spent writing sms to my special lady. Do that math--something's getting dropped. So after about forty five minutes of not listening I hear "Can we get an American perspective on this, please?" I look around the room for other Americans, but alas, I am alone. I rack my brain (and casually put away my cell phone), and I recall some typically hair brained notion she mentioned about altruism at some point in the distant past. "While I...am not so...experianced in philosophy...as it pertains to education...I can definately say that I'm against altruism." The room is silent. I thought that would be engough to provoke a debate that would distract everybody from the fact that I totally ignored the actual topic, whatever that was. They didn't bite. But, my colleague Asta threw me a lifeline: "Aras is just being shy, or isn't thinking with the same terms you are. He makes philosophical remarks about Lithuania and its education system all the time." I grab on: "Well, I guess maybe what you're talking about as philosophy is just what I consider 'life itself'." Grand slam: everybody loved that comment! Then Asta and I moved on to my explaination of why altruism is practically a sin, or at least stupid. It was odd, they seemed to not grasp some rather rudimentary things about philosophy, even the professor. Maybe it's because I'm an objectivist, but I was beginning to fear that the Lithuanian translations of these terms may not acutally grasp their meaning (which is the case more often than not). Later, though, when I explained the conversation to my special lady (who is very Lithuanian indeed), she was taken aback that I would explain something so simple, which was very reassuring..."Aišku aš žinau, kad motina maitinant vaiką nėra altuizmas!"

Day Two. I came to class late, after the first break (90 minutes late) like every day since Monday, when I wanted to kill myself sitting there for five hours. It appears that each course (besides ed. management there's a few other groups) had been preparing to talk about something. Now it was time for the groups to stand up and present their results. Our group was big, and not everybody wanted to stand up and explain, so I, completely in the dark, stood up first and walked to the front of the room, followed by a few colleagues. On top of this, I spoke first, "Good morning and welcome to my group's presentation (I still didn't know the topic). Arturai, take it away." A few colleagues spoke (the topic was "when does one become an adult?"), and there were some responses from the audience, which I deftly tore to shreds...I felt like my colleagues were the judges and laweyers and I was the executioner. Additionally, the professor was inrigued by my unique (at least in this class) knowledge about America, and how it differs from Lithaunia philosophically, which I based on what my colleagues and the rest of the class said. The best part is afterward, when Asta says "Jesus, Arai, how the hell did you read that whole chapter in five minutes?!"