The first month in Sheffield passed by quickly. Here’s a short read for this week, looking back at my first impression of living in here.
Today marks my first month in Sheffield. I have been here for thirty days trying to find a steady ground to stand on as a student. That includes a new schedule, new habits, new flat, and new friends. I was amazed when I saw the composition of my class on the first day in. Nearly all of them are females with only two male students. Not that I’m complaining, but it’s a hard shift from the composition I’m used to.
I thought this should be interesting when the moon changes. Of course, there’s all nice and lovely as we got to know each other. I found friendship with many of them. The lecturers also said that the class lived up to its international brand. Indeed, we are multinational with the majority of ESL practitioners, but this shouldn’t matter.
Before I go on, I want to clarify that I will try my best not to put explicit skeletal remains photographs in a blog entry such as this one. I thought perhaps it is not suitable to display and I would like to keep honouring the dead as well as the related institutions where they are currently stored. If I decide to include such photographs, I will try to portray them within a more informal context and not for scientific purposes. I just bought some roses to brighten up the room, so perhaps I will use such filler photos for a plain-texted entry such as this one.
I have only three modules lined up on this Michaelmas semester. Oh wait, I shouldn’t say that cause I am not schooling in Cambridge, Durham, or Oxford. I mean, the autumn semester. I have (1) Bioanthropology 1, divided into methods and practical sessions; (2) Funerary Archaeology, mostly theories, approaches, and interpretation stuff; and (3) Human Anatomy. Guess which one is the monster under my bed. Yep, it’s Human Anatomy module.
The first week went well. Monday started with Bioanth 1 and introduction from Andrew (the lecturer) who informed us that there would be scheduled bone quizzes every fortnight after we discuss the skull bones part. I didn’t know what a bone quiz might entail, but then I knew.
The First Month Continues...
By the second week, I felt my head was about to explode with the overwhelming amount of information that I have to retain and embrace if I want to become a good osteoarchaeologist. The basics of human osteology taught to me during my Bachelor seems to become minuscule in portion compared to the materials I was given here. Well, yes, of course, cause the school itself is specifically about human osteology. But hot damn, those Latin words!
Now, about those Latin medical terminologies… I mostly hang out and study with the girls from Greece & Cyprus. To hear that their pronunciations are very much close to how it sounds in Bahasa Indonesia, I found it easier to memorise the words. Plus, they are Greeks and Cypriots—their language is very close to Latin. So, I’m following their leads on how to pronounce things correctly.
I really don’t know what to expect after the first month of being in Sheffield. I’m starting to memorise some things about Sheffield. I know which stores I can shop my heart out. I know which trams I should take if I want to wander within the city boundary. I went to York two weeks ago with Mbak Rini. It was fun to finally see another city in the Yorkshire area, and there isn’t any wrong reason to choose to visit York.
Mbak Rini has become an essential support element for me here. I have no ill things to say about her because she’s simply adorable and lovely—and cooks. I also went to Leicester and visited Anne last week. It’s been a few months since we saw each other back home, but now we are here in the United Kingdom. How exciting!
The first month is Sheffield was categorically fun, though not wholly successful. I began to like Sheffield and its vibes. I have a favourite café already, where I get my regular caffeine supplies. They also have delectable selections of paninis. Anyways, I have a bone quiz to prep on for the next Monday, and I also just got back from the morgue. Even though I showered, I feel that the smell of formaldehyde can still faintly emerge in my nostrils. Perhaps I shall take another shower. I don’t want Mbak Rini to suffer the smell as well.
