Rupert Yorke - College of Social Sciences and International Studies

Yorke, RupertLearning Log 1 - Statement of ExpectationsThe single question I have been bombarded with to an inordinate degree over the past few monthsregards my decision to abandon the plush hills and legendary pubs of Exeter and study abroad for ayear. Why? It would be fallacious to suggest that the relative luxury of “time out” is what I need – Ihave just finished what has emerged to be a reassuringly successful second year studying Politicsand Philosophy under the auspices of HuSS and feel in pole position to tackle the rapidlyapproaching final year. Yet I can discern an inherent desire for a vastly different perspective on life, adesire for more acute socio-cultural awareness and most of all a fundamentally more challengingand vibrant educational atmosphere. Despite my happiness and satisfaction with Exeter,opportunities to engage in a totally alien culture seldom arise under the liberal rubric of “StudentExchange” and therefore it is with a great sense of enthusiasm and eagerness that I keenly await mydeparture for the prestigious College of William and Mary in the U.S.A. in mid-August.Nestled within the historical delights of Colonial Williamsburg in the bucolic state of Virginia, I mustconsider myself fortunate on three broad accounts compared to my slightly more apprehensiveErasmus colleagues. Firstly, I have no language barrier to overcome. The intricacies of learning andstudying within an alien language seem to pre-suppose to me incredible bravery and stoicism; I canindeed count myself lucky in dealing with the familiar wonders of the English language (despite theconsiderable degree of transatlantic vagaries seemingly adopted across ‘The Pond’!) I say this withrelative trepidation however – Virginia’s status as a Southern state suggests a frightening tendencyof slow speech allied with the incorporation of certain ‘hic’ phrases. Having suffered perennialcastigation from my mother and her disdain for my habit to “mumble”, I recognise a profoundrequirement for more coherent elocution. Secondly, organising accommodation has betrayed theEuropean norm of onerous bureaucratic obstacles – the College has simply allocated me a roomconveniently right in the centre of campus amongst the American students. A signature was all thatwas required (as well as the not-so-insignificant joy of a not-so-small cheque!) Thirdly, choosingcourses and other such administrative tasks have similarly been handled by the College withineluctable helpfulness. The American collegiate system’s reputation for organisation and systematiccoherency is certainly no myth – my remarkable lack of effort and input rests somewhat uneasilywith me considering the burden my Erasmus friends have endured 1 !It is my intention that this first diary entry is characterised by positive ambition and unwaveringoptimism, and it is true that I genuinely do have a paucity of ‘fears’ and apprehension for theforthcoming year. However, the emotional upheaval may perhaps take its toll as the year progresses– as my Mother continually reminds me, I am a long, long way from the delightful (or not!) towns ofinnocent Berkshire and our fragmented family may even grant me the luxury of lamenting myabsence! I will also leave behind what has become an incredibly close-knit group of friends at Exeterand it is with deep sadness that I shall not be able to graduate with them. But returning with hasteto practical matters, the financial commitments will doubtless prove also to be a significant strain.The costs of transatlantic flights, accommodation, food (the American approach to dining is the stuffof legends), mandatory health insurance and what I’d ideally like to ‘live’ off appear precipitous at1 I must make one crucial exception here – the application for my Visa has been nothing short of long, tiresomeand utterly exhausting.