Goathlands, Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay

Last weekend some of the students from the NSC course went on a field trip to see more of the county. We went to Goathlands, which is where the tv-series Heartbeat (Norwegian name; Med Hjartet På Rette Staden) was filmed. After a quick stop by the Heartbeat Garage, we travelled further on to our main destination of the day, Whitby. This is an old whaler's town, the birth place of Captain James Cook, and it also consists of places where parts of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula is put. Since I've read the book, I found it interesting to see the places described in the novel, especially the graveyard. All the sightseeing made us quite hungry, so we decided to try one of Whitby's specialities; Fish & Chips. Yummy! A little fatty compared to Norwegian food, but it really filled our stomachs. On the way back we made sure we passed Robin Hood's Bay, a place that has miraculously little to do with the hero from the books. It was a beautiful bay, with a cozy old town, and long, long beaches. A nice place to relax before we went home. I must say, I'm quite pleased with my first field trip this year, and I hope there will be some more. I added some photos, so you can see for yourself.

 

 

NSC and the Subjects

I thought it was about time I wrote something about the school. And when writing about NSC - The Norwegian Study Centre, I also had to include something about the Subjects I'm taking. There is so much to write, about the topics, classes, teachers, students, location, surroundings etc, so I think I'll just stick with the basics for now.

What is the NSC?

The Norwegian Study Centre (NSC) is a part of the University of York, one of Britain's top ten universities. It offers different courses for Norwegians to improve their English and their knowledge about the English-speaking world.

We are a permanent study centre for Norwegians based at the University of York in Northern England. Primarily we cater for students from Norwegian Universities and Colleges, but we also offer in-service courses for practising teachers of English as well as courses for various groups from the public and private sector. (From the NSC website)

I study something called Fordypning Course, which is equivalent to the old Norwegian "mellomfag". It basically consists of courses on a 200-level, giving me enough credits to enable me to apply for English Master Studies in Norway. The course goes from September 1st to December 18th, so it's quite intensive. But what the heck, it's only 3-4 months, and then I'll be going back home for Christmas dinner. And best of all, there are NO EXAMS! All we have to do is hand in six essays in total, and we get tutoring and feedback on all of them. Sounds like a piece of cake, to me. And not a bad-tasting one either!

What subjects do I study?

Linguistics - Discourse Analysis, Dr Lalita Murty. Discourse Analysis is very difficult to explain, so I leave that to wikipedia; Discourse analysis (DA), or discourse studies, is a general term for a number of approaches to analyzing written, spoken or signed language use. (Wikipedia) Not the easiest subject, but, hey, who ever said learning was easy. Kind of reminds me of Pedagogy, with a bunch of theories that overlap and co-exist, either though neither of them are proven to be true. Luckily, Dr Murty goes through everything in the classroom to help us explain, and that helps a lot.

Literature - The 1900s, Jonathan Brockbank. I guess everyone knows what literature is, and as you can see we focus on the 20th century. We are reading books and different poetry. I guess it's easier for all of us if I just copy our novel reading list, that will explain a lot.
Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot 
Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day 
William Golding, Lord of the Flies 
George Orwell, Coming up for Air
Rebecca West, The Return of the Soldier
Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse.
James Joyce, The Dead.
And in addition we have to read a lot of poems, and we can read other books as well, if we want to write about books outside the curriculum. Don't think I will be reading more than what is recommended though, I don't have that much spare time.

Politics - The Special Relationship, UK vs US, Tim Vicary. This might be my favourite subject. We are studying the relationship between two of the biggest superpowers in history, comparing their views and actions in different areas. It looks like we are covering different wars and conflicts, and what they meant to the rest of the world and its history. Very interesting, in my opinion, even though handouts consist of 60-70 pages every week and we spend a lot of time reading.

In general, I can't say I regret going here. At least not yet. Who knows what I'll say when November and December comes, and essays are due, but I'll try to hang in there. Studying in York is not bad either, and maybe I'll write something about the city next time. Until then, Au Revoir!

  
The NSC building. Small, but cozy.    Classroom (in)activity.

Pics 1

I thought I would start a tradition of picture posts. This is the first of hopefully many posts of five pictures each. I will try to write a small text to explain every picture as well. 

My room in the Loomes residence. Small and cozy. Internet is included and the room has a TV with more channels than I've ever seen.

Clifford's Tower, a part of York Castle. 

York Minster, the largest Gothic catedral north of the Alps. An impressive piece of art, and history. 

Erik, my new classmate who joined me on the plane to York a week before school starts. Cheerful fellow, always happy and full of fun. We went sightseeing together, and will probably continue to do so the whole week through.

The Loomes house from the back garden. Quite a big garden compared to many other of York's residences. You can see my window on the second floor in the middle. The one with the tiny rainbow on it.

That was all I had to offer for today. See you next time!

Arriving yesterday

After 24 hours, it's still a bit unrealistic. Me, sitting here, in York, England. Another adventure. Another experience. Parts of me are already missing home, while other parts are restless and eager to explore the surroundings. Hopefully they will manage to co-exist, and I will have a good semester before returning home for an unforgettable Christmas.

This blog will be mostly about my life here. Updates about what's going on so my friends and family will feel the urge to come visit me during this autumn semester.

I live in a nice room on the second floor of Judith Loomes' house. I share bathroom and kitchen with landlady Loomes and another student, staying in another room in this house. Loomes is a friendly lady, and the house has a big back garden. Which I think belongs to a long-haired cat, who looks rather moody when staring at me.

Sitting here, I feel my feet aching. After eating mile after mile of gravel, they're screaming for recovery time. Me and Erik, the guy who joined me here from Gardermoen, have been sightseeing, walking on the City Wall, checking out different pubs and a designer outlet, covering most of the distances by foot. Maybe not the smartest move for one who's spent the last weeks in front of the TV, watching movies. Oh well, we'll see tomorrow if there are any blisters. If not, there's still more pavement to walk.

Next tuesday school's starting, and I guess you'll get a new update after that. Until then, behave & enjoy!

Last but not least, links for those who are more curious;

Norwegian Study Centre

York Tourist Information