b_________
Feature
Conquering boredom-
Study abroad:
what we need is each other Education and
WedriEsdAy, J anuary JO, 2002
tails to include. If you are drawing
a homogenized human environ
ment (like an office) the detail that
An old Tao saying goes as fol you include chooses itself, for
lows: The most obvious thing is there is a lack ,of any real detail.
the most difficult to see; therefore The indoor, and to a lesser degree
you need un-knowledge to see it. the urban outdoor environment, is
That is, that which you “know” is boring to our minds for lack of
keeping you from seeing what you stimulation.
instinctively know. People have
Bored as we are, we seek enter
become so reliant on the great mod tainment through the way that is
ern god of “fact” that they wait for provided to us, which is through
scientists to tell them what they the avenues of spending money.
should know anyway, like human Everything in the advertisements
milk is better for human babies than that constantly bombard us is a
bovine milk.
promise of happiness through
Here’s the obvious: our environ spending money. This being a
ment is unnatural and unhealthy capitalist system, the pursuit of our
to our minds. There is even a sci lives is money. Money does not
entific study that points in this di bring happiness, however. Other
rection, such as that outlined in wise, why would expensive de
the Jul/Aug 2001 issue of signer psychotropic drugs be so
Adbusters magazine: “Each gen widely used among the wealthy?
eration born in the twentieth cen
What we need is each other; hu
tury has suffered more depression man contact is what keeps us to
than the previous one and since gether. We all live in private cages,
WWII, the overall rate of depres isolation chambers that keep us
sion has more than doubled.”
separated even though we’re
I’m not so much concerned here mostly engaging in the same ac
with depression as with boredom, • tivity in our own private isolation
but they’re related in that they re chambers. From what I’ve seen,
sult from the same cause: our me most people are distant even from
diated environment. Our human- those they spend time with. Why
controlled environment is inher should this be the case?
ently boring by design. Every
Largely we spend our time in
thing is divided into spatial areas; scheduled activities, many of
classroom, supermarket, “living” which we particularly don’t want
room, road, etc. Each of those spa to do. Our jobs are meaningless,
tial areas is designed for one pur done not because we want to do
pose and pretty much confines its them but because the system
usage to that singular purpose.
doesn’t let us get by without
Suppose that you are drawing money. These jobs cut us off from
what you see in a natural environ engaging in activity conducive to
ment. In nature there is infinite de personal growth, and they cut us
tail, so you must chose what de- off from meaningful contact with
JESSE GURZYNSKI
Staff'Writer
TR e CI ac I camas P rînt I i
other people.
I don’t know all the answers.
We are all extremely dysfunc
tional, bored, depressed, psy
chological wrecks; but we also
share an amazing human poten
tial for growth as individuals and
as a society. You who are look
cultural experience in
Florence and London
MAGGIE JIRASEK
Editor-in-Chief
"I really believe
that deep down all
of us humans are
the same."
Jesse Gurzynski
Staff Writer
ing to make your life better, I’ll
tell you what I’ve found myself,
and I’m sure you’ll find for your
self as well, if you look. We need
to communicate with other
people. Just to be able to express
ourselves to others is a great re
lief, but there’s more.
I think that what we’ll discover
if we really start openly commu
nicating is that all those things
that we thought we were alone
in are really shared thoughts and
experiences; I really believe that
deep down all of us humans are
the same. This does not mean
that I believe that we are not
unique individuals, only that our
human soul is universal. Love
your fellow human, and love your
world, for all are a part of you
and you need them. Friends keep
us sane.
I
Two Clackamas instructors, Jan
Anderson and Eric Lewis, will be
leaving for Europe this year in order
to help American students to com
plete their studies in a foreign coun
try.
Every year, the American Interna
tional Field Service gives stu
dents the opportunity to
study abroad and expe
rience European culture.
This year, Anderson, an
English instructor, and
Lewis, a psychology in
structor, have been se
lected to teach abroad
for an entire term. Lewis
will be teaching in London in spring
term and Anderson will be teaching
in Italy in fall term.
“I think this is the most exciting
kind of education because students
get to experience a different culture
and other ways of thinking,” said
Anderson. “It changes your out
look and it’s a tremendous growing
experience.”
According to Lewis, the goal for
him as instructor teaching abroad is
to keep students who are in a for
eign country on track with their edu
cation so they can graduate on time.
“ I’m not teaching foreign stu
dents. I’m teaching students from
Oregon or students who want to
study abroad,” he said. “I will be«1
teaching psychology and sociol-B
ogy.”
V
The cost for students to study«
abroad for a term are not very highW
compared to the amount of money«1
they would have to pay in their home V
country when attending a uni ver- ■
sity.
“It’s a very cost effective way to ■
get a great education both in the I
classroom and culturally,” said
Lewis. “It costs around $ 4,800
to participate in the program. o
If you go to a university in if
Oregon, you are going to c
end up spending that n
money anyways. This n
way you get to study inL V
London or Florence for«
1
a term.”
Basic fees cover the plane ticket, I fl
tuition, room and excursions. Schol- 1 v
arships to students are available as
well.
According to Anderson, stu
dents will be in class only four days
a week and spend the rest of the
time sightseeing.
“We will plan trips to all the in
credible museums and historical
sights,” Anderson said. “In Italy, we
will take the students to Pisa so they I
can lean with the tower.”
■
For students who are interested ■
in spending a term in London or Flo- |ti
rence, contact Anderson at X2429|n
or Lewis at X 2251.
12-stepping through Valentine’s Day
With Valentine’s Day loom steps we took prior to last Feb.
15’s 6:00 a.m. walk of shame:
ing on the horizon, I’ve been
1. We admitted we had no
thinking about the pressure the
holiday bringsand what I can cash and were powerless in the
do to help
^7------------------ -
others get
through it,
short of
vF ’ i
Marvin Baker
chewing
Guest Columnist
tinfoil.
Now
don’t get
me wrong,
I hate Valentine’s Day this year. dating scene.
2. Came to believe that ev
That’s because I’m a poor
sport. Next year might be dif erybody else on the planet was
ferent, but right now every holding hands to spite us.
3. Made a decision to turn
heart-shaped box of candy in
Fred Meyer’s seasonal display our lives over to the advice of
aisle snickers at me whati I walk a friend we wouldn’t dare trust
past. Since I know full well that the other 364 days of the year.
4. Made a fearful, last-minute
despite my outward derision I
will make a last ditch effort to search of our little black books
participate, I’ve learned it’s im for an alternative to step three.
5. Admitted to God, and our
portant to set some sort of plan
in motion early on. I also know best friend during a drunken
I am no't alone in this and would stupor, the lengths we were
like to share the benefit of my willing to go to get that return
experience with the rest of you. phone call from Elizabeth
To this end I have created VD Hurley.
6. Were entirely ready to let
Anonymous, a support group
for successful last-minute Feb Leatherface MD remove our
ruary dating. These are the physical defects if it would get
us past the rope at the night
club so no one would see us
on the street with our friend’s
girlfriend’s cousin’s big little
sister.
7. HumblyXsked our date to
spring for the limo.
8. Made a list of all the exes
we owed money to and where
they were likely to be to avoid
them and any potential injury
to our odds of getting action,
9. Made direct amends and
false promises to the one ex we
forgot to check the where
abouts of.
10. Continued to check out
the other guy’s dates in hopes
that what we came with wasn’t
so bad after all.
11. S ought through prayer
and Goldschlagger to increase
our semi-conscious state and
the physical appeal of our
“friend.”
12. Having had a frightful
awakening the next morning,
we tried to carry our sorry
asses with pride across her
apartment complex parking lot,
determined to extend this com
ing year’s May-December fling
into March.
I’d like to touch upon one
more thing before cutting you
loose. A lot of shaky relation
ships break up right after
Valentine’s Day, so this may be
the opportune time to hit her
up for that role-playing game
of lucky burglar. It could add
just the right amount of spice
to a foundering relationship.
Then again the suggestion
might send her shrieking from
your place in search of a cop,
taking you off the market and
setting her up for rebounder’s
heaven by mid-March. Sud
denly the glass is half full. I’m
telling you, it’s an amazing pro
gram.
SOMETH I Nt
1
s
TO SELL?
Take out a
Classified Ad in
The C/ackamas
Print
1
i
Call Nick Barron
© X257Ô
V
(
)
t
c
r
I