At last, the end of the day....

Finally, it's basically the end of the day. It's been pretty cool--I met new people, met my advisor for the next four years, ate good food, and had attended an awesome lecture.

For one thing, let me address the lecture. It was our first Literature Humanities lecture on the Iliad, and the department head was our instructor for today.

And it was awesome.

She posed questions on morality, the relative context of good within historical constraints, and challenged us to challenge ourselves and our beliefs. She posed Lit Hum and the Core Curriculum as a road to wisdom and a path by which we could slowly but surely examine ourselves and change ourselves for the better.

As I see it, the Columbia Core is this great vehicle by which one can become a better PERSON, as well as a great academic. In essence, Columbia helps you to challenge yourself to become a thinker and really cement your own belief system through a series of inquiries, doubts, and episodes of "intellectual courage."

That's why Columbia is so unique--that though everybody has such a different take on what they want to achieve, each undergraduate goes through the same purification and breaking process so as to emerge a new, wholesome, and better statue of excellence: morally and academically.

But back to the lecture--people were THINKING. Not just whimpering out a few lines of an inaudible cliche--actually THINKING, CHALLENGING, CREATING, RESPONDING, AND CRITICALLY EXAMINING. And that was amazing. I found myself talking to intellectuals, really engaging in the topic, applying the lecture to the discussion material, etc. To think that this will be each of my classes, where there will be a forum of knowledge--that is mind boggling.

I think that was the highlight of my day: oddly enough, a lecture. But that's the power of knowledge I suppose.

Tomorrow's another fun-filled day--let's see what opportunities it holds.

To a New Beginning

It's now 12:32 pm here in the Big Apple, and it's really hot. I can hear the cars outside my window, honking as usual, as well as a bunch of people outside.

My dorm building's relatively quiet, except for the huge lunch line downstairs--but I'm on the seventh floor, so that doesn't matter.

And amidst it all, I love it. New York's such a great place to be, and Columbia University is an awesome university. I mean, seriously, Columbia is an oasis of peace and intellectual vibrancy amidst a large and busy city--this part of Manhattan is quieter though. Who else can step out of their dorm and see a huge classically built building? I still can't believe I'm here.

And I can just step off campus whenever I want to get an opportunity. Not that I need to that much--Columbia itself has so much for me to explore.

The people are friendly, everyone's busy, and each person seems so willing to help you along the way.

Well, I have a lecture in about two hours and gotta get lunch, so this post will be shorter. But, point made--NYC is awesome, I love it here, and I really feel at home.

So, this is to a new beginning. Thanks to you all back home and around everywhere for all your support in helping me get this far. I hope this blog will help you keep up with my daily doings and thoughts!