Driving by Consensus

My family's idea of a good vacation is taking a road trip and going camping. In the last couple of months we haven't been on any extended road trips, but we have had several long drives together. We all pile into our minivan and head off. Often there is some squabbling over who sits where, but it's pretty much guaranteed that my dad drives. After too many times of someone offering him driving advice, he started to joke that we should just drive by consensus. "So, everyone, should we pass this car? How about making this right turn? Do we all agree that we should drive faster?" As my mom points out, it's only funny if you've grown up in communal housing where everything is decided by consensus (but if you have grown up in communal housing, it's hilarious.)

I recently took the defensive driving course at Hampshire in order to be certified to drive the 12-seat college vehicles. It was a two hour course taught on Sunday night, a little like a mini driver's education class focused on the specific challenges of driving large vehicles. We watched a movie, discussed what we learned, and then we had to take a test to show that we knew the material. Being Hampshire, we took the test by consensus.

Dancing around the Classroom

One of my classes this semester is on African Diaspora formation, identity, and culture. It is my tutorial class, which means that it is really small (only 8 students) and we are all first years. The class that meets next door to us is on protest traditions in American music. Earlier this year, our classes combined to sing the Black National Anthem together. Because this class is on music, they often play music, loudly. Our professors are friends, and the music is rarely distracting, so it hasn't been a big deal. However, last week, the music they were playing was very loud and kept interrupting us. Not to be outdone, we decided that we were going to battle, and put on a speech by Marcus Garvey. A couple minutes into the speech, the other class's music is off, and we turn off Garvey and congratulate ourselves on our victory.

Less than a minute later, the two teachers come dancing into our class with the radio over their shoulders. And then the rest of their class follows, dancing around our classroom to the tune of African resistance music. Needless to say, our class lost the battle, and we also couldn't stop laughing.

This is Hampshire in a nutshell.

So much to say!

It seems like I'm just starting to get the hang of Hampshire, and it's already time to register for spring courses! (Thankfully, I have a super-good registration time... unfortunately, it is 6:20am.) I've only been at Hampshire for a couple of months, but I'm already building a life here, and really like what I'm doing.

My classes are all on fascinating topics, and it amazes me every day that I'm actually able study what I am: women and economic development, middle east politics, Arab nationalism, genocide, human rights abuses, Africa, diasporas, Haiti, religion, imperialism, and so much much more! Next semester I am going to be doing an independent study on Jewish texts through a feminist lens, and I can't wait!

I am also a signer (Hampshire-speak for one of three people who run a student organization) for Aliz: Queer Jews and Allies, involved in the Jewish Student Union, and play ice hockey for Mount Holyoke, and spend a fair amount of time hanging out there. I also have a great work-study job on campus with wonderful people, who happen to feed me all the time. I've been going back to Boston to see family quite a bit, and I will be back again in two weeks for Thanksgiving vacation!