On November 1st, I attended the lecture for a Government class (GVPT 100S) that two of my friends are currently enrolled in. The class is a special section devoted to students in the International Studies scholar's program. I initially wanted to attend this class for two reasons; first, my friends talked about this class frequently and the debates that go on in this class. Second, I had taken Government AP in high school and had received credit for the class, so I wanted to see how AP Government differed from the actual college course.
The lecture I attended was very interesting; the professor, Soltan, was much more interesting than my high school teacher, he was highly amusing. In high school we mainly focused on the structure of different types of governments, but in this course it was much more about different political theories.
I attended the October 18th performance of "Urinetown" at the Kay Theatre. I decided to go to the show after several of my friends were attending the show for their theater class. The performance was completely different from any high school production; everything about it was more elaborate. The performance definitely had its funny parts, and it also dealt with societal issues that exist in the world today including capitalism, socialism, and a direct correlation to global warming. "Urinetown" was also different from other musicals in that it had an atypical love story. The play was a nice relief from all the stressful aspects of life.
On October 27th, I attended the Indian Student Association's Fall Culture Show. The show featured performances by different dance teams, including Dhoom and Moksha, as well as other musical performances and skits. The show was very entertaining for me, as I am Pakistani, and we share many cultural traditions with India. However, many of the aspects of the show such as the dancing and music are not prevalent parts of Pakistani culture, so it was nice to view this area of diversity.
Many people attended the show; quite a few were actually members of the Indian Student Association. The outfits that the performers wore were quite elaborate and many were native to India. Overall it was a great event, and I hope to attend it again next year.
On October 20th, I volunteered at a free medical clinic called MCC Clinic. It is located in Silver Spring, MD, as a part of the local mosque that I attend. Anyone can go to this clinic; however, the clinic tends to become extremely busy and sees patients by appointments only. Everyone who is a part of the clinic is a volunteer; whether it was someone like myself, helping in the office area, or the doctors, nurses, and pharmacists are all volunteers. My experience there was fantastic, in that I was able to meet a variety of people and perform many different tasks. I was able to interact with several patients as I set up appointments for them. I also improved my secretarial skills as I made, found, and put away patient files. I also inputted information into the computer involving patient's contact information, diagnosis, and appointments. Overall I was kept very busy while I was there.
This volunteer opportunity was a great occasion to make contacts with many doctors, which could help me as I am currently a psychology and pre-med major. I also felt that I was helping the community, and I would like to volunteer at the clinic again.