Blogging Barbados

I started the process of signing up for summer school today. Practical implication of this: I’ll be in Barbados for at least another 6-8 weeks. Unlike most foreign students here I actually wanted to be here, even before coming here so this is actually great for me. 

The Law faculty regulations (see handbook here .pdf) stipulate that you can do up to two third year courses from outside of the faculty and I’ve decided to take up the option and pursue them in the summer for the following reasons:

• As a direct entrant I do 26 courses over two years (Yes, you read that right). 13 each academic year. Doing summer school would mean I get to cut down the course load from 13 to 11 in my final year. To contextualise, that’s a mere one above the normal student load. 
• Summer school will mean I get an opportunity to actually ’see’ Barbados. Something you don’t really get to do during a full semester. 
• Having been introduced somewhat forcefully to what it means to pursue law academically, I’d relish an opportunity to re-immerse myself into the more familiar terrain of the  Social Sciences and Humanities.
• Doing these courses would provide an original scope for modeling my law degree. Pretty much ensuring that despite the slim offerings of the Law faculty itself, I’d still get to ensure that all the courses I pursue are courses that I wanted to do.
• Summer school should end just about the same time that “Crop Over” related activities are nearing their crescendo. Pretty awesome timing. 
• Finally, from all accounts so far, the job market in Jamaica seems much less promising than it does here. I think it would help more than it would hurt to try my hand at finding summer employment here.

I have to get faculty’s approval for the courses I plan to pursue so I submitted a list with the course I plan to do earlier today. I’ve chosen Caribbean Social Policy and Project Management. The former for the scope it would offer me in terms of expanding my thinking and understanding of my own Caribbean people. I expect the latter to provide practical insights into the world of project management. One of the things my last job helped me realise is that PM has meaningful implications for every line of work… bar none.

I’m going to be checking back with the faculty tomorrow afternoon to find out if I’ve been given approval.

Anyhow, that’s enough rambling for me in one afternoon. Pity it took me all of two months+ to do it since my last entry on here.