My personal photograph. Copyright Image.
Greeting fellow students!
My name is Alex MacLeod and I am a 4th year student in my 10th year of studies. I split my time between Kyoto, Japan and Richmond, BC, Canada but for now I’m in the latter. My major is Human Geography and this will be my final term here at UBC. After revealing my major the first question people ask me is to clarify what in fact Human Geography is. I’m sure many of you have some idea, perhaps a better idea than my own, but for those who have not come into contact with Human Geography here is a quick definition. According to The Department of Geography, Human Geography is a broad term given to a number of disciplines which have to do with the study of the human use and experience of the world. Still a bit confused (as I still am)? However difficult to define, I sure have had many interesting experiences over the course of my time studying Geography at UBC. So why has it taken me ten years to finish my four year program? Well there are a number of reasons from work to travel to love to laziness. But I am glad to now be wrapping up my university life, at least for now.
I fear that I am a bit out of place here in the English Department. I have not taken an English or Literature course in close to a decade and I am not one who enjoys reading or writing. So my goals for this course are two-fold. I hope to gain knowledge of the subject matter that has been laid out for us but also to gain general reading and writing skills which I presume most people already have. Despite nearing the end of my degree program I have to admit that I have never really been concerned about writing style or precision. I do however have a fascination with the concept of identity, a topic I believe may be relevant given the varying perspectives and characters we are bound to encounter over the next few months. A significant portion of my studies in Human Geography have focused on Canadian history and the relationships between the various peoples who have called Canada home over the past 20,000 years or so. I hope to build on what knowledge and ideas I hold to create a more complete picture of Canadian history, not just one told from a Eurocentric perspective.
Despite being slightly intimidated by the amount of reading, and about the online format, I hope to contribute to class discussions in a meaningful way and to make this a great final term.
I look forward to our future communications.
Sources:
Kyoto City official Travel Guide. Kyoto Convention & Visitors Bureau. January 11, 2016. http://kyoto.travel/en
My personal Facebook page.
University of British Columbia. Undergraduate Programs. Department of Geography http://www.geog.ubc.ca/undergraduate/programs/human-geography/
Hello Alex,
Your blog looks great, thank you and welcome to our course of studies together. I think you will find this course relevant to your interest and that you background in human geography will be a great asset to your peers – thanks and I look forward to our work together.
Hello again Alex, can you please adjust your settings to that it is not necessary for you to approve comments – that way they will post immediately. Thank you.
Hello Alex,
I’m really excited to meet someone who’s been to Japan, especially one of my favorite places! Kyoto is such a lovely city. In the past, I went there for a field trip with my high school’s Japanese class and had an absolute blast. More recently, I’ve studied at Tokyo’s Sophia University thanks to the Go Global exchange program here at UBC. I miss that country so much and hopefully, if everything works out, I’ll be teaching there for a year sometime in the future, as well.
I’m looking forward to seeing how your passion for the concept of “identity” will play out through your discussions of our texts alongside your background of Human Geography. No matter the discipline you’re comfortable with or your experience with literature, I think one of the points Chamberlin raises is that two people can look at the same object or listen to the same story, but come away with startling, yet wonderful differences in perspective and opinion. I’m excited to see your future blog posts!
Hi Brendan,
Thank you for your kind response. If you have any questions about my time living or teaching in Japan I would be happy to share my experience with you. I would highly recommend living abroad at some point in your life. It can be so eye-opening in terms of understanding a culture that is different from your own. It has also helped shape my identity and was useful in terms of living in a place where I am seen as an outsider and the implications that holds.
Hi Alex,
Great first blog post! I think you’ve mentioned that you teach in Japan, and I was wondering what made you decide to work there? I’ve been visiting Japan since I was young and it’s one of my family’s favourite holiday spots (we go at least once a year since it’s pretty close to HK). I love the atmosphere and the feeling of Kyoto; it really makes you feel like you’ve been transported back in time to the Edo period. I know that traveling there and actually living there are two different experiences so another question is what was the most difficult or shocking thing you had to adjust to when you started living in Kyoto? I’ve been debating about living there for a period of time in the near future if the opportunity rises. (:
I’ve taken Geography in high school and I really liked it, mainly because of the fact that the course encompasses so much of what is happening throughout the world and of the affects/effects of humans on nature and vice versa. I’m aware there are a lot of different focuses in Human Geography as well, but what are you most interested in? I really liked learning about the different issues of the world like the privatization of water in Bolivia or the claim certain countries have on Antarctica and its resources.
Sorry if this seems like a lot of questions xP Didn’t mean to ask so many but they just kept coming up when I read your post. Anyway, looking forward to reading more of your blog! (:
Cherie
Hi Cherie,
Thank you for your response, I am happy to answer your questions. I had always dreamed of visiting Japan since I learned about it in elementary school. I suppose because the culture is so different from what you’d find herein Canada, especially small town Canada where I grew up. I met my husband in Vancouver when he was studying here at university and when he returned to Japan (he is Japanese btw) I decided to follow my dream of 1. visiting Japan, 2. teaching abroad, and 3. well I couldn’t bear to be apart from him. So I decided to take a chance and follow a dream. And it was the best experience I’ve had to date. If all works out I will be moving back in the near future to stay. I found it very easy to adapt, in fact I found it much more difficult to adapt to life in Vancouver after having returned. But I suppose not speaking the language was my biggest challenge. I continue to study Japanese today but I am nowhere near fluent and don’t know that I ever will be.
My focus in Human Geography has been on the social and cultural aspects for the most part. I have taken a wide range of courses from physical geography to environmental studies to the geographical history of Canada. Geography is such a broad subject that I find myself at odds when trying to explain what it is. But whatever it is I have enjoyed learning and hope that the knowledge and skills I’ve gained will be of some use in my future.
Thanks again for your reply!