Rebecca Fensome's Scholarship Report

I have so many people to thank for enabling me to be a Cornell student this summer, including the Cornell Club of London, Liz Simpson, the staff of Cornell Abroad especially Bea Szekely, Richard Gaulton and Priscilla Miller, and the former scholarship winners who gave me invaluable advice. I had an absolutely amazing time - it was a summer of so many wonderful and challenging experiences and opportunities that I'll never get again. A lot of what I gained from being at Cornell was intangible and unexpected. It is amazing how you can find yourself in a completely new culture, yet the people around you, from all over the world, are so unnervingly similar! I came away from Cornell having made friends that I was very, very sorry to leave and who will continue to be a part of my life.

However, I must get down to business! I took two courses at Cornell: Greek Mythology and Opera. I shared dorms with a wide variety of people, some doing the 6 week summer school also, but others taking language courses, teacher training instruction or doing undergraduate research. The system of teaching is vastly different to that which I was used to, but it was very easy to get accustomed to and I really enjoyed it. Two classes a day, five days a week meant a great sense of structure to the day had enabled me to make friends with classmates. I was lucky in that both my classes were small by Cornell standards - 14 in Greek Mythology and only 4 in Opera. The professors were brilliant. Professor Mankin takes his classes wearing shades throughout and frequently uses jokes and modern references to help us understand the Greek world better. I learned so much on that course - not just about the Greek Myths themselves, but about their uses in ancient Greek society and now. Our last assignment was "You have just been told Dionysius or Heracles has moved next door. Give your response." We also gained knowledge that will help us understand more modern literature, psychological and philosophical thought as well as, hopefully, a greater ability to critique Disney films! The Opera class taught by Professor Rosen was really good too. We studied 6 operas but, in addition to looking at the music, we studied the social and political issues integral to them, what this showed about society at the time and how subsequent productions had exploited these issues. The professor was inspiring. He himself was a Verdi expert and his enthusiasm was completely infectious. The insights he gave us were completely eye opening - we looked at Rigoletto in the context of its controversial protagonist, the disabled man, and how Verdi was keen to present the heartbreaking story of his love for his daughter in such a way that his disability becomes a minor issue in the Opera. In a similar way we looked at how Carmen's role in society as a gypsy, an outsider, affected her actions in Bizet's Opera and the possibility of Benjamin Britten's personal life affecting his portrayal of characters in "The Turn of the Screw".

Of course, many of my fellow students were taking classes to make up credits either to catch up or so they didn't have quite so much to do when the full school year started. My next door neighbour was one such - she had been at Cornell a year and so was able to show me the ropes. I was introduced to blue light buses and Collegetown bagels this way - it's great at the end of the day to spend an evening in the cafe chatting, people watching and maybe even doing some work! The campus is so beautiful in summer and it was great to be able to go walking round Beebe Lake or down to the gorges. A friend also took me up to the equestrian centre where all the horses are kept and that was lovely. A whole host of entertainment was on offer both on and off campus which was a wonderful way of spending time with friends. I went to several concerts at the Centre for Performing Arts: there was a viola and piano recital, an evening of Jewish music, and an amazing woodwind trio who played a breathtaking arrangement of the overture to Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" - yes, three instruments!! I really felt I was having the "all American experience" when I was taken to the cinema followed by pizza in the mall a couple of times. It was obviously the favoured place to "hang out" - a marked comparison to my local shopping centre in Chippenham where the "No Loitering" signs abound!!

I was also lucky enough to make friends with the teaching assistant of a pre-freshman writing program who suggested I join them at a production of a play called "How I Learned to Drive" by Paula Vogel at Ithaca's Hangar Theatre. I was absolutely awe-struck by the quality of the production - the acting , the direction, everything, and being able to discuss it with students studying English was great. I was informed of numerous Cornell traditions - some of which friends and I tried to fulfil - swimming in the gorges, making sure the suspension bridge didn't fall down, seeing the wonderful views, particularly those from the top of the Johnson Art Museum or the cocktail lounge in Uris Library. One wonderful evening a group of us went to Ithaca Commons to see a spectacular fireworks display over Cayuga Lake. Ironically enough, it was in order to celebrate Independence Day, but my Englishness was temporarily excused - I was told I could celebrate Will Smith defeating the aliens instead! Well, I guess I can't really conclude my report of experiences at Cornell without including the gastronomic ones! I certainly gained my "freshman fifteen"! Eating at the two main campus cafeterias, Trillium and Oakenshields, was a great way to meet and meet up with people. I was taken from the sublime - lunch at the Statler Hotel - to the ridiculous - midnight refuelling at the "Hot Truck" - open all night for pizza! A group of us descended on the State Street Diner in Ithaca for a traditional American breakfast; I thought that kind of place only existed on TV!! The libraries were wonderful, and unlike the Bodleian in Oxford, all open shelves and free to lending. We were also very well looked after in our dorms; we had a telephone in our rooms, a weekly laundry service and plenty of activities organised for us to meet one another. I must also mention the neighbours I saw outside my window every day - squirrels, chipmunks and a rabbit who needless to say I will also miss very much!

I really had the time of my life this summer and I am so grateful to all those who made it possible. I will miss the friends I made and the campus and all its unique traditions and attributes. Studying under marvellous professors, experiencing American culture, meeting some amazing people, watching the sun set over Cayuga Lake - all memories of Cornell that will remain with me for the rest of my life.

Rebecca Fensome, August 1999

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