Space (Liminally)

Honestly the Decameron has so much content that I don’t really know what to say, let alone where to begin. Like how the heck am I going to be able to choose ONE IDEA from these juicy lectures and then say something profound about it??

See, those were my very first thoughts before I was told that these archives are graded based on COMPLETION. So now I get to ramble and write as fast I can to finish this on time, all while attempting to stay on topic, for your sake. 

Truthfully, I had a hard time understanding the whole thing about “the relationship between the real world and the spaces of or in storytelling” because in a brief moment of fragility during lecture, I let the explanation of that concept totally fly over my head. But to answer the prompt, I’d say that the real world and the spaces of story-telling most definitely have their differences, with one having more audacity than the other. Only in a story-telling setting will you hear about a priest convincing a naive girl that sex is the act of putting the devil back in hell (though let’s be honest, I’m sure that some creepy priest out there, at some point in time, had heard that story and proceeded to take action…gross). But because it is a story, we’re more inclined to listen and cringe, rather than shout in outrage and kick said priest in the devil (haha get it). 

but anyway...

With these thoughts in mind, I want to take a step back and admire how the space of story-telling acts as a gateway to a multi-dimensional reflection of the real world. This idea stems from the portion of the lecture about the different readings of the Alibech and Rustico story. During the lecture, it was stated that two popular interpretations of the story came from completely opposite sides of the spectrum: one of sexual liberation and the other of the evil manipulations caused by the patriarchy. Though these two opinions are of opposite ideals, both can be logically argued using the context of the story. And this wild, audacious story being told is what allows for these opposing readings to exist with validity. It’s not common to (openly) see perverted priests and extremely misguided girls in our daily lives, but the manipulation of the good-willed, the powerful differences that perception can make on one’s reality, the liberation of taking something as your own, the harmful evils that those in a position of power can inflict on others, and many other important pieces of knowledge that only life can teach, all have an outstanding presence in our lives. But where would these conclusions come from, if not a story like that one? Because lived experiences similar to these stories are rare, and even if we do have the misfortune of experiencing them, the valuable lessons are usually overtaken by the emotions that we are burdened with as people. But as the level-headed, all-knowing, and safely sheltered audience, we are able to observe a plethora of life lessons from all types of stories. Biases aside, our position as a reader allows for us to take extreme tales like Alibech and Rustico, and make multiple meaningful and well-rounded conclusions from a single, but dense, storyline. The extremities of the Priest’s manipulative acts and Alibechs pure intentions can be read in so many different ways that it reminds us of how our lives can also provide such plentiful lessons, whether it be from the people we meet or the situations we encounter. But yea, that’s how I feel about that. Cheers to using stories in a good way and not being inspired to commit murder or whatever crazy people do!

so now for the juicy part:

What do I think of UCI as a space?? Well, I personally think that it’s a space for B-WORDS. 

Brilliant people!

IM JOKING DR FOGLI!! I would consider UCI to be a world apart that acts as a liminal space for our lives. To consider this school as a strictly liminal space would be a severe understatement, because there is no doubt that UCI is too big a place (both figuratively and literally) to only be liminal. I think there is more to it than solely being a transitional period, despite what we’ve been made to think. As temporary as we make these four years out to be, and as much as we swear that we will miserably “work ourselves to the bone now in order to have great jobs later,” it is far too important to only be a place of transition. This is (supposedly) where the spicy process of character development occurs in young, naive, and ignorant little freshmen such as myself (or anyone else of any age, tbh) who have never been in an environment where there are countless opportunities to grow as individuals. The school is large and densely populated with highly educated professors and somewhat educated young adults (emphasis on “somewhat”), so we are faced with a variety of personalities, cultures, and ideologies that we have never met in our lives beforehand, and will be confronted with situations that are beyond what we could have imagined. Here, we must figure out who we are, what we value, and the people we want to be, and of course we are subjected to others that are in that very same process of self-discovery (could be a good or bad thing, depending on your luck lol). The uniqueness of this setting, and the diverse adversary that it entails, is what makes UCI, and every other educational institution, a world apart in my book. 

Since we are all here to get our silly little degrees, and are a mere, singular number buried in the masses of this over-populated, stinky, smelly, disgu—I’m kidding, I love it here ahahahahah. But seriously, this place is undeniably HUGE and packed with people, plus we’re only here for four years, so I think all students feel inclined to either: 

1. Keep to themselves to avoid the hullabaloo, or

2. Feel the need to overcompensate in school work, extracurricular activities, their social lives, etc. due to the eventful world around them

Either way, whether you fall under option 1 or 2 or in between (because I’ve only been here for six weeks so my opinions on this school are totally invalid) the world revolves around YOU and what YOU do. It’s easy to recognize that most of us turn to the tunnel vision mentality and focus on our careers and grades to avoid social gatherings, or vice versa depending on the person. And most times, this is perceived as a negative trait amongst students, but in reality, the cultivation of our individual selves is what makes this place so unique. Remember when I said that there are “ a variety of personalities, cultures, and ideologies” here? Yea, we make that happen by focusing on ourselves. And as much as we’re absorbed by what we have going on internally, our daily interactions with one another and the way in which we all exist at this school as a single student body are what makes this school meaningful and well-rounded (kind of like the cool stories mentioned above!), and overall worth observing as a place of life lessons, and lastly a space that is beyond the limitations of our hometowns while additionally being transitional to our adult lives. And speaking of round, I think a place at UCI that best represents what I’m describing is Aldrich Park, as shown above. This cute little circle of nature and abundance is ribboned with skinny, individual pathways, but these pathways intersect and work together to create the park we know and love. And although each pathway is isolated at certain points, where we walk to class with our heads down in our own interesting little worlds, it doesn’t take much to look around the open greenery and observe or gain something from the other brilliant minds on pathways around you. It’s just a fun place of being ourselves and being mindful of others. So harmonious, wholesome, and cute!  

Anyway, that’s all the brainpower you’ll get from me. Ta-ta!