Hello, my minions! The clock has struck the midnight hour and it is time for me to pontificate at you once more. Mwa ha ha ha ha!
Ahem. So I seem to recall mentioning that I was in school. I am currently attending EdCC (or Edmonds Community College, for those of you playing the home game). It shares a campus with the Lynnwood branch of Central Washington University, and as such is one of the "youngest" community colleges I've ever witnessed. What I mean by that is there is a larger percentage of fresh-out-of-high-school teens at EdCC than one might normally expect. There is even a (very) small on-campus dormitory/apartment building for the CWU kids. It's a nice enough campus - a bit spread, but not ridiculously so, with a good combination of old and new buildings. They offer a nice variety of classes, although their dance program is sadly lacking compared to other schools I've attended. They even have a pleasantly diverse online course selection. There's some absurd bureaucracy but you'll encounter that no matter where you are. All in all, I'm happy with the school.
What I find most striking about the campus, however, is the lack of personal diversity. Let me explain. This is a very ethnically/racially diverse campus - it is by far the biggest melting pot of cultures I have encountered in an institution of higher learning. I think that's fantastic. That said, they almost all seem to fit into one of three social circles - the hipsters, the fashionistas, and the "regular" kids.
The hipster population in Seattle is a little astounding to begin with. For those of you who enjoy this sort of thing, I would like to encourage you to go to Fremont some time, find a coffee shop, and play a few rounds of hipster bingo. They're everywhere - in Philosophy, I actually sit next to one of the cutest little hipsters I've ever met. She even has the iconic glasses. I'm sure in a few more years when she's old enough she'll be downing PBR and talking about how obscure all her interests are.
The fashionistas are how I refer to a certain roving sect of women I've seen on campus. They are almost exclusively Asian - this is an actual observation, so don't start calling me names - but also include a number of white girls and a handful of Muslim women who sport some of the most fantastically bedazzled hijabs I have ever seen. They are also exclusively women. While there are a number of fashionably dressed young men on campus, none of them take it to the extreme these young women do. These girls, no matter what the weather, always look like they just stepped off a runway. They huddle together for warmth in colder months, because a heavy coat would cover and wrinkle their ensemble. They slide all over the place if the parking lots ice over, because heaven forbid they trade out their ballet flats or stripper heels for something with traction. The really funny part is that they're all wearing variations of the same outfit, but the absurdity aside I have to admit that they look good. When I stop laughing as another one tries to cross the street and falls on her butt.
And then there is everyone else, and there really isn't a better way to describe it. While you will on occasion see a lone person stand out - like the strange, unkempt gentleman who wears cat ears all the time, or the rather fashionable young man with the leather trench that always seems dressed as if he's about to head off for some affair - I really haven't noticed a representation of other social groups. There are no goths, no metal heads, no kandi kids, not even any steampunks which is very surprising given the writhing life form that is the Seattle Steampunk community (more on that in a different entry). The area is very trendy/preppy/whatever you want to call it, and that is what you see at the school.
Perhaps I'm wrong, though. Perhaps it is there, and I just haven't found it yet. Perhaps I need to look harder.
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