Just another update...

So as I sit here, listening to music in Spanish and writing in English…you’ll have to excuse the potential language train wreck that may follow.

I realize that the last post I uploaded was not the happiest…and it was a truly bad day, so I’ll allow it.  I don’t want to give the wrong impression though, I do really love it here, but it was just really really hard to come to such a sudden and harsh realization that my listening skills need so much work.  I have decided to drop that class and try to get into a class at UMSA, the school I wanted to go to anyway.  If I really can’t get into a painting class, I’ll probably take a Comm. class that will transfer and help out with my Comm. minor.  Also, a lot of my friends are going to UMSA…I don’t know why that’s important, but it feels like a valid enough point to me to count as a reason to go to UMSA.

So I finally dropped off my laundry at a lavandería (Laundromat, essentially) and so yay for clean clothes!  And tonight is my first tango class.  Inés asked if I wanted to go with her and I said of course, and she was really excited because she didn’t want to go to a dance class by herself.  Yelena will not be accompanying us (this time) because she is spending the weekend in Uruguay with a group of her friends.  I clarified that they were her friends because I was not invited to go.  Normally I may have been upset about that, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t know anyone in the group that was going…so I don’t think I’d have had much fun anyways.  Plus, now I get to be one step closer to reaching my goal of learning how to tango while I’m here!  Other goals I have are to go to a fútbol game (probably a Boca Juniors game…for those of you who care), to get a tan so that I look like I could be a local (working on that one, it’s ok…), to learn to speak Spanish better so that while looking like a local I can actually talk to people and sound more local than foreign, and…I’m sure there are others that I can’t remember now, but I think this list is good for now.  Goals I have already accomplished include trying mate, using the bus by myself, going to the market and buying souvenir-type things (more of that to come, though), and (starting, at least) to know where good restaurant are to eat lunch.  Oh, also making some friends.  I think it will be easier to find semester (at least)-long friends once we get into the rhythm of our classes and see who we have classes with and who we’ll be working with, and pretty much just get to know each other better. 

So I’m figuring out how nerdy I am…I’m really excited that classes are starting again. However, now I have to break the habit of leaving 10 minutes before my class starts because…well that won’t work here.  Of course, once I’m in the habit of leaving for class about 45 minutes early, I’ll get back to school and get to all my classes WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY early.  Oh well, at least that’s not a bad thing…and I’m sure I’ll be able to get back into the habit of a half hour more sleep pretty easily…just saying.

Classes are going well though.  I’m sure that was the question on all your minds: how are her classes going?  And I’m only joking a little bit, that seems to be the go-to question when I’m chatting with someone from back in the States.  So I’ll tell you: classes are going well.  I really like most of them.  There’s one where the professor is better at economics than teaching.  It’s my Impact of Globalization on Latin America class…the one I was most looking forward to.  He talks with a lot of pauses in his speech, and it’s very monotone and just, lacking in energy in general.  That makes me sad, but I think that the material is still interesting and so I’m going to stick with the class.  Also, I am going to be reading like, all the time.  Many of my classes require a lot of reading and so I’m looking forward to bringing my blanket, going to a park across the street, and reading outside.  The weather has gotten sooooooo nice.  I don’t know if you remember, but I kind of complained a little bit about how humid it was, well now it’s mid-70s every day with no overpowering humidity.  It is wonderful.  So anyways, many hours will probably be spent outside reading (this will also be a great time to work on that tan…), and it should be good. 

I also am really liking not having classes on Friday, it’s nice to have an extra day in the weekend.  There are some kids here that have made it so they don’t have class Thursday or Friday (of course, the other three days of the week are super booked).  That means there are three days of school and 4 days of weekend.  You can imagine the appeal, but I don’t think I could do that because I know that I have a problem with procrastinating…well I don’t have a problem doing it, I have a problem because I do it.  So I think that with four days off…I would get absolutely nothing done.  Yelena has managed to switch her schedule around so that she’s off Thursday and Friday even though she told me she’ll probably have a tendency to put things off until Sunday…….so what is she going to do with the other three days? We’ll find out.  Of course, it’s not really my business what she does on her weekend, so I’ll try to keep my nose out of it, but I am curious.  Oh well, I guess I’ll just leave it.

Anyways, I have homework to do (reading) and so I’m going to sign off for now.  Thanks for reading, sorry if this was a little drier—classes have a tendency to be less interesting than…well everything else, I guess.   But they are what I’m here for…partially…a big partially, but still partially nonetheless.

Chau!

Kiki