How To: Universidad

So it was the first full week of classes! That was a cool time, for the most part. The way classes work here is that you don't technically have to attend for the first two weeks, although you probably should, because if you don't, you're going to miss a bunch of important stuff, and then fail. But if you want to, you could probably just not show up. So that means what people do is just try and take as many classes as possible to test them out and see which ones are the best/easiest, I guess.

On Monday, I went to a class called Narratives of the Monstrous in Latin America. It was so good, and we're going to read a lot of things, and also the professor is basically my favorite Spanish professor back at United Statesian school. She would love this class so much, I just know. We spent the first and second day watching a famous Argentinian movie about, kind of, revenge I guess. I can't remember what it's called, but it has a bunch of little stories in it, and a lot of people die. In the first story, a guy gets everyone he knows onto a plane, and then seals them in there, and then crashes the plane onto his parents, because he blames everyone for all his problems. And that's only the first story Imagine how it goes from there!

Then on Tuesday I tried a class with local students called Contemporary Social and Political Movements. There is a 0% chance that I am going back to that at this point, I think. It was okay, and the professor was nice, and so were the students, but also, I was dying. I think the worst part was when the professor told the girl in front of me to take my notebook and write stuff down for me. I just don't really want to take a class with a professor who's not about trying to let me learn stuff on my own. Like, maybe if I asked for help, but it feels weird that she just had this girl take my stuff from me.

Also on Tuesday, I got to go to SOCIOLINGUISTICS the best thing ever! Have I ever mentioned that I really like linguistics on this blog here? Probably not. I really like linguistics. That will be a great class, I super hope/know! Then I had a boring history class that I might drop depending on whether or not I email my favorite Spanish professor to get approval for not dying. And also there's an Argentine Literature class on Tuesdays and Thursdays that I'm now taking instead of the deathly class, because reading is a good time.

Then, today, Friday, I'm supposed to have my literary translation class with local students, and I got up "early" and walked all the way to school, only to wait. Now, as far as I can tell, typical Latin American culture is more relaxed with regards to time than the culture I'm used to. So I was prepared to wait for the professor to show up, as I've done with all of my other classes. However, after almost an hour of waiting, I was slightly annoyed. And then the scheduling lady came in and told us that the professor forgot that class started this week, and thus was not coming, and so we were free to go! That fiend!

But this nice lady and like six other students invited me to go get coffee with them at a cafe, so I accepted and we walked a couple blocks and I had orange juice that was warm and everyone was nice, and I couldn't really follow the conversation, but it was nice to be included.

And then I went back to school to try and do homework, which I only read like a page, so we all know what I'll be doing tomorrow. I kind of have forgotten how much work having actual classes is, since I haven't taken any actual classes in SIXTY YEARS. It's fine.

So school has been an interesting experience! The university is just basically one building that's like 20 stories tall, and they have a cool elevator (actually 4) that goes to only four floors, probably so it's not stopping all the time, and you can see the ground fly away from you as you go up to the 17th floor, where they put all the international students, probably so we're out of the way.

There are also some people from my program in most of my classes, so that will be nice if we have to do projects or study together or something, but I also want to meet people outside of the program so we can have more friends! Friends......

Also today we had a mate workshop, which was good. We learned how to prepare mate, which is a traditional drink here in Argentina, and also in some other close by countries. It's like a tea, but with 9000% more caffeine, and also it tastes horrible. But I tried it, so be proud of me. Actually, I tried it before at Spanish camp, but like, 13-year-old me had good instincts about what not to like. If anyone wants to know how to prepare mate when I get home, I am now a proficient preparer of mate, and also I have a mate cup, that will probably be underutilized, so you can borrow it. Also, you drink mate out of a "gourd" with a metal straw and it is very hot and you could probably burn your tongue. It's fine.

In other news, I might actually being going out tonight, like a fiend. Who knows? It's very late, but apparently that's how the night life is here. So if I die, let this post serve as my last words. Actually probably not. There's nothing very witty here today. I'll try and update you about how going to bars goes.

PS: Foods - Okay, it's been a long time, so forgive me if I forget something important.

• Lentils
• Shawarma - We went to an Israeli restaurant: this is like chicken and vegetables and beans and rice and hummus and salsa on a special kind of flat bread
• Globe squash
• Torta - in this case, eggs mixed with TERRIFYING VEGETABLES
• Mate - I'm putting it on here and you can't stop me
• Medialunas - basically crescents, but more crunchy and less buttery
• A kind of meat, I don't remember what they called it, but somewhere between a chicken patty and a small steak
• Alfajores - cookies with sweet stuff inside, and probably coconut
• Dulce de leche inside a waffle (literally so good)

Okay, also, I forgot something about the mate. So, mate looks like the word "mate" as in like, two animals get together to make babies, but that is NOT how it's pronounced. It's pronounced like pot-eh? but like with an m. I realized that this is not obvious as I tried to title this post "How To: Mate" and was like, "wait FRICK no that is INCORRECT". So just so you know. I am sorry for the inappropriateness of this paragraph. 

PSS: I have shown you all the exciting places in my room, so here is a picture of Xander and me being awesome! (He's not very good at looking at the camera.)