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Published: March 7th 2008
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This week was the first week of classes. Here in Málaga, and I think all of Spain, each area of study ("Facultad"-basically each college within the University) starts at a different time. Of course, all my classes started the first week. On top of that, we had a 5 day workshop that was supposed to introduce us to writing academically in spanish...
Instead, we learned what the Internet is and that you need to end your final sentence with a period. Super. It was 3 hours every day of time wasted listening to one of the strangest people I have ever met in my life. The teacher spoke to us as if we were children and ALWAYS ended her sentences with, "de acuerdo?"(agree?) ... it would be easier for me to do an impression of her because she was quite the character. The class was so incredibly aggravating that we cringe every time we hear "de acuerdo" now because it reminds us of the endless hours of elementary squabbling we had to endure.
Moving on from DE ACUERDO... my other classes started out well. My first class of the week was Psychology of the Personality. First task: find the classroom.
Not as easy as it sounds... the psychology building is large and intimidating so I went over to the information desk to ask where I should go to find my room. Turns out, my class was in an entirely different building - just behind the main building. Good thing I asked because I was almost gonna frantically search the entire building for my classroom. So I finally get to the correct building, walking in the rain as luck would have it, and the feeling of being the outsider finally hits me. All the students were standing in groups outside the classroom and chatting in their seats. I quickly scanned the lecture hall for an open seat, preferably next to an unsuspecting loner who I could cling to. Success. I made a friend my first day... it was awkward at first, naturally - knowing me. She asked me a question before the professor entered the room but I couldn't hear her because everyone was yelling and she speaks very softly. So I just told her I was a foreigner and class began. The professor has a hard time keeping all the students quiet and he himself doesn't raise his voice to talk over them... so I end up with a super confused look on my face and a stiff neck. But the first day of lecture went alright... I understood some of what he was explaining and I had spent the previous Sunday translating the entire syllabus into English for my psych department back home, so I knew the material. Translating the syllabus may sound easy, but it was quite the task - it's 6 pages long! But it was necessary in order to get transfer credit approved.
Anyways, after lecture we had to buy our reading material. They way they do it here is each professor puts together a folder of photocopied readings and notes and you go to the photocopy center to buy it. So I asked my new friend if she wanted to go find the photocopy place together. She also didn't know where it was because this is her first psychology class (she's studying engineering)... so she agreed. The photocopy place was crowded but we both walked out half an hour later, fat packets of paper in hand.
The class is twice a week, the first one on Mondays is lecture and the second one on Wednesdays is like a discussion class but in the same setting (called Bloque Práctica). So my new friend finds me and sits next to me for the practical section of class. We go through some exercises and end class early. I wait around until everyone stops clustering around the professor for my turn to talk with him about my language disability. I inform him that I'm a foreign student and get my questions answered for the most part. Happy with myself for just taking the first step of talking to him I was ready to take on more challenges.
My literature class also started this week. It's an 8-10am class so my host mom offered to give me a ride. I gladly accepted because it was supposed to rain that morning. We've been having a few rainy days lately, which is good because we're in drought right now. Anyways, I show up to class and see that another girl from the program, Tiffany, is also in it! What a pleasant surprise that was... I didn't have to prey on another innocent victim... at least the first day. We made it through the class, struggling to stay focused because when you zone out and the teacher is speaking a different language you don't actually catch anything. After class we talked to the professor and explained that we're study abroad students and may need a little help, etc. He was very nice about it and let us know that he would take that into account and take it easy on us for the final exam, i.e. let us use a dictionary. In Spain, basically your entire grade rests on the final exam. There might be some small assignments or presentations but about 90% of your grade is determined by the final exam.
Tiffany and I went to the photocopy center to buy our "carpeta" of literature and met some students from our class there. One guy, Fran, was really nice and helpful - telling us which number was designated for our folder. We met another really nice girl and chatted with them until we got our packets.
The next class period Tiffany and I decided to sit separate to make spanish friends. We had to get into groups for group work and Fran took us under his wing and informed us that the three of us would be a group. He's studying to be an elementary school teacher so we will be like his first students...
My other two classes, which are through the program, are really interesting too. The Contemporary Spain class includes a lot of field trips, such as the Contemporary Art Museum and the house of Picasso and such. My spanish grammar class is great because my teacher is just hilarious. He's overly flamboyant and full of energy and speaks exceptionally well (he enunciates and everything - very hard to find here in Andalucía).
This week I also called my "intercambio", which is a person who wants to learn English and we plan to get together to speak in both languages for practice. I wasn't sure if the person I had been assigned to was a guy or a girl because all I got was a name (Juanfra) and a phone number. Other people in my program got an e-mail, which would have been the preferred method of contact not just because cell phones are expensive but also because phone conversations are awkward. But I finally mustered up the courage to call and it turns out it's a guy who works a lot so we were trying to find a time to meet up. He sounded older so I'll have to see how it goes. I was hoping it would be another University of Málaga student so we could be friends and hang out... but I'll give it a try.
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