School=School

After two days of going to classes, seeing which ones I like (or, more specifically, which ones seem the easiest) and talking to other exchange students, my grand realization is that school here is a lot like school in WI. WHO KNEW?!

Since I've been listening to teachers talk to me in Spanish since I was 5, I kind of figured I was above having to worry about something so simple as understanding professors here. Wronnggggg. On Monday I went to a class called Detective Literature and struggled big time. I guess teachers in the US know that they have to speak extra clearly in the classroom. The nice thing is that I really don't have to take many classes here to fulfill my credit requirement. One literature class, one culture class, and a geography class might be about all I can handle academically.

The highlight of my day was soccer this morning. I was kind of nervous for one reason or another, but the professor/coach came off as really really nice and fun-loving. He must be 60 years old and has been teaching/coaching girls and boys of all ages for 30 years. My favorite part of class was when he explained to us (a class of 40 or so girls) that we might notice that some of his male students visit him during our class, and that this is no accident. So, he said that if we think any of them are particularly handsome, we should let him know and he'll put in a good word. Hahahahahaha! He also told us that he tells the boys' classes that the best one of them gets to come to the co-ed BBQ at the end of the semester. Maybe I'm actually in match-making class and don't know it... Anyway, it sounds like we'll be "learning" a "new" skill on Tuesdays, doing some fitness on Thursdays, and mostly scrimmaging on Fridays. I love it!

One thing that I'm still uneasy about it the system the U has for obtaining class books and other materials. Everyone says that it's because books are really expensive here, but instead of buying the actual books, they make photocopies of everything and we have to pick them up from designated copy centers. They have something similar in Madison but the readings are always ready in neat little packets and ready for pick-up. Here it sounds like we have to go get a bunch of individual readings and not even all of them are available at the same time. It might be a question of my not being used to the system, but yikes. Sounds like a zoo.

I'm hoping to have my schedule finalized by Monday! Then I can at least settle into a routine.