Arroz y frijoles

Hm, so where did I leave off. Classes started on Tuesday. My schedule is pretty much the dream of any college student. I have class on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays, leaving Monday and Friday the happy tag-alongs of a four day weekend. Every. Weekend.

So classes on Tuesday. My first class was my Spanish class with a professor who was with us during orientation in Monteverde, Luis. He’s super nice and a great teacher so we did some review stuff and got some readings for the next class. There are 7 people (including me) in this class and they’re all students from the program/the US, so I guess it was a good way to ease into the first day of classes.

My next class that day was introduction to ethics, probably the class that is the most intimidating to me. I walked into the classroom of second and third year students who all know each other because they’ve all had classes together for a few years. In the few minutes before the professor got there, I managed to ask two of the other girls in the class if they had taken lots of philosophy classes before (me, 0) and they gave me the “duh, are you for real?” look. The class is mostly guys, many of whom look like they should be singing in the grass at Weaver Street, leading a revolution against capitalism, eating soy or writing poetry about the inner-most workings of the universe. The professor is a “I-don’t-take-no-crap” kind of woman who commands the attention of the class, but told us all that in this class, she is not the authority: everyone is (If I hadn’t known already that this was a philosophy class, this would tip me off). Her specialty is the philosophy of the medical and public health field. At the intro of the class, the profe asked who had taken introduction to problems of the antiquity, introduction to metaphysics and introduction to logic before, (everyone except me) which prompted my thoughts to turn to: ¡¡¡mierda mierda mierda!!! For the rest of the class, we read a weird excerpt about how people are really just meat (…) and then got three reading assignments for next week by various philosophers. Cool. First class with university students: check.

Next class was a bit later, from 5 pm to 8:30 pm. Classes here generally meet once a week for a long, long…..long time. Amanda and Nathan from the program are in my class, and I was more relieved than I thought I would be to see a few familiar faces. This class was Fundamentals of Sustainable Human Development and women. It’s all girls. All girls, and Nathan. The girls that I met in this class were really nice, and we did some group work for a while, went over the syllabus and ended a long day. I rode the night bus home and had a late dinner. Thoughts on my first day? It’s scarier than I thought to walk around a college campus and not recognize anyone, and speak a different language.

Next day, Wednesday, I had my social history class (with gringos) and my health and the environment class (with Ticos). Social History was fine. The professor really looks like a really tan version of Grandpa Toy. Weirdly Latino/Japanese looking at the same time. As far as I can tell, he’s a funny dude (When talking about the US, he says (in Spanish): What I don’t understand is how a country that is filled with brilliant people can elect such a stupid president.)and the class seems like it’ll be interesting. We started off by talking about the ancient cultural bridges of Mesoamerica.

During lunch, foreign students had to get their school ID made. I was the last in line and when it was finally my turn, there was an error on the computer. Awesome. Then a few of us went to go request another dance class. Apparently a lot of people have been doing the same because there was a list for people to write down their name and number in case they do make another class. My next class was my general studies class: health and the environment. The class is generally filled with young’uns, firs’ years as Hagrid would say. Shortly after class started, we formed groups to work in during the class and apparently the rest of the semester. Group work is emphasized here much more so than in the US. I’m in a group with 4 computer science majors, three of whom are in their third year, and one in his first year. They’re all very nice and when I asked what there is to do in Heredia at night, the girl says, sleep.

So now, I’ve been to all of my classes. I’m still not really sure what I think of any of them.

1. In Spanish, I’ll learn/review a lot of important stuff, methinks.
2. Philosophy: well, at least I don’t have to take a philosophy at UNC and the people seem like people I could either like or just be sort of annoyed with: nature lovin’, philosophical book totin’ hippies.
3. Social History: with program gringos. Teacher seems funny, exams are take home? Good to go. Glad I have a class about the country I'm staying in, so I won't be an ignoramus.
   
4. Health and the Environment: people in the class are nice—still haven’t had class enough to have a feel for it. We do get to go on a field trip though. Woooo
   
5. Fundamentals of Sustainable Development and Women: So, honestly, I was zoning out for most of this class. (It’s a class during dinner time, what do you expect?) As far as I can tell, we’re going to read a lot of environmental legislation stuff, and do some project about a person who works in the women & sustainable development field.

Last night, a few of us went out to try to find the UNC-Duke game with no luck. (ESPN was playing poker though...) We ended up at Bulevar (the gringo hangout) and I think I'm ready to find a better place (than Bulevar) to go for next time.

This morn, I only had Spanish. Class today was half grammar half reading stuff by Rubén Darío, a Nicaraguan writer. When I got home, I had a huge lunch, which I don’t even feel like retelling because I am still so full. I didn’t want to be rude, so even though I was full about ¼ of the way through, I kept going. I think I may be the first accidental death from an overdose on rice and beans. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some rice and beans (sometimes I crave gallo pinto in the morning) but every stomach has a limit. Honestly, explosion pending.

Until next time (if the rice and beans haven’t gotten the best of me).

Abrazos,
Erin

P.S. Mom--feel better

P.P.S. Hi Henriette on your new computer!