Week Eight

A pretty normal week this week. Finally confirmed my classes on Monday. After two weeks of running around getting signatures and e-mailing back and forth between advisers, this process has been completed. All of my classes have been going well. There is a lot of assigned readings, but they aren't really necessary for the class. The classes seem to be designed so that everyone can do well even without doing much. Our grades are based mostly on two tests and a couple of papers. For my history class, my prof is going to give us a list of questions we need to know for the exams. He's essentially giving us the answers. Doesn't get much easier than that! The main reasons for taking these classes is for my Spanish to improve and it definitely is! Speaking is getting much easier and faster (my host mom has been complimenting me on my Spanish lately :-D ) and listening is getting a lot easier. Some of the professors speak really fast and the students speak even faster, so I've had to get used to listening quickly and attentively for long periods of time.

My free day during the week is Wednesday and of course I have the weekend. This Wednesday, I went downtown to get some more gifts bought and to just enjoy the beautiful weather. It's fall here now and it's perfect. The weather is about 70-80 everyday and sunny. Not exactly the fall I'm used to, but it's much better than the 90 degrees at the beginning of my trip.

Saturday I went with some friends to Jardín Japonés (Japanese Garden). It was beautiful and they had a special day for Japan. All of the entrance fees and food costs, etc were donated to Japan to help with the tsunami and earthquake relief. They were selling pins that said "Fuerza Japon" (Japanese Force). It was really nice, but was heartbreaking to see some of the pictures of the damage in Japan. After the garden, my friend Karen and I went to see a march for autism, because she works at a special needs camp during the summer and wanted to check it out. It ended up being more handing out flyers and walking in front of cars at the stoplights with signs, so we headed home.

Jardin Japonés

Not a terribly eventful week, but it was good and now we're 1/3 of the way done with Argentina. Crazy how time is flying!