Finally, classes and not much else.

Let's see. Last time I wrote was about my big trip where I also happened to hemorrhage money all weekend. Anyways, I am sitting here skyping my future husband and I thought I would start typing because the internet has gone out once again. Also, it doesn't seem to want to restart. Ok, so moving on. Yesterday was Monday a.k.a. Kristin's first day of classes with Argentines. I woke up and finished writing my last blog and started captioning pictures and as you all know, that took all freaking day. My own damn fault.

So at 1oclock, I had to be about a million blocks away in Caballito for my class at UBA. Remember that epic university I told you about that was super intellectual and has like 300.000 students, yeah, that's it. The class is called "El ser humano en las literaturas estadounidenses con visiones de mundo no occidentales" or for the english translation (which is still long and convoluted) it's "The human being in United States Literature with Non-western world views." So, man this must be a hell of a class. I walked about 11 blocks to catch a bus and then rode the bus for about 25 minutes. And then walked another 5 blocks to get to the class. As I was waiting for Greg to get there, I stood outside the main door, which is epic in itself and ate some leftover beet salad. I really do love vegetables. When he arrived, we went to find our classroom and proceeded to find seats. The teacher came in, she embodies UBA. She is a hippie, she has long uncut hair, she wears large handmade jewelry and she most certainly does not wear a bra. Greg says she is liberal AND liberated. You have no idea how distracting this can be in class. So we started class and at first it was really hard to understand her but with time, it got better. Class was going well, she explained what we would talk about in class, how we would be evaluated, and what we would read. She then started talking about some background for the class, she explained affirmative action and how americans don't think hispanics are white, which is weird. She then proceeded to explain and give examples of american stereotypes such as asians are intelligent and black people are sexually potent. Those are direct translated quotes, people. This is going to be an interesting class. There is one problem with the class though, it's four hours. It's four long hours and for those of you who know me, which is most likely anyone reading this blog, I have ADD. It's pretty severe and I will have you know that 4 hour classes are torture. Today, Greg and I were talking about how nice it will be to return to short little hour and a half classes and to be able to walk to class in only a few minutes.

After class, Greg and I went to the place where they give us photocopies of our readings and then we went to a café at the end of the block, called Socrates. I got cake, Greg got tea. I asked Greg after class to go over everything we learned, to make sure that I had gotten everything and that if I continued with the class that I wouldn't fail it due to not knowing what was going on. (Run-on, sorry). So we sat down, I ate, he drank and we discussed. And it turns out that I knew exactly what was going on the whole time, I just didn't know I was so apt. Hehe. Because of this, I decided I was taking the class, I happen to really like it and so I decided not to go to the other class (another four hours) called The Theatre of Samuel Beckett.

I came home. We ate dinner, I became nauseated because I'm starting to hate meat. I've decided to become a vegetarian for a year when I return (the wimpy kind that eats fish) and that's about it. I went to two more classes today and learned some stuff about Martín Fierro but nothing all that interesting or worth nothing and then went to yoga which was awesome. Afterwards, I went to Pura VIda and tried the Kiwi California and a cacao muffin, both delicious.

Tomorrow, I am going to the study abroad office to handle some administrative things, like financial aid forms and transfer credit approval forms. Then I will eat lunch with Lindsay and then I have convinced Ami and Greg and Lindsay to go to the Centro Cultural Borges to see an exhibit by Steve McCurry who if you don't know is the photographer who shot the very famous "Afghan Girl" of National Geographic. Awesome dude.

Also, I am thinking about taking a seminar at another art museum called the Museo de Arte Hispanoamericano Issac Fernández Blanco called Passion and Power and which reviews six different artists including Frieda Kahlo, Van Gogh and León Ferrari. Is this too dorky? to take an extra class and to take money to do it? I need your opinions, it sounds super fascinating to me.

Last point, today is tuesday, tomorrow, my mother leaves the United States to come visit me for 10 days in good old Argentina. She won't arrive until Thursday morning, but I'm excited and I have presents for her that she doesn't know about. Haha, except now she does, because she reads this more religiously than anyone else.

Anyways, with lots of love and besos and nonsense,
Kristin (or Christen as the people in the hostel spelled it)