aug 7

Today started off early. I caught the colectivo at 7 am to get to my 7.45 class. I found my class called personality psychology, and waited along with the 30 other girls for the teacher to arrive. The professor never arrived, and therefore we didn’t have class. I went to get something to eat at the café, and ended up getting media lunas but since they have a shortage of change here I had to give up my bus money home, since they didn’t have any change to give me. So here I am with a couple hours to spare until my next class, and no way to get home (since the buses only take change). I sat by the water and ate my media lunas, and then ventured upstairs to my second class. It was about 45 minutes before my class was supposed to start and I saw people streaming into the room. After what happened last time I quick jumped up and joined them. To my dismay, it was not my class, instead it was a econ class. What I have figured out is that unlike the states, kids have a specific career when they enter school. So those in the “political science career” take all political science classes, predetermined, and usually in the morning/afternoon/night block. This is why there has been so much confusion with the classes because the block of kids is there all morning taking a couple classes, and generally people don’t or cant just take one class and then switch careers. So I sat through the economics class, which wasn’t that bad, other than being in class for a couple extra hours. Then reconfirmed that was the place I was supposed to be for the international relations class. Indeed it was, although today was a surprise (not sure if it really was or I just didn’t know about it) conference. So instead of my class we had this conference on militant Islam or fundamentalism. This scholar showed a video and spoke to us in English…which was kind of odd. And all the questions were from international students in English. After class I tried to get a syllabus for the class but I couldn’t figure out how to do it, or what I needed and didn’t really want to buy the huge stack of papers if I wasn’t going to take the class. I left a bit disheveled after being crammed into a small room for quite sometime trying to figure it out. After leaving I was faced with another problem. Change for the bus. I tried to buy a piece of candy in the UCA store, but they didn’t have any. I then ventured to a store, where I tried to buy a piece of candy and the owner kind of yelled at me. No tengo moneras! I was trying to ask him nicely how people get around, when no one has change but my Spanish skills had left me. I left frustrated as usual. A man who was in the store called me back and changed my two peso note for two peso coins. It was a small gesture, but one that was so much appreciated at that moment. I cant figure out anything here…how to get coins, how to get copies, how to go to the right class. And today it just got super frustrating. I rode the bus home upset, at the days going on’s. I took my laundry to the laundry mat, and took a short nap, then got up, grabbed some empanadas and went to FLACSO. I attended the introductory class for the service learning class that combines a seminar with field work. I am pretty excited about it. There seems to be some neat organizations. One that caught my interest is a community outside of Buenos aires, and one of the jobs listed was teaching a cooking class to children. How fun. I hope I get that one. I am now at home, awaiting the arrival of the rest of the homestay family. Hopefully things will get easier.