Escuela (2 semanas!)

So this week was great, but the biggest and most exciting thing that happened was me starting school! Please note that while I'm mentioning differences between West De Pere and Sophia Bunge, in no way do I prefer one over the other. As an exchange student we're taught to say that things are different, not better or worse. Please don't get offended if it sounds like I'm degrading either school, as I'm only picking out differences to explain what school is like for me here in comparison to how it is in the United States. Please also know that this is just my experience, and my view on things.

I'm attending a large (large for Ituzaingo, small for WI standards) Catholic school in my town called Instituto Madre Sophia Bunge. I'm the only exchange student in my school, despite what I originally thought. I have a uniform, which I'll add a picture of eventually.The uniform is a plaid skirt, white polo, blue socks/tights and black shoes. For gym I have jogging pants, a red shirt, white tennis shoes and a track jacket. I actually enjoy it; it allows me to fit in a little bit more. However, everyone still knows me as the girl from the United States. All of the younger kids love saying hello and goodbye to me in English and sometimes they wave and blush if I look at them, which is super cute.

At school we have 2 different tracks- Sociales and Economía. I'm in the economics track, which means my classes are more business related. Currently I'm taking chemistry, English, micro and macro-economics, math, Spanish literature, politics and city, organizational management, history, law, accounting, a religion class, geography and gym. There are 19 other kids in my class, I think, with only 3 boys. I really like everyone, and they're super helpful with Spanish and translating/explaining what's going on. My Spanish skills are still very minimal, but I'm learning. I brought my yearbook from freshman year to show them, and they thought it was the coolest thing. They really enjoyed the Senior pictures and pictures from homecoming and prom. They thought it was hilarious when I told them I rode the school bus to school, and they kept saying 'this is just like in the movies!'. They were also jealous of the fact that we have school sports and lockers.

In the morning at my school we have a flag-raising ceremony, and a morning prayer. We all line up by grade level, I'm in the second to last grade. They say what I believe to be the Hail Mary and Our Father in Spanish. They also say something while the flag is being raised, but I don't know if it's religious or not. Then, one of the teachers or the headmaster says another prayer. I was included in the prayer on my second day at school and almost every person in the room turned and looked at me, it was so embarassing. My first day there, kids were super excited. I was kind of scared at some points, people were just flocking towards me. They handed me their phones to listen to various types of music, and asked whether or not I liked it. They also asked tons of questions, which was a little difficult because of the language barrier. I may have accidently told a girl I was personal friends with Justin Bieber. Oops. She freaked out, and I later had to explain to her that I thought she had asked if I knew who he was, not if I actually knew him. I think at first some of the younger kids kind of assumed I was famous because I was from the United States.

School is a lot different here. Security is higher.. in the morning to enter school grounds we have to be buzzed in, as the entire school is surrounded with gates and walls, and then we have to be buzzed in again to enter the actual school. The way class is taught is also different. We don't have electronics in the classroom that aid in teaching (other than lights, our cellphones and calculators, if you count that). But no iPads or netbooks or SmartBoards, like in WDP. If we want a copy of something, we have to pay for it. Textbooks are also the student's responsibility.. we can either buy one new or take another student's and make a copy of every page, but either way we have to pay. Teachers use the chalkboards and textbooks to teach, so many of the classes are lecture based. Classes also seem to be more relaxed, as we haven't gone over as much information in one week as we do in West De Pere. Teachers and students in general have closer relationships here than in the US. Because the kids sit in the same spot everyday, all day long (as teachers move rooms, not students), teachers expect the class to look the same way everyday. It was funny to see their faces as they scanned the classroom to see if everyone was present, when they noticed that I was there. Some teachers assumed I was just a transfer from another school so they would start speaking to me in rapid Spanish and all I could do is give a blank stare, say 'uhhhhh' and desperately look around the room for help. The language barrier is still the hardest part about being here. In stores, on the street, etc. people don't question whether I know Castellano because there definitely aren't any tourists in Ituzaingo, and foreigners are just about as rare as they are in De Pere.

My favorite class is math, as it's pretty universal and I've always just liked math. If I don't understand something my math teacher just shows me how to do it and I watch, we don't really ever have to talk. So far it's also kind of a repeat of what I learned last year, so it's nice to refresh and have something familiar. My least favorite class is English. I'm not a fan of the way it's taught, and if I'm going to participate, I feel like it should be to help the class, not because I need to prove to my English teacher I know English. If you need me to prove to you that I know English, I can definitely write a paragraph about my favorite movie like the rest of the class, but I find it a little over the top to make me buy/make copies of an English book so I can do the exercises and show to you I do know the difference between 'I walk to school' and 'I sleep to school'. Oh well. It is nice though as it's a break for my mind and I use it as a time to practice my Spanish, when I can.

Overall, I really like school here. I get bored, but that's only because I get sick of trying to understand what's going on. I know that once my language skills get better, school will be a lot more enjoyable as I'll be able to talk to the teachers and students more. I'm making friends (I think? haha), but as I'm still trying to get used to the language and my surroundings, I'm still not comfortable (and I don't think my host parents are either) with going out with only friends quite yet.

It's been a wonderful two weeks. There's been a few small ups and downs, but overall it's been pretty great. I still have many weeks left, and I'm sure the ups and downs will become more drastic, but I'm so excited that I'm in Argentina. Originally I thought it would hit me when I got on the plane or when I got here, but I still laugh at myself sometimes and have to tell myself that I'm in another country and that I'm here for an entire year. I don't think it's going to hit me until I leave Argentina, when I'll be sad to leave.

I love all of you, but homesickness still hasn't hit.

(But a shout out to Kaylee Beck in Africa! I definitely miss you, hermana.)

Until next week, maybe!

Micah