Elephants...

Well yesterday I got my midterm back and I got an 86/100. So yay! I was very pleased, however I still have to study for my final exam and two more quizzes :( I also gave a group presentation about the neighborhood of Matederos. I think it went really well and I am so glad we went yesterday and got it over with. Last night there was not a post because I had a quiz today that I thought it was going to have all of this hard material on it, so I studied hardcore and then today there was only half of it, so that was a blessing, but very frustrating! 

The school system is very different here.When handing back anything, (tests or just homework) they will say "good job" to those who got the highest grades and then "you should've studied" to those that did horrible. Followed by a lecture by name to those who failed. Then when explaining the correct answers, they will point out those student's mistakes that didn't do so well. If you are absent on they day they hand back your stuff, the teachers will tell the class what you got so that, just in case you see them, you can tell them what they got. It is quite bizarre that the confidentiality level is so low. I actually think it makes people contribute more in class though. I find myself becoming more involved in the class discussion every day. Also, if the teachers phone goes off in class, she will answer it and then talk for a while and then when she is done, class resumes. If she gets a text, she will stop talking, pick up her phone, giggle, respond and then continue teaching class. It's a very different class dynamic. 

They have been loading us up with homework and there is a lot of studying to be done before next Thursday (written final) and Friday (spoken final). I can't believe I only have 3 more days of classes. Then 2 exams and a 3-day weekend before my next classes start. These first 3 weeks have gone by really quick, I hope the next 8 go slower, but I have a feeling they won't :) Bittersweet. 

This weekend all of the Summer 1 students are taking a trip to Iguazu Falls, so I have the weekend all to myself! I am very excited to explore the city by myself and see how it feels to not always be in a group. However, I am going to miss the girls I normally hangout with and am jealous they get to see the waterfalls before I do. I have been looking into different means of transportation for when my program is over and I get to travel!! I am thinking that this weekend I will get an itinerary put together that is a rough estimate of what we are going to do. I am also going to do some shopping. However, sometimes it is hard to shop here because everyone is so paranoid that you are going to steal something, that you can't just browse without someone breathing down your neck. This is the culture here and I am getting more and more used to it. No one feels safe here. I think I'm going to have ulcers from being so darn paranoid. :S

Funny story #4: I know these all have to do with me mixing up words in Spanish, but honestly it is really the one of the funniest things that happens here. In class the question was asked, "What do you want to do before you die?" As many of you know I want to ride an elephant. Yes, I know it is silly, but it just sounds like so much fun! Someday I am going to. Anyways, the teacher called on me to share. What I needed to say was "Quiero montar un elefante"-I want to ride an elephant. The way I pronounced came out like "Quiero matar un elefante"-I want to kill an elefante. She flung out of her chair and was like "Oh my gosh! Poor elephant!" Everyone laughed and I had to correct myself. I don't know why every time I mess up the language, it is always something negative! I am getting better, I promise!

I hope you are all still enjoying the blog. I know it hasn't been very exciting lately, but hopefully this weekend I will explore more of the city and have lots more to tell!