Na terceira semana

Well, completed week 3 of school. Its going by soooooo fast and Im meeting some really great people as I continue to say. Im still all alone in the apartment, the guys will be back next week in the midweek I believe. It will be nice to have them back in the house to keep me company hehe. But it was nice to have the place alone to myself for a bit but Im such a people person, I love having people around me. Anyway, so school is going really well, like I said I totally understood everything in my Macro class last Monday and then in my Mercosur class....eh more or less. I understand what he is saying but then he starts talking about personal stories of Argentina and then he loses me. I wish I was more knowledgeable on Argentine history and even the history of my own country. Its soooo embarassing when he says, and what happened on December 7th 1942...and all the Argentines scream out Pearl Harbor before I can even think of what the date is. Haha! O well, Im sure if I heard it in English it wouldve come right to me. But thats how it is. Second languages are hard, 3rd not so much. I think breaking that surface into a second language takes a while, and I have to wait until my full year is complete in order to really feel its affects. Anyway, so that class is good because I have my little French Canadian buddy, Coralie, who has two roommates from Montreal also who are living here with her. And we all went out on Thursday night to see a punk band. They are really cool chicks! And Coralie says they just adore me, so it all works out great! Then what else? On Friday, I went to a reunion with my Portuguese class friends from the class I took before school started. It was just 4 of us but it was cool. We didnt speak Portuguese though...boo hoo but all Spanish because they are all Argentine. Its really amazing, even though Argentines might have less education on English in school, I feel like they know more about English than most people in the US know about Spanish. They really study when they want to know something and most learn from watching movies or TV shows in English. Its really amazing to me! I wish we were more like that, o well I can only wish for myself to be more like that and I believe I am. My friend at the reunion said to me hey now your trilingual like me! I said no far off! He said no you are, accept it and be proud. It does feel nice to know more than just my own language. I feel like I can connect more with more people. And Portuguese and Spanish are highly spoken among the world, now just Chinese and Hindu and Ill be set haha yeah right! Anyway, then on Saturday I went with Ms. Jillian May to the park and we laid around like lazy bums. I kinda studied, so thats exactly what I will be doing all day today after writing this. Then on Saturday night I went with my friend Cris to the movies. I love the system here in Argentina. You reserve your seat online before you go to the movies! Its such a good idea. It makes people sit next to each other so that there arent and vacant seats. Its such an amazing idea! Plus in the parking garage at the shopping center, which was 5 times bigger than anything Ive seen haha, is really smart too. It has a number on each row of how many vacant spots the row has, then the vacant ones have green lights above them and red above the ones who are taken. Its so amazing the differences in technology here. Sometimes its so developed like that and then sometimes its completely opposite. For this reason, I think its so important that we learn from each other. This idea would be so helpful in the US for parking, I really thought it was cool anyway nevermind haha. So then I was also thinking about how much I really want to finish up with Portuguese and seal it as my 3rd language. I began researching schools that offered programs for a Masters in Environmental Studies and also offered exchange programs to do Masters thesis in Brazil or in Africa. Guess who has one? UCSB!!! cool huh? Also Davis as well! But UCSB was more adverstised on the internet so Im assuming its more popular. Also, I had applied for a scholarship with Boren that I didnt get because I was studying Spanish which isnt considered a language that is important in terms of global security for the US. So it wasnt given priority. Obviously I didnt get it but I looked up the scholarship again and Portuguese and studying in Brazil are both given priority when it comes to this scholarship and its completely paid for when you study. Sooooo anyway, Ive decided that when the time comes in about 3 years when Im in the Masters Program, if I get the scholarship, I will go and live in Brazil or Angola. I know you all probably think Im crazy but I just have to do it. I really love Portuguese and obviously it wont be like my Spanish but I want to atleast just be able to hold a conversation with an important political figure if it comes to that one day. I want to have all the options open to me so I can be successful and I can feel like Ive really accomplished all that I can. Anyway, so thats my plan. Its a good one huh?

Love Rachel
Off to study Macroooooo

La Victoria!

Ok so my goal was to write a blog on Friday, when I had completed my school work for the week but I HAD to write a little blog right now to explain how happy and accomplished I feel. So I was feeling really defeated in my Macroeconomics class and really worried that I just wouldn´t get it because it was in a foreign language and because well its Macroeconomics, blah just the name sounds awful. Anyway, so I bought the book, read the first 3 chapters and thought I had a pretty good basic concept of the ideas, things were still fuzzy like the math equations and such but I was feeling better than before. Then last night I went to class, really nervous because we had the teacher that the week before spoke so fast I had no idea what he was saying. However, to my surprise the reading and whatever other magic, I understood every word, every concept, every equation and I even could respond in the class. O it was soooooo amazing! I feel so great! Then after class, there are two Argentines that just love the US I feel, so they like to ask me questions about the place, gave me a ride home. One of them speaks Portuguese and we were speaking the basic in his car. O I feel so much better now! And then in my Portuguese class, a Equatorian told me that I speak that so well also and I can become fluent real easily. Wow, I just feel so amazing right now. Well tomorrow is a day off, no school, its the Day of Justice and we dont have to recuperate the class like I had to the last semester with the foreign exchange classes so yay day off! Im going to go the Presidental Office, Casa Rosada and Plaza de Mayo with my little Brazilian friend Tiago. We are going to take some pictures. Anyway, so Im still living solo in the house, its nice but it will be nice to have the guys back too. I miss them hehe! Anyway, off to Globalization to listen to the over opiniated teacher tell us what he thinks about his country and how mine is so much better....blah! Anyway, the material is good, I like the book so that´s all that matters. Its his final year, after teaching for 25 years I guess he can complain a bit but o well. I just hope his negative opinions don´t rub off on those who are staying here as long as I have. I have gotten to really know this country and they only have 4 months, its like a vacation, not a lot of time but still time to get to know it and all that it has.

13 weeks friends and family o my gosh! I cant believe it and when I get home i get to petition to graduate. EEEK!

Rachel

then grad school if I can get in .....Davis

Segunda Semana de Facu

Ok so this semester is going to be tough! I just got all my materials for reading and Im getting down to business. Last semester was a breeze, a chance to get accustomed to the city and to travel and to get to know the language (basically). This semester is more to complete my knowledge of the language, really get to know the policies and governments of Latin America as it pertains to the environment, and to get to really really really have a complete understanding of all the technical words in the Spanish language in my field. O and to be a goof trying to speak Portuguese haha. But I will do fine. Im not trying to be perfect with Portuguese, Spanish yes because I have been studying it for so long. I can work on Portuguese more intensely later on. So Portuguese is my fun class, Macro is my death class (gotta read 3 chapters this weekend in my fat book), Mercosur (the class on the Union in Latin America) is my interesting, most liked class, and Globalization well Im not so sure about the class, its good but the teacher is a little wacked out of his mind. I think he likes the US more than his own country, he isnt a good Poli Sci teacher because he gives his political opinion too much in class. A good teacher is one where the students arent sure what side he or she is on. Anyway, its a class to learn I suppose so Ill go with it. So like I said before I have to do some extra studying on the subjects because I am NOT an expert on Argentine history like the students in the class. They have been learning this since they were kids. We do talk a lot about my country but as it pertains to how it affected Argentina and Latin America. And that I only recently started researching and studying. But anyway, all is well. I met a really cool girl from French Canada, named Coralie. We are going to suffer together in two classes. She lives close to me and is a really cool girl. He and her friends are really impressed with me because they think of Americans as ones who dont want to learn any other languages and here I am speaking one and learning another. This is what THEY said, Im not bragging! Anyway, besides that all is really well. The guys are gone for two weeks so Im all alone in the house. I dont mind it THAT much but yeah its kinda lonely. hehe! Its only been one day. We will see after two weeks. I gave them a card saying how blessed and lucky I am to have found them and thanks for everything they have done for me and that they are my familiy for life and when they come to the US (because THEY WILL COME) haha I will put them up at my house and treat them to the time of their lives and show them my country or atleast my region. They were really happy after getting the letter, now the house is really bonded. I think something need to be said because I dont know if they knew how much I appreciated all their help. Now we are a little happy family again. Anyway, I better be off to studying because tomorrow I have a potluck with my vegetarian friends here and then a bday in the night, we are going kareoking. Then Saturday Im going to a lecture for the day without meat conference with one of the girls from my workout group here in BA. Then study study study buddy! O my gosh and last night, it rained cats and dogs I tell you. I walked four blocks from the bus home at 1030 pm and I was soaked head to toe. It was amazing. I love the city like this! I hate the humidity. I am officially saying it, I will NEVER live in a humid place ever unless there is a pool on my side but even that I dont think so. ok study time LOVE AND MISS YOU ALLLLLLLLLL 13 weeks left! Can you believe it? besotes beijos

Primera Semana de Facu

So my first week was really good at school, Im excited to go back tomorrow. I need to study Portuguese now though oops but I thought I would write just a little. So after school was over I went home and took a nap, i was exhausted. On Friday, I went to a friends house who is from Canada, a French Canuk. It was really fun lots of Spanish and French and everything. Then on Saturday I went to a benefit concert, free in the park, for Chile with my Argentine friend. It ended around 9 and we went to our houses, I later on went to meet Ms Jillian May and we went to her friends farewell party and later on to my friends bar. It was a good night! Lots of Spanish, everyone says I speak it soooo well I love it. But now I want to speak Portuguese like I speak Spanish. So I need to study buddy. Then what else? Today I went to the park to read and study Macroeconomics which I actually really really really like! Im so excited for this class, the class was hard to understand because the professor talked only about situations in Argentina and the history of Argentina but when I read the book, which was written by 3 writers from the US, so I actually understand. And now I know I am completely fluent because I can read that book without a dictionary and then on Saturday o my! So at my friends bar, there was this one obnoxious guy who it was his birthday, he was not from here but Latin and he was being really too much with my friend. And she doesnt speak Spanish at all very well and she looked really uncomfortable. So finally I said, hey look she doesnt want to talk to you so just beat it. And oh if that didnt just piss him off, so we got into a little argument and he thought i was from here. Anyway, wasnt anything more than 10 seconds but it was amazing! I could actually express myself in Spanish, without being scared or intimidated. Its so amazing. Anyway, I better be off to study and eat dinner.

Charlamos luego
Rachel

Mi Primer Dia de Facultad

Well, I had my first day of school like a 5 year old. Haha jk! No but i went to my first Portuguese class and it was amazing, in the class are 3 Argentines, two US citizens, and one Italian plus the teacher is from Brazil and we are allllll girls. So it should be pretty fun! And the teacher was really surprised at how good?? my portuguese is. haha! Anyway, hopefully I can say that I have a good grasp of it before I leave here. That is my goal. Then later on I had my first Macroeconomics class, woo! Man it was tough. Not to mention that I had to review some words I forgot the meaning in English but also that it was at 1030 at night to 1140. I got home wrecked, completely and totally wrecked! But it should be a good class. The thing is that all these students are from here or from Latin America and have all been taking classes together since the beginning because this is a 4 year class in a 5 year program to get a degree in International Relations or Political Science or whatever else Business Administration so Im the newbee to the group. But should be good, I hope. Today I have a class from 1 to 3 with the foreigners on Globalization, should be a whole lot easier than last night I know. But it will be a good class I think and a chance not to feel so out of place. So the guys are off to Salta in the North for two weeks on Monday. I will be all alone in the casa, will be nice maybe to be alone no not really. I like having them around. So I will have to keep myself busy with running around town. Tomorrow I have a class, my second macroeconomics class at 7 pm. So I was thinking of heading down to immigrations to finally get my visaaaaaaaaaaaa! And I will take a huge picture of me with it haha! What else? Not much then on Thursday I have my class on Mercosur, that should be really interesting! Im excited! Not much else is going on, just thinking I only have 15 weeks left compared to the 52 I had when i started this adventure, its really mindblowing! I cant believe it. Anyway, I best be off, I slept in late so I now have to get ready and head out. Besotes
Rachel

ps I LOVEEEEEEE my name in Portuguese. They pronounce double Rs like an H but a strong H in English, more like in Hebrew and the CH is like SH. So my name is Hacheiooooooo, its soooooo pretty when a Brasilian says it. I love it.

Its fun to have three different names, Rachel, Raquel, and now Hacheioooooooooo haha.

PEACE