Questions of School: Part Last

Ok, I was starting to bore myself with these repetitive posts about school. I realize I did a horrible job this week with “daily” blog posts. It was a hard week, but nothing especially blog-worthy. So not an excuse. I still have some more questions from Gramma, but I think after this post, I´m gonna save them for later. There are so many things flying through my head to talk about, and this way we can spread out the fun, right? :)

Q4: Where is school in relation to your house?

As an estimate, I´d say it´s about 1.5 kms. REALLY close. My two brothers attend a different school, which is a little farther away. In the morning, Papá drives us all, I get dropped off first. After school, I wait in OXXO for Papá to pick me up. This wait seems pretty irregular to me. Sometimes, my Dad is waiting for me. Sometimes, I wait for almost an hour. It really varies.

After one of the LONGER waits, I had this fit of independence: “Why am I waiting for this long? I can walk home in less than 15 mins”. So I asked Papá if I could walk. He said yes, as long as I had my phone. So I set off. Sure enough, I was home in less than 15 mins. Unfortunately, I had forgotten the padlock system on the door. I had forgotten the keys. And I had forgotten the sun and mosquitoes. Now, instead of waiting in an air-conditioned convenience store, I was sitting in the street staring at my house, surrounded by a cloud of winged insects, getting laughed at by the UV rays. For company I had the construction workers across the street, and the circling man on a bicycle who asked me if I was lost about 20 times.

Hmmmmm. I called Papá who said he would be there really soon (read: ½ hour) and in the end, I decided that my parents had the right idea in the first place (shocker). No more fits of independence for me. Now I bring a water bottle and a book, and enjoy the AC in OXXO.

Q5: What reaction do you get from other students?

On my first day, I was assigned the wrong classroom: Economics. I KNEW I didn´t want to be in that class and I really wanted the Humanities Group, so I went to the office and changed my schedule after three hours. Given my Spanish abilities on day FIVE of my time here, this was an accomplishment. So, I gave myself a pat on the back, and schedule changed, headed to my new classroom. I ended up making quite the dramatic entrance: The teacher was just reviewing a syllabus and in marches this tall blonde girl who looks WAY too excited for having found the classroom. Now that I know how this class works better, I can also see that my sitting in the front row (“Tralala, ooooh open desks in the front!”) made me stand out more, if it was possible at that point. I was never formally introduced to the class or anything. I was just sort of there. But I was so obviously an exchange student that throughout that day and the following days, I met pretty much everyone in the class. There was never much fanfare, I was just there, and little by little joined in on the action.

After four weeks of school, I really feel like I can function in this group of students. I greet my friends with a kiss in the morning. I bring a breakfast to eat during recess. I participate in the scramble of homework finishing that takes place in the 5 minutes before each class. I can pretty much contribute to conversations now, and I don´t feel as though I´m inflicting my company on people anymore. In my 5th semester class, I am part of the community.

But if you recall, not all of my classes are in 5th semester. One hour a day I am banished to the lower level Semester 3 class for Mexican History. Here, I have not yet lost my celebrity status.

On my first day, I was brought to the front of the room to introduce myself. The class erupted into cheers after every third word, sometimes shouting things out at me. I think they were encouraging things, although I also picked up: “Do you like the tequila?” Every day, when I enter the room, the students applaud. I am not making this up. Students ask me to take pictures with them. Even the teacher repeatedly singles me out in class to answer questions from the U.S.´s point of view. Sometimes after class I get the privilege of trying to “share my understanding of the U.S.´s debt problems” and other similarly simple issues with him. You know, ones with clear, concise, answers that are easy to explain in a second language. Yesterday´s topic was: “How does the United States feel about the border of México?” Really? One of these days he´ll ask me to explain to flag, or sing the national anthem, or list Presidents, or do something with an ANSWER….right?

Anyway, my third semester class is fun for one hour of the day. It´s good for me to be answering tough questions, and the students´ enthusiasm is pretty contagious. Regardless of how badly I embarrass myself, I always leave smiling. This is partially due to the fact that I have lost the ability to detect awkward situations. I´m sure other exchange students have experienced this: if you spend enough time not knowing what to say, when to say it, or whom to say it to, there isn´t very much that can phase you. I entered my school for the first time not having met a single person. It´s easy to get overwhelmed by a sea of unfamiliar faces, but I´m learning that you really can choose how to respond. You just have to jump in: Exchange students don´t get to be introverts. And so I´ve learned that if you smile enough, it´s possible to make friends anywhere.

In the end, I am really content with my class. I love feeling like I have a place that I fit. I love having friends to hang out with in AND after school. I love learning new information in a new language! It is absolutely thrilling, as every day I “get” more of it. As much trouble as I still have answering, it´s good to give myself perspective and remember that for my first week of classes, I couldn´t even understand the questions. My next post is going to be an update on the whole language situation, because if I get started…..