First Days of School
Yesterday was officially my first day of class. I was so nervous while riding my bike down through campus. It's been a little more than two years since I sat in a classroom, plus I'm attending an entirely new school. After 7 years of attendance BYU started to feel very comfortable. My class went well; on Monday afternoon I have a seminar on Shakespeare. We spent three hours sitting around a table having a wide-ranging discussion on Henry IV. Graduate seminars are once a week for three hours. I thought I would like this schedule, but after two days of class I'm not so sure.
Today was my "long day". On Tuesday I have two seminars, one from noon to three and another from four to seven. My first seminar is on critical theory, and I think it will actually be somewhat easy for me since I've had much of the material before. The professor reminds me of Elton John a bit, and we had an interesting discussion about the current economic crisis as evidence of a massive hole in the symbolic order. Yeah. During my break I tried to get ahead of my reading for Shakespeare (three articles and two plays a week). Then I went to my afternoon seminar, which is on Spanish film. I felt very nervous because most of the students know each other, the professor is from Spain and talks super rapidamente, and my spoken Spanish is getting kind of rusty. But I had a good time and was able to follow the discussion. So far in all my classes I feel very prepared and grateful for the education I got at BYU. I got home at nearly eight o'clock tonight feeling overwhelmed and drained after six hours of class. Thankfully I don't have to do it again until next Monday.
Speaking of next Monday, S-Boogie will be having her first day of class at a new school. This morning the secretary from the Spanish elementary school called and told us they have an opening in their kindergarten class. We were a little reluctant because S-Boogie is settled in at her new school and we like the afternoon schedule (the new class is in the morning). She will be going to a Spanish-immersion program, which means her class instruction will primarily be in Spanish. I'm so worried because I think she'll be stressed out at first by the change and the language, but Mr. Fob and I both feel that in the long run this is the best choice. Mr. Fob took her over to visit this afternoon and got a good impression from the teacher, plus there is a boy from church in her class. S-Boogie is more excited after seeing her room and putting her name on her cubby (cubiculo). The school here has been doing immersion for nearly twenty-five years and she can continue through sixth grade if we decide to keep living here. So next week we get to have another "first day" in our family. Hopefully things will start calming down a little after that.
Today was my "long day". On Tuesday I have two seminars, one from noon to three and another from four to seven. My first seminar is on critical theory, and I think it will actually be somewhat easy for me since I've had much of the material before. The professor reminds me of Elton John a bit, and we had an interesting discussion about the current economic crisis as evidence of a massive hole in the symbolic order. Yeah. During my break I tried to get ahead of my reading for Shakespeare (three articles and two plays a week). Then I went to my afternoon seminar, which is on Spanish film. I felt very nervous because most of the students know each other, the professor is from Spain and talks super rapidamente, and my spoken Spanish is getting kind of rusty. But I had a good time and was able to follow the discussion. So far in all my classes I feel very prepared and grateful for the education I got at BYU. I got home at nearly eight o'clock tonight feeling overwhelmed and drained after six hours of class. Thankfully I don't have to do it again until next Monday.
Speaking of next Monday, S-Boogie will be having her first day of class at a new school. This morning the secretary from the Spanish elementary school called and told us they have an opening in their kindergarten class. We were a little reluctant because S-Boogie is settled in at her new school and we like the afternoon schedule (the new class is in the morning). She will be going to a Spanish-immersion program, which means her class instruction will primarily be in Spanish. I'm so worried because I think she'll be stressed out at first by the change and the language, but Mr. Fob and I both feel that in the long run this is the best choice. Mr. Fob took her over to visit this afternoon and got a good impression from the teacher, plus there is a boy from church in her class. S-Boogie is more excited after seeing her room and putting her name on her cubby (cubiculo). The school here has been doing immersion for nearly twenty-five years and she can continue through sixth grade if we decide to keep living here. So next week we get to have another "first day" in our family. Hopefully things will start calming down a little after that.
Comments
Mucho Amour...Abeula
(oops--is "amour" French?)
three cheers for theory.
2 seminars in a day? yuck. fortuntately, all my profs but 1 decided to split their seminars into 2 sessions a week, but the one 3 hour one i have is killing me.
good luck!
When my family moved to Belgium in middle school, I was able to pick up French somewhat easily, and in college after spending time in Portuguese speaking countries, I took advanced Portuguese grammar at the U and am fluent in Portuguese as well. The skills I learned, tricks of learning a language as a young child have helped me immeasurably.
Ditto on the being grateful for a BYU education. I've yet to feel unprepared here.
On the theory class...we linked the economic crisis to Kant's discussion of the sublime...the "mathematical" as opposed to the "analytical" sublime. Theory is hilarious.