School

People have told me that I should write about school. I realize that I have not written much about that subject even though it dominates most of my waking hours. So here we go:

I wake up at 6:15 each morning, prepare for the day, have breakfast, and leave for school, which starts at 8:00, at around 7:30. It’s a 20 minute drive to the school through some rough neighborhoods. It’s not uncommon to see gigantic piles of burning trash on the side of the road. My school is a very nice, modern building, though, and in a better part of town.

Most of my classes are an hour and a half long. They usually drag on. My professors talk very quickly. I would say that I understand less than half of what they say. But it’s getting better. The classroom environment is very laid back. Students and teachers have a very friendly relationship. It’s nice to see. The classes are very talkative. When I tell people that all of my classes in the U.S. were 45 minutes, they’re usually surprised and jealous.

Students can choose 1 of 3 fields of study: Science, Language, or Mathematics. I chose science. This means that I have more science classes than students in the other areas do. I have mixed feelings about that decision. Science is definitely my favorite subject, but when taken in another language it involves learning about 1,000 new vocab words. It’s difficult to follow.

 I have a different schedule every day. I have yet to totally figure it out (I carry my schedule around all day every day. I don't think anyone else does this. It's getting very tattered). A typical Thursday goes like this: “Oration”-15 minutes; Biology-90 minutes; 15 minute break; Math-90 minutes (this is a general math class, with algebra, geometry, and some pre-calculus. I also have an Algebra class); 15 minute break; Philosophy-90 minutes; Lunch break; History-45 minutes; Catholic Culture-90 minutes. We finish at 4:00 and  I get home at around 4:45.

Math is probably my easiest class, as what we’re learning now I learned four years ago (although this makes it hard to remember) and math is a universal language.

There’s a very lax attitude about swearing and dirty humor. Students swear loudly in class, and the professors usually don’t say anything (unless it’s “shut up,” which is very common). The same goes for dirty jokes.

On a similar note, there are a couple of darker skinned people in my class. They would be called “white” in the U.S, but here people call them “Negro” in a friendly way. This is because there are very few black people in Chile (I think the only ones I’ve seen so far were at the airport or at the International Police, registering like I had to). Apparently it’s not offensive. I’m often called “El Gringo.” I’m not offended by this, as no one has said it to me in a derogatory manner, although I have had some people check to make sure that it doesn't bother me. So I suppose it could be considered offensive. But it doesn’t bother me. My classmates are all very nice.

The last day of school is December 11^th, when summer break starts. I feel lucky that I’ll get to spend a summer here. All of the students that go to a country in the Northern Hemisphere arrive around the time school starts and leave when school ends.