This week is pre-registration week for next semester at Georgetown. I worked out my schedule this weekend, and it was blissfully easy compared to what I did in January to register for this semester in Salamanca. I’m registering for my classes months, rather than days, before classes actually begin, all the classes will be in English, the online course listings are easy to navigate, and all of the classes sound so interesting—overall, much better than registering with a completely unfamiliar system for Spanish classes the week before classes begin. Granted, registration can be difficult no matter where you are studying (this semester was by far the easiest time I’ve ever had registering; usually I agonize for hours over working out times and selecting classes) but I definitely appreciate Georgetown’s system more now—it seems so easy and familiar and logical! Plus, I just really miss the American style of classes and knowing how the system works and what is expected of me. Here, my classes are pretty much all lecture. Even in classes where professors say they expect participation, no one really participates, and the professors don’t really force us to. There’s a much bigger emphasis at home on participation, discussion, and learning how to think critically, whereas here it’s a lot of memorization of facts and concepts. Plus it will be nice to take more classes for my American Studies major (which, in case you didn’t know, I’m kind of obsessed with my major. All of the AmStud classes at Georgetown are so cool!), since it was pretty challenging finding good classes to take in Spain about America. I was practically dancing I was so excited about my classes for next semester, and the fact that all their times fit together perfectly, which is definitely not how I feel about my classes here. I’m really looking forward to being back on the Hilltop!!
This weekend we had a great time celebrating Phase 2 (i.e. the alcohol phase) of Kristen’s 21st on Friday and going to the Salamanca flea market on Sunday morning. The markets here are not quite what I expected when I think “market.” I had this image in my head of quaint little markets in Europe where you can buy vintage clothes, antique books, handmade jewelry, and quirky knickknacks. I’ve now been to the market in both Salamanca and Madrid (which is the largest in Europe, as you may recall) and it’s pretty much all knock-off designer purses and watches, cheap jewelry and scarves, and bootleg dvds. I did manage to find a cute necklace and a beautiful red dress that is apparently the style to wear at the Sevilla April Fair, so I was happy. It was freezing cold, though, so we didn’t last long. I got new roommates, again, on Sunday and they left today; I counted and this is the 10th batch I’ve had since I’ve been here. I kind of enjoy it, though, because I get to meet a bunch of French and Italian high school students.
My spring break begins this weekend, so on Friday Kristen, Mary Kathryn, and I are setting off to London tomorrow! Jennifer is going to meet us there from Paris for the weekend, and after five days in London we’ll spend the rest of our break, including Easter, traipsing around southern Ireland in Cork, Killarney (in County Kerry, where my ancestors are from), and Dublin. I went to London last year for spring break to visit my cousin Beth and had a blast, and I’ve wanted to go to Ireland (which I fondly call my homeland, even though I’m only about ¼ Irish) since I was about 12, so I’m really really excited for this trip!!!
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Wow Molly, I know we are in separate countries and all, but I could have written your first paragraph *verbatim* - I identified with everything! I am pretty obsessed with my major too and so pumped to probably take an Islamic Modernism class with the famously expert John Voll... and you know, knowing my classes months in advance! And everything else!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to hear about your UK adventures!