A Chilean Adventure

I actually went to class today and yesterday and it was a little overwhelming. We only talked about the syllabus and the general structure of the class, but I’m not sure how much I understood. I need to make some friends so I can have study partners. My classes are general microbiology, rural sociology, rural economic development, and the technology of milk processing. They are with first, second, fourth, and fifth year students, respectively.

Another big difference about classes here is that they meet less often, but for longer periods of time. The longest class I have is the technology of milk; the lecture meets for 2.5 hours and the lab meets for 2 hours on Tuesdays each week. The classes each have a certain amount of theory and practical hours. The theory is basically the lecture and the practical hours are more like a discussion or lab.

Also, in each of the classes the professors somehow made it known that I was an exchange student from the U.S. It was a little embarrassing at the time, but I think it was good to prevent any of the background snickers. For the most part, all of the students know each other and have all the same classes, so I automatically stick out even before they notice how white I am and that I can’t really speak Spanish.

I can’t make too many other observations about classes yet because we haven’t started talking about the subjects yet. I hope I can understand all of my professors!