Classes, Classes, Classes...

One of the realities I wasn't quite prepared for was the fact that study abroad requires some amount of studying! Part of the reason I'm so late updating this (in addition to the typical procrastination, business, laziness, etc) is the fact that I spend so much time in classes.

I absolutely love the rigor of the Spanish in my program--it's helping me get far more fluent than I expected! However, my program at times feels like a flashback to high school: lots of my time is scheduled. On a typical school day, I spend 3 1/2 hours in Spanish class (4 including the 1/2 hour break in the middle). Then, I have a 2 1/2 hour lunch break. While this seems incredibly long, it's not necessarily enough time for me to go home. Sometimes, my afternoon classes are in the same place as the morning Spanish class. On those days, I just bring my lunch with me, because going home and returning would take so long when factoring in waiting for the micro (that's what Chileans call the public transportation buses). Other days we take afternoon classes at the Universidad Santa María, which is a 15-20 minute walk from my house, and I go home for lunch. I have gotten pretty settled into my routine here and feel much more comfortable using my Spanish!