I am so pleased to say that I successfully made it through my first full week of classes at USFQ! :) Drop add period officially ended today, so now my schedule is permanent. More and more aspects of my life here in Quito are becoming solidified, and I love the way it feels. Hopefully within the next few days I learn more about my Pre-Practicum placement at Colegio Menor, a private PreK-12 school affiliated with the University. I'm also waiting to learn which public school I will be working at for my volunteer placement. I'm looking forward to examining the disparities between the two forms of education here in Ecuador, and also gaining some pedagogical strategies that I have not yet been exposed to in my teaching experiences in the U.S. Colegio Menor is a bilingual school, so the students will know English, but it should be interesting using my Spanish in the public school!
Back to my classes... here's a description of how each of them are going so far.
Introducción al Cine (Introduction to Film): This class is so different than any class I have taken before. Its a tiny class of about 17 students, composed of film majors and gringos... what a mix haha. Our teacher speaks very clear Spanish, has a great sense of humor, and gives off a very relaxed vibe. Each class, we watch interesting films or clips. Thus far, we have watched clips of some underground Ecuadorian films (including soft core pornography... which came as a bit of a surprise) and some short films produced by students at the University. We also watch movies outside of class each week (even some American films such as Fight Club and Moulin Rouge). This week, we were assigned the movie, Amores Perros (Amor: love, perro: dog). MacKenna and I brilliantly thought we were going to be watching a heartwarming movie about dog lovers or a relationship between a human and a dog. When we arrived to the movie store by the University, we were quite shocked when the quirky man handed us the movie. A more accurate translation of Amores Perros is actually "Love is a bitch" or "A miserable love". The cover was dark and violent, depicting a great deal of suffering. We asked the man if the movie was sad or scary in Spanish, and he insisted on replying in English. He excalimed, "No... no. The ending.... the ending is CHAMPAGNE CRAZY!!!!" MacKenna and I walked out of the store in tears from laughing so hard. The movie itself did turn out to be "champagne crazy". I'm looking forward to this weekly ritual of visiting the champagne crazy movie man and watching these films with Mackenna.
Español Avanzado (Advanced Spanish): I'm so glad I am taking this course. Our classroom is pretty much on a rooftop and is shaped like a school bus. Our teacher, who is from Cuba, is so sweet and funny. She understands that we are all gringos trying to navigate through a world of Spanish everyday. I feel like this class will definitely be a great supplement to the practice I get using Spanish each day.
Género y Sociedad (Gender and Society): My teacher, Angelica, is wonderful. There are only three of us gringos in the class of 25, but she makes the atmosphere very relaxed. She starts discussions about topics such as Sexism, Feminism, and Machismo and then the whole class is able to chime in with questions and comments. It's really thought provoking and a great way to learn more about gender roles in the Ecuadorian culture.
Cultura & Civilización Iberoamerica: This class is taught by Amanda, our program coordinator, and consists of all BC students. So far, the readings have been a bit challenging. It's all about the history of Ecuador, dating back to time before Christ. I'm constantly using my Spanish-English dictionary while reading over thirty pages of this dense material. Thankfully, Amanda is very understanding and does not want us to be overwhelmed, so hopefully this reading is not a problem.
Sicología Parvularia (Applied Child Psychology): I just switched into this class so I can't say much about it, but it ties together Psychology and Education in a way that fits my major perfectly. Some of the assignments involve reflecting on observations made while working in the Colegio Menor school, which will be helpful for my Practicum.
Extracurricular Activities: After class today, the BC group played Kings at this restaurant called the Empanada Factory. It was so fun to just sit back, laugh, and relax while buying the restaurant out of Pilseners. I love how laid back things are here. Students here work hard on campus, but they definitely are encouraged to play and relax too! We'll see how I feel once the homework and assignments start piling up, but for right now, I am one happy gringa! :)
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