Back in the swing of things...

School has finally started! My much anticipated semester at the Universidad de Belgrano is finally underway and I am very excited for all of my classes. I am taking 4 classes, three in Spanish and one in English. I tested into the Advanced Spanish class which will probably be my most challenging course. I am also taking three elective courses which include two classes taught in Spanish and one taught in English.

The two classes in Spanish are Contemporary Argentine Art and a class called "Argentina: An Open Society." Although we have been in class for two weeks I have not actually been to this class yet. At the university they have a period of two weeks where students can basically try out different classes they think they will be interested in before making their final schedule. I tried two other classes that just weren't what I was looking for. I switched to this class after Tuesday of last week but then Thursday was a holiday so we did not have class, therefore I did not have the chance to go the new one. I am really hoping I will like this one but the class description seems more promising than the others. I am enjoying my art class thus far but it difficult to contribute to class discussion at times because I have never taken an art class before and have little knowledge in the subject area. There is so much beautiful art and architecture to explore in this city though so I hope this class will help me to be able to appreciate it even more.

Although my one class in English will be easier for the pure fact that I am can understand everything that is being discussed, it will still be challenging because it is a 400 level literature class about a famous Argentine author, Jorge Luis Borges. I had never read any Borges before choosing this class but I quickly bought a book of his short stories. He is a very imaginative writer and I think I am really going to enjoy learning about him and analyzing his work.

The city has been buzzing this weekend as it was a four day weekend and many people were out and about. Thursday and Friday were national holidays called "Día de la Memoria por la Verdad y la Justicia." From 1976 to 1983 a military dictatorship took over the Argentine government and it is estimated that up to 30,000 people fell victim to their power. These people are now called the "desaparecidos" or the disappeared people. These people came from groups whose views were thought to have differed from the military government such as political activists, students and journalists. As a student studying journalism, especially since I would like to work internationally, events like this can really put things into perspective.

Of course even though school has started I have still been having a lot of fun. This is such an amazing city, everyday there are new things to see and do. I am going to add a post with a bunch of pictures to give a general idea of all the things I've been doing!

Buenas Ondas (good vibes) from Argentina,
Alexa