The Exchange Student

Many times during the day, I stop and think " This is my life as an exchange student. I AM an exchange student. I am one of those people who left to go live abroad and I am making memories right now that I will only remember a little bit when I am 45 but look upon them and think ´that was my life in Spain when I was 16´" It is a very strange and long train of thought that usually happens when I make my cold, 20 minute walk to school in the mornings.

Oh school. Each day is a new experience. Let me just say that the kids in my class are so FRESHMAN. When the class ends and the teacher leaves, they immediately start throwing chalk at each other. Girl's pencil's cases get thrown into the trash-can and so on and so forth. The classes themselves aren't much better. I have learned most of the material already and the teachers either ignore me or pay a lot of special attention to me. My biology teacher, Begoña, is my favorite. She is sassy with a capital S, meaning that she loves 5 inch heels and whipping her curly red hair around. I don´t often participate in class, but one day, I decided to go write my work on the board. It was all pretty much correct, except for a few grammitcal errors. Begoña was even sassier than ever. She made the class applaud me for and then announced how proud of me she was. 

In history, we are learning about revolutions and it was interesting to listen to someone teach about the Independence of the U.S. who isn't American.  I spent hours last year learning about the French Revolution and am not looking forward to revisiting the subject. My history teacher is (as the students in my class put it)- "Un conazo de tia" and it is very true. She explains things to me so slowly, screeching my name so I truly understand. I guess I don't like her because I had such an amazing history teacher last year. Nothing can replace Mr. Andres. 

And there are the times when I feel like such a cliché abroad student. I am at the age where I often compare myself to people. Whether it be a complete stranger on the bus or my friends, I seem always to be measuring myself against other people. I often wonder about myself as an exchange student and compare myself to Mai-Mai. Mai-Mai was an exchange student from China who was at Tam last year. Everyone knew who she was and was well liked by everyone. I saw her as an exchange student and I know how people see foreigners. It is strange to think that next year, the people who are in my class now are going to say "Remember that American girl? She was vegetarian and said Oh My God a lot." Just as I do about Mai-Mai. 

If you are wondering why my writing seems to be getting shittier it is because I am honestley having a hard time writing in English. It seems to cost me a lot of energy due to the fact that I use it less and less. It is the strangest sensation to try to write to or to speak in a language that I have known all of my life but now suddenly having a hard time articulating what I want to say. Spanish also seems to be creeping into my mind. I find that when I am falling asleep, I am thinking in Spanish. This by NO means signifies that I am fluent. Oh my dear friends, not at all. It is getting easier but I still make a fool out of myself every time I say something in Spanish. 

I did have a "break-through"  last week. I figured out how the sentence structures work and why nos. comemos means we eat each other and not we are eating and why te querio means I love you. Me dijo means he/she told me and le dije means I told him/her. It was just cool to suddenly understand something so basic in this language. 

Well, I am sorry that this post is so boring. But all I have been doing for the past two weeks have been school work. I mean really. Teachers assign a lot of homework and that means it takes me double the time to complete a simple assignment, which is not fun at all. 

So yes, that is what I have been doing with my time, studying, not sleeping that much, and trying not to worry. 

Peace....

Violeta