And Classes Begin

It seems as though I just finished my fall semester, but I must embrace academia once again after a (very) short break.

My first week of classes is complete!  They are taught in English (with a little Spanish thrown in here and there) and the majority of students here are from Panama or another Spanish speaking country.  I am among the few white faces here (which is, of course, an unfamiliar experience, but one that I think is valuable to experience periodically throughout life) and I probably stand out a little bit among the small student body.  The courses I’m taking here are electives – basically I get to take what I want to.  They are: Introduction to World Religions (I am one of the oldest in the class, shouldn’t be overly challenging, and the teacher is from England, where he received his degree from Oxford), International Relations (taught by a professor who seems passionate about the topic), Introduction to Comparative Governments (I predict this class will be interesting, and fairly easy), and International Human Rights (taught by the same professor as Comparative Govs – she has a reputation for being an ‘easy’ grader). 

Campus itself, within La Ciudad de Saber, is a sprawling estate, all white buildings, about 4 stories tall apiece, with red tiled roofs.  All FSU’s classes take place in one building, so it is virtually impossible for me to get lost unless I try really hard.  The top floor is a common floor with a study room, some computers, a ping pong table, pool table, and a small coffee and snack kiosk on the back porch.  It’s a nice place to hang between classes, but it fills up quickly with loud kids.  About half a mile from the FSU building is a strip of other small shops, like a small market and a pizza place, where I go to eat or grab a snack.  Other than these places, I’m guessing I’ll hang out in the library, which is quite small.  It is part of the basement of another building and is luxuriously air conditioned.  

I’m still acclimating to the climate and learning to become familiar with the Panamanian Spanish accent.  The Panamanians speak FAST and don’t make certain letters and sounds distinct, so often the language seems to slur together.  For example, the Spanish word for skirt is “falta” and the “t” would be pronounced and recognizable – here, you will hear the word as “falda” with little emphasis on the “d.”  It’s tricky, but I’m getting better at understanding people every day!

Early tomorrow morning I’m going with my fellow ISA students to speak with an immigration lawyer and complete the visa process.  We’ve encountered difficulties along the way, but after tomorrow (and a hefty fee paid to the lawyer) things should be settled.