Home is wherever I'm with you

En el año pasado fui yendo a chile. It is so weird and is so strange to be in a completely different world. I remember this time last year I would have been just meeting my chilean parents who were an amazing part of my adventure and a significant part of my life. Honestly it doesn't seem like a year ago. I dream of the day that I will be able to return to chile, even to visit. I wish that it would be possible this summer but considering all of the moves that I will be making with starting a new job, I'm pretty sure it is impossible to do. However, I hope that I will be able to go over the coming Christmas break, or at the latest, next summer. I miss my family and the simplicity of the city on the hill. I also long to be in a culture where I am constantly learning a language--it is so stimulating to me (which is part of the reason I am so excited to go to the Valley). I think that learning a language is one of the most valuable things that I have ever done. Granted, of course my Spanish isn't perfect--but I can speak, understand, and write it--even if it is not always grammatically correct. I am currently a TA for a Spanish class here on campus and it is so weird to me. The professor is wonderful (and Chilean) but I can't help but laugh at how confused I am sometimes when I am listening to a lesson on how to speak Spanish in English (because I learned Spanish in Spanish). When I'm in class listening to how to learn Spanish in my own native language I pretty much find myself confused as ever! I have learned so many different things in this class and it has been a great experience so far.

Enough about my nostalgia...the kite festival is this weekend! I am SO EXCITED. Why am I excited? 1) because I love kites (my parents got me the coolest parrot kite for Easter one year and I used to go out and fly it with Dave Karlin, one of my friend's grandparents...he was such a cool guy) and 2) that means I can take pictures with all sorts of amazing colors! I have decided I really want to start taking more pictures. I made a point to take tons of pictures when I was abroad but there are so many beautiful things that I am sure I could be capturing throughout my week. Maybe I'll become that kid...you know the one that takes a camera everywhere. Anyways, have no fear, I will post all of the pictures for you. Here are some that I took from our jazz band concert last night: (thanks to everyone who came!)

I can't wait.

"Are you smarter than your professor?" That question was asked to me today. What a question. I mean really. I will receive my BA in a few months and all of my professors have their doctorate and have been teaching for a number of years. However, the classes that I have chosen to take in lower divisions this semester seem to be the classes that I struggle with the most. Most people call it, making it harder than it really is. I just struggle when I am not challenged. If you set the bar--then set it, and stick to it. Don't get me endlessly searching for this bar that you don't even have. I also found out today that sometimes professors make it easier in class so that students across the board can still achieve in class--what a concept right? I know it's totally selfish but I guess I always expect my professors to challenge me relentlessly, and if they aren't I find their class to be dumb. Why would I take a class that bores me? So, this semester has set up this "opportunity" per say for me to focus my energy on somewhere other than school--WHICH IS WEIRD. Granted, no my grades aren't perfect and I'm sure some parts of this will still stress me out and I will be challenged. However, compared to many other semesters...this one is proving to require me to do less thinking and more working on something other than school.

I hate it. I hate being forced to think about things outside of things that require me to learn and be more educated. However, I'm totally doing it. I'm committed.

So am I smarter than my professor? In his or her respective discipline--no I'm sure I'm not. Outside of that--maybe so, I guess it just depends on what you define as smart. I think by this time I can say I know a lot more about literature and how to understand, analyze and read it more than many people. Granted, I still have lots to learn. I just don't like doing something that has been done. SO this is me doing something that I have never done--focusing my energy (or a portion of it) somewhere outside of school.

WHAT NOW? ;-)