Hello Everyone!
Sorry that I haven't been very communicative this semester. It's been exciting getting used to 1) going to school in the US again, 2) being back on campus in general (they finally finished the new, green, School of International Service building!!!!), 3) working for a professor who does not know how to use a computer and is super busy (I print and transcribe his emails, answer phones, and deal with his schedule and contacts), and most challenging, 4) living with five other people in a house where I have to cook my own meals. It's been a challenge but definitely a learning experience.
I am living with:
- Alex: a sophomore music major who plays trombone, is from Boston, only listens to classical music, owns the car, and lives in the basement.
- Andrea: a senior in SIS (the School of International Service), has a dog whose name is Win, is from Miami Florida, and was my roommate on the trip to Bosnia last year.
- Benjamin: also a senior in SIS who studied abroad in Japan last semester, and loves computer games, Japan, anime, cooking, and who is Jewish, and Gay.
- Rachel: an SIS senior who does research for the State Department (but can't talk about it much because of security), is Jewish, is engaged to James who lives with us, too, has two cats who stay in their room, and likes to knit.
- James: is engaged to Rachel, already graduated from college, designs computer programs from home for the state department/government, is very tall, is kinda goth but super nice, is Rachel's cook, enjoys the cats, and likes science fiction.
All of us have our own rooms except for Rachel and James who share. It is an exciting household. We occasionally have family meetings to discuss things or make the grocery list but for the most part we do our own things. Sometimes people offer to cook for others (I'm not usually able to do that as I have been gluten and egg free since late august as part of my allergy experiment). We have a bi-weekly chores wheel that includes weekly kitchen cleanings and garbage and recycling, and bi-weekly cleanings of the common spaces.
My classes this semester have been: Intro to IR Research (painful - the professor is not very organized nor very good at teaching us), Microeconomics (really interesting and fun!), Politics in the US (also very interesting, nice prof), Advanced Spanish Grammar (challenging but I'm learning things), and Southern Cone: Icons and Identity which is basically a Chilean and Argentine Literature/Film class (really fun!!). I've enjoyed all but the first class but hardly have any more class left! I have this upcoming week, then Tuesday the 23rd I go home to Portland for Thanksgiving, then I come back for the last week of classes and then a week of finals! I'll finish my finals on December 9th and turn in my last paper before the 13th. Then I'll chill, work, and relax in DC until Antonio arrives in DC on the 19th of December. We will have almost two days in DC before we leave on the 21st to head to Portland where we will spend Christmas, will go to San Fransisco with my family for our annual day-after-Christmas-until-new-years trip, and then leave Portland on January 8th to come back to DC. My classes will start January 10th and then Antonio will leave for Santiago on the 12th.
And then I will finish my last semester of college!!! I can hardly believe it. Craaaaazyyyyyyy! But exciting. Hopefully I will have an internship next semester. I am in the process of applying to several organizations including the Organization of American States. We'll see what happens.
So anywho, that's the news. I'd better get some things done for class tomorrow. As promised oh so long ago, here are pictures of my house and me in my Halloween costume. Enjoy!
Love, Kaia (^_^)
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