Jillian's Year in Argentina: School So Far

Hola!

I started school on Wednesday! (9/2)! It was so great. Normally it starts at 7, but since it was my first day I went at 9. I only had one of Jazmin's old shirts, but no pants, so I just wore jeans. Marian brought me in, and we found the principal. She was absolutely great, really understanding of my learning Spanish. Also met a few of the "Hermanas, " and they're really sweet too.
The school itself is pretty stereotypical, I think, of what we see in movies. It's a big square building, but in the middle there's a plaza, or square. Painted blue and white, kind of drafty, kind of old, but very full of personality. The interior wall is covered with windows, so you can see out into the square and it's kept very well lit.
The "Promo quin" class, or this year's graduating class, decorated a whiteboard and made me breakfast with different types of Argentina pastries that we ate in the computer room. It was so great. I tried mate for the first time, and it's a bit of an acquired taste because it's so bitter, but I like it.
I met a few of the teachers, including the English teacher who offered to speak English with me if I need a break, and said she'll give me some books to help. We talked a bit about the differences in British English and American English, both with pronunciation and vocab (saying bathroom instead of toilet, and our not pronouncing the letter T). And some of the kids wanted to know about CrossFit, but I couldn't tell them accurately in Spanish, so she translated.
For the rest of the day, I stayed with the 6th years (sextos), during their lessons. During math I just drew a rather fantastic photo of both flags (which they later put on the wall). After that, though, they had literature class, but it ended up being more of a lack of literature class. The teacher, who everyone addressed by her first name (which is the norm here, I just didn't know that yet), just pulled up a chair in the middle of our desks, and we sat there talking and eating more pastries for 45 minutes. It was so different from the U.S. I was expecting the student- teacher relationships here to be more rigid, but it's been quite the opposite.
The only reason that I didn't have to do anything then was because I'm not actually in the 6th years class; on Thursday I started school for real, but with the 5th years. I'm not sure why, because when they were explaining it I couldn't understand them (exchange student probs), but hey, there it is.
As bummed as I am to leave the 6th years, it's cool to experience both grades.
But the quintos are cool too; my current host brother and my next host sister are in the class.
So far, the teachers haven't expected me to do anything. They don't have textbooks here; instead they use photocopies of certain sections. They have to do this on their own at the print shop, which means that I have no materials right now. Which is fine, because it's enough mental work to listen to so many voices at once.
On Friday, we had Sociology. The teacher asked if I had seen the town, and since I haven't seen much, we went on an impromptu field trip. They showed me the town square, and taught me about the architect who designed the Town Hall and Plaza, and then we went to the park.
The next class was Chemistry, a widely disliked class at my school. But surprisingly, it was the most productive for me. The teacher was a bit more strict, so it was easier to hear and understand what was happening. And the words and math are the same, so for the first time out of two days of classes I actually took notes.
School here starts at 7 and ends at 12:30. It's only a few blocks away from the house, so Fran and I walk home and eat lunch together every day (besides Friday, we eat with his grandparents then). Some days they have different classes after school, like gym or math. But it's separated by enough time that everyone has time for a siesta.
As skeptical as I was about wearing a uniform, I've gotta say that wearing sweatpants every day is pretty amazing.
Oh, also the expectation to take a nap every day. That's amazing too.
Oh, and Merienda, the official fourth meal where we eat cookies and drink tea or mate. Bless.