my first day at Autonoma Universidad...and other lessons
Today was my first day taking spanish classes at Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara. I enrolled in the first level. There are two parts to the course, Gramatica y Conversacion. (I'm not sure how to put in acentos but there should be one above the "o" in Autonoma, the second "a" in Gramatica, and the last "o" in Conversacion.) There were seven other people in my class. Three guys were from Korea, a lady in her early 50's was from Switzerland, one girl was from Canada, and two other students were from the United States...both were from states in the south. Since the class is taught only in Spanish, I was a little nervous about it. However, I found that I could understand the majority of what my professor's lectures. My brain felt well exercised by the time I went back to the house.
I haven't experienced "culture shock" yet. The most culture shock I've experienced is moving from my home/ family to college aged interaction and life. I have found out some interesting facts about Mexican (at least Guadalajara's) culture that I didn't know before.
Here are a few (Holly, I hope you enjoy these):
- If a guy is walking with a girl, and the girl is by the street, it can mean the guy is...well, basically a pimp offering the girl's services. (That was a good one for me to know.)
- Most guys who shave their heads and are wearing shorts are gang members.
- Greetings are rarely handshakes (unless it includes a foreigner). People kiss each other lightly on the cheek. (Most people go left)
- If your bus ticket numbers add up to 21, then it means you are entitled to a free kiss from the person of your choosing. (Not that I'm planning on using that one. It's just interesting information.)
As I find out more random facts, I'll share them.
posted by jessika @ 4:02 PM
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