And we're off...
Today we got a lot done in a short period of time. So far things are going well. We introduced ourselves to our Humanities instructor, Karen. She just got back from China, I don't know how she was able to wake up early after a long plane ride back. Wow! Karen is just as cool as Denise. She has traveled to many places around the world and has interesting stories to share. Today I was able to get better acquainted with my classmates. I was actually able to remember names! My roomies Melissa and Liz are nice and I think we will have fun together. Liz has traveled out of the country before and she seems interesting. Melissa is an easy going person and is always smiling.
During class we went over a couple of handouts. We discussed The Craft of Writing Great Stories and the inverted pyramid. I learned a new word today, empiricism. The whole point is to stay in direct connection with the senses and what we are writing about. Don't tell readers what to feel, show them. I thought it was pretty neat how you can write about something that you didn't actually experience firsthand.
Oh and I can't forget the BEVI test we took. It was probably the most unusual test I have ever taken. There were 400 questions and we had to choose if we agree or disagree. I thought I would never finish that test. We were all required to take it because we are in the international studies program. I swear when I got to number 399 and I saw I had one more to answer I wanted to jump for joy.
Tomorrow should be interesting, Karen is bringing slides from her trip to Oaxaca. We will discuss the geography and different sites we will see while we are in Oaxaca. I am looking forward to another day. By the time we know it, it will be time to aboard the plane. Yea!

First Day of Class

For being the first day, things went well. Some of us got lost in the building and others had trouble with parking, but we all managed to make it in the classroom. I got a chance to meet new people and familiarize myself with the expectations for this class. I am excited and ready to start writing. The instructor is great, already the first day and she had some interesting stories to share. Thank goodness, there are people out there like me. Talkers, people who love to travel, and writers!
I am surprised to see there are not many guys in the class. Two guys and 8 girls! Geez!
Now I am offically a cool reporter with my handy reporter notepad. I think it is pretty cool that we are going to be linked to Express News. Now everyone can read about our experiences. It will be fun and interesting but at the same time, it will be a lot of work.
Overall, I am looking forward to sight seeing and meeting new people. Hopefully this experience will help me be more sensitive towards peoples needs.