Class, class, class!

So, school has started (well, not officially), and I find myself actually busy! Who would've thunk? And PS, I love school. I may officially be a nerd, but hey, I have learned to accept it and really shine as a nerd.

Sunday night, we were all invited to a potluck at two of our professors' house (they're married...to each other), where we met a few other students from past cohorts and two that have already graduated from the program. And also (sidenote...but this is really important), it rained!!! I wasn't excited about the rain per se, but just about the fact that the rain pushed some of the smoke out of the air, so we could breathe again! Anyways, back to the evening at hand. So, although it was a potluck, we were told "We will provide the food...you all just bring what you want to drink." Okay, so the sometimes-idiot that I am, I actually brought what I wanted to drink...my Nalgene full of water. Nice, Lynn. When some of the others picked me up and they had actual stuff to donate to the potluck, I definitely felt like a loser. Yep, way to go, Lynn. So, instead of attempting to share my Nalgene of water with others, Kendra let me walk into the house with one of the food items that she brought (so nice of her)....and I only felt like an idiot on the inside. Haha. Well, next time I will know. Anyways, the food was amazing...actually, all food that I have not really ever had before. Hmm, apparently we don't have the most sophisticated eating habits in Wisconsin (yes, I know what you are thinking - "What?!?!" - yes, it may be a shocker). But, it was delicious! Becca even brought a zucchini-chocolate cake....hello, can you get any more in heaven??? Zucchini + chocolate = best combo ever. So, the evening was great for discussion, fun, etc.

Monday was our first day of our Applied Skills class, which is basically focusing on intercultural mediation (and mediation in general) and grant-writing skills (since this is a huge part of international work). We are apparently going to finish half of the course hours during this week and then each be assigned to community agencies, where we will work closely with them to write a grant for a program they would like to develop or secure funding for. Sounds like fun! The past two days, we have been doing role-plays on negotiations (I know, it sounds lame...), but it has actually been really beneficial! Today, we even secured a solid contract for a Chinese opera singer who is trying to jump-start her career again....serious business! You better believe it.

Monday night, we started our soon-to-be weekly tradition of "Wine & Whine" night, which is basically a girls night where we will rent somewhat cheesy romance movies, sit around and talk, and drink some wine. It was awesome. We watched "Before sunrise" (I think...), which was half-cute and half-sometimes-"gag me"-ish. All in all, a great night.

Today, I finally got my registration account figured out and was able to register (yay!!!). Luckily, I got all the classes I wanted, which I wasn't too worried about anyways. They include (yes, don't get too excited):

• COUN 595 - Counseling Theories in Context
• IYFD 501 - Intercultural Aspects of Human Development 1
• IYFD 510 - Applied Skills in Intercultural Service
• IYFD 595 - Seminar: Critical Issues in Helping
• POSC 466 - Non-Profit Administration & Public Service
• PUBH 510 - Introduction to Epidemiology

Yikes! I think I will have a full load of classes, but hopefully I will survive. But, since I will be studying topics that I am passionate about, things will be great.

Yesterday, I also got a nice little letter in the mail from the Peace Corps (grr), asking me for a lot more health-related information for my medical screening. I fumed for about 2 hours and tried to read to calm myself down. Haha, I think this whole medical screening process is actually the real test - their theory is probably that "Well, if they can get through this intense and sometimes ridiculous screening, they will definitely be able to live in a country with no electricity and running water for two years". Nice... Today, I kind of took the list one step at a time and made the phone calls I needed to make to get this taken care of ASAP. Wish me luck!

Alright, so that gets you updated a little bit. Hopefully, I will be going hiking tomorrow so I will have some beautiful pictures to show ya'll (without smoke!!!). Have a good night.

Peace.