Fútbol
So we had a soccer match on Saturday, the first one for me since I missed the one last Friday because I was moving. Anyway, like I said before of the 30 or so who practiced only about 18 were invited to the game so it was a good first step to be invited. Now normally being a new player in a new country I wouldn't expect to be able to start the first game I went to, and this game was no exception.
Although I know that I am better than all the current defenders, you gotta jump through the hoops when you're new. The team we were playing was the champion of the league last year so this was an important game. Our team had many opportunities in the first half, one clang off the post, and another sailed inches wide of the upper-V, but in the end we couldn't put it in before halftime. In the last minutes of the first half the other team took advantage of a defensive mis-communication and scored. It was 0-1 until the 70th minute or so when we scored. At this point I was thinking that there was no chance I would make my debut in a close game like this, but with 10 minutes or so the coach put me in at right midfielder. I played well, I linked passes, defended, and didn't make any mistakes but I didn't have any glamorous bicycle kick or rainbows. Anyway, I enjoyed the game and the atmosphere. When our team scored the players went insane like what you see on t.v. with a dog pile on the scorer. Pretty cool. Also during the game, the people on the sideline passed around a gourd of mate. Interesting difference, in Argentina you are allowed just 6 substitutions in the game wheras in the U.S. in most leagues you can sub as many times as you damn well please. Therefore once somebody comes out they can't go back in. This is partly why I went in the game so late. There was a school reporter that took a bunch of pictures and keeps tabs on both the guys and girls teams. Here's the link but it's in Castellano: http://ydaleudesa.blogspot.com/
Alright, here's an update on my classes:
Marketing: Medium difficulty. The lectures are pretty much exactly what is in our assigned reading so it is a bit repetitive. I have two lecturers and one T.A. One of the lecturers takes like Mr. Vernon and when he gets excited his words blend together and I have no clue what the hell he's talking about. The other lecturer is a women who is very very pregnant (embarazada) and I feel like she is going to give birth in the classroom. I am in a group with 3 Argentineans for marketing and we do weekly projects although they do most the work. I kind of feel like a slacker. It's fun though.
Casos Empresoriales: Medium-Easy. Each Wednesday we get a case, my group of 5 (3 argentines and my french girl roommate) then have to work together to analyze it by the following Tuesday and it repeats. There is a debate every Tuesday about the recommendations of the different groups and I always get owned because my debating skills are weak in Spanish.
Relaciones Internacionales Contemporaneas: Difficult. This class is extremely interesting but demands a lot of my time and is quite intellectually challenging. Part of this stems from the fact its in Spanish, but mostly it's just hard. The sheer quantity of readings is by far the most I have ever been presented with and I would wager that it is more than the combined readings of my first two years at the UW combined. But the readings are interesting and about 50% are in Spanish which is helping my comprehension.
Castellano para Extranjeros: Very easy. It the Spanish class to help all the exchange students. I am one of the best students because only the lower end spanish ability students are in the class. So I'm the best of the worst? I'll take it. Anyway, it's fun and the teacher teaches us profanity and useful things like that.
I went out with my friend from UW, Mike, on Saturday because he was in Buenos Aires. He studied for 1 year in Argentina in high school and knew a bunch of people in the area. I met up with him and we went to one of his friend's friend's birthday party. So technically I was a friend to the third degree of the guy's who's birthday it was. It didn't matter and everyone was really nice to me. We went to a tenedor libre (free fork or all you can eat) restaurant and it cost 32 pesos. This buffet included salad, meats or all kinds straight from the grill, fruits, hams, cheeses, desserts, vegitables, everything possible and it cost 10 bucks. God bless Argentina. We should definately go to this place. Afterwards we went to Mike's friend's place and shot the breeze. I played a back seat role in the whole ordeal because I couldn't understand everything they were saying because they talk very fast with a lot of slang. I also met a guy from Western Washington that Mike knew and he invited me to come to Rosario this weekend or next to play paintball in an abandoned old warehouse. Although I would miss soccer, this deal might be too sweet to pass up. Plus he studied in Argentina too and said he would take me around the city.
Huskies lost to the Ducks. From what I heard it was due to the fact that we were vastly outclassed in every aspect of the game. Sweet. Ok, that's all that new. Keep me updated on what you guys are doing.
Although I know that I am better than all the current defenders, you gotta jump through the hoops when you're new. The team we were playing was the champion of the league last year so this was an important game. Our team had many opportunities in the first half, one clang off the post, and another sailed inches wide of the upper-V, but in the end we couldn't put it in before halftime. In the last minutes of the first half the other team took advantage of a defensive mis-communication and scored. It was 0-1 until the 70th minute or so when we scored. At this point I was thinking that there was no chance I would make my debut in a close game like this, but with 10 minutes or so the coach put me in at right midfielder. I played well, I linked passes, defended, and didn't make any mistakes but I didn't have any glamorous bicycle kick or rainbows. Anyway, I enjoyed the game and the atmosphere. When our team scored the players went insane like what you see on t.v. with a dog pile on the scorer. Pretty cool. Also during the game, the people on the sideline passed around a gourd of mate. Interesting difference, in Argentina you are allowed just 6 substitutions in the game wheras in the U.S. in most leagues you can sub as many times as you damn well please. Therefore once somebody comes out they can't go back in. This is partly why I went in the game so late. There was a school reporter that took a bunch of pictures and keeps tabs on both the guys and girls teams. Here's the link but it's in Castellano: http://ydaleudesa.blogspot.com/
Alright, here's an update on my classes:
Marketing: Medium difficulty. The lectures are pretty much exactly what is in our assigned reading so it is a bit repetitive. I have two lecturers and one T.A. One of the lecturers takes like Mr. Vernon and when he gets excited his words blend together and I have no clue what the hell he's talking about. The other lecturer is a women who is very very pregnant (embarazada) and I feel like she is going to give birth in the classroom. I am in a group with 3 Argentineans for marketing and we do weekly projects although they do most the work. I kind of feel like a slacker. It's fun though.
Casos Empresoriales: Medium-Easy. Each Wednesday we get a case, my group of 5 (3 argentines and my french girl roommate) then have to work together to analyze it by the following Tuesday and it repeats. There is a debate every Tuesday about the recommendations of the different groups and I always get owned because my debating skills are weak in Spanish.
Relaciones Internacionales Contemporaneas: Difficult. This class is extremely interesting but demands a lot of my time and is quite intellectually challenging. Part of this stems from the fact its in Spanish, but mostly it's just hard. The sheer quantity of readings is by far the most I have ever been presented with and I would wager that it is more than the combined readings of my first two years at the UW combined. But the readings are interesting and about 50% are in Spanish which is helping my comprehension.
Castellano para Extranjeros: Very easy. It the Spanish class to help all the exchange students. I am one of the best students because only the lower end spanish ability students are in the class. So I'm the best of the worst? I'll take it. Anyway, it's fun and the teacher teaches us profanity and useful things like that.
I went out with my friend from UW, Mike, on Saturday because he was in Buenos Aires. He studied for 1 year in Argentina in high school and knew a bunch of people in the area. I met up with him and we went to one of his friend's friend's birthday party. So technically I was a friend to the third degree of the guy's who's birthday it was. It didn't matter and everyone was really nice to me. We went to a tenedor libre (free fork or all you can eat) restaurant and it cost 32 pesos. This buffet included salad, meats or all kinds straight from the grill, fruits, hams, cheeses, desserts, vegitables, everything possible and it cost 10 bucks. God bless Argentina. We should definately go to this place. Afterwards we went to Mike's friend's place and shot the breeze. I played a back seat role in the whole ordeal because I couldn't understand everything they were saying because they talk very fast with a lot of slang. I also met a guy from Western Washington that Mike knew and he invited me to come to Rosario this weekend or next to play paintball in an abandoned old warehouse. Although I would miss soccer, this deal might be too sweet to pass up. Plus he studied in Argentina too and said he would take me around the city.
Huskies lost to the Ducks. From what I heard it was due to the fact that we were vastly outclassed in every aspect of the game. Sweet. Ok, that's all that new. Keep me updated on what you guys are doing.
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