Where have all the clocks gone?

As of today, I am officially registered for my classes at Pontificia Universidad de la Catolica! As exchange students, we had to wait and sign-up for classes weeks after normal students were allowed to. This past week we were given the chance to "taste-test" all the different courses, get a feel for their difficulty, see how hard the professors' Peruvian accents were ;) , and finally make our decisions about which classes we wanted to take. As much as I enjoyed easing my way into school last week, I was becoming a bit anxious not having a real schedule and being so unsure of what classes were already full or not. BUT, the good news is....as of today I am an official student at PUCP with a full course load...and even a Peruvian ID card. :)

The way in which we registered for classes today......was, interesting. I woke up at 5:45am and was at the University by 6:15am to get in line. At 6:15 there was already exchange students sitting in the hallway waiting, holding their place in line. The official registration time was not until 9am but with the craziness of the system, everyone knew they had to get there super early to get the classes they wanted. I was number 24 in line, and getting up at the crack of dawn was definitely worth it! I got all the classes I hoped for and really like my professors!

I will be taking:
*Reality of Social Peru
*Film/Movies of Hispanic Culture
*Theory of Spanish Linguistics
*Hispanic Poetry

Four things I am still trying to get used to in regards to University life in Lima:

1.) Where are they?! There are NO clocks ANYWHERE on campus! I am always searching for the time....I have yet to find a clock in one of my classrooms or hallways. Pretty much, I consider clocks a scarce resource at PUCP.  And, as you can imagine, this doesn't help the "Lima time" effect....in other words, add at least 20 minutes on to any official time given. For example, for my class that is supposed to start at 8am, the professor shows up at 8:15ish, and class starts around 8:20ish....if you're lucky. Although I am not the most punctual person, this whole "Lima time" is something I am still not used to. BUT, I think it will grow on me. :)

2.) Foreigner. For the first time, I am the "token exchange student" in all my lectures. I must stick out because all my professors ask me where I am from and call on me throughout the class period to give my "cross-cultural perspective." I have never been the minority before in a class setting, and to be honest, I really like being able to share my own experiences coming from the U.S with a different culture, government, social structure. Only bad part about this....watching in pain as my professors try, in front of everyone, to pronounce "EDLEBECK." Lets be real, Edlebeck is not the easiest to pronounce in English...listening to them try and say it with their native Spanish accent....is almost unbearable. But, oh so funny. :)

3.) The "photocopiadora." This tiny hut, specifically utilized for printing and purchasing photo copies on campus, is the CRAZIEST system that PUCP uses. It drives me so nuts that I have to just smile and embrace it...on a daily basis. PUCP does not use textbooks as we do in the states for each course. Instead, each day the professor gives us the name of the article/author that needs to be studied for the next class and we have to go retrieve it from the photocopy hut (thats what I have named it.) This tiny hut has lines full of aggravated students all trying to grab the attention of one of the four women who work inside the hut, finding texts and making copies of each student's literature for them. As you can imagine, with daily assignments and tons of students at the beginning of a new semester, this system is out of control. I waited for 30 minutes today just trying to hand in my reading request to one of the women. Finally one of my Peruvian friends saw me, saved me, and quickly got done what I had been trying to do for half an hour. How nice it is to have friends who know the system. :)

4.) Deer who want to be your friend. On PUCP's campus, for an unknown reason, there are a TON of deer that roam around, want to be petted and fed, and quite literally act like domestic pets. This is a beautiful thing...except when you are laying on a blanket doing homework between classes and one comes up behind you...2 inches from your back without any warning.....it is actually terrifying.