Evaluation

Today, in one of the two classes I made it to (#gronersleephabits), I took a break from looking up Stonehenge tours to fill out an evaluation of a professor who is just lovely. I apologize for not hearing much of what he said today, but I just couldn't take another word of Arab poetry as suffering in love.

Anyway, I want you to evaluate me now. Top10 fan Elizabeth Baxter sent me this cute little article about study abroad blogs, and I took the time to read it and think about how I do.

"1. Look Sharp"
I think I'm doing okay here. I like that my background is a Blogger staple, not something I took myself, because I'm simply not talented or hipster-y enough to get a good enough photo, and the content is way more important anyway, right? If I didn't think so, I'd just be wasting space in the cybersphere and your newsfeeds/inboxes/RSSs. I am now considering something simpler though...

"2. Know Thine Audience"
I often joke that this is just for my mom and my grandparents, but I got 57 hits yesterday. And I do not have that many grandparents. I know five hits were Elizabeth and if all the grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins read, I'm still short a good 20 people... How can one "know thine audience" in this anonymous online culture? As much as the audience is important, this blog is really just like a public diary and I mostly don't care who reads it. So, I guess this goal falls largely to the wayside. Wompwomp.

"3. Keep Em Guessing"
There are things I've left out. But they aren't on here, so you don't know that... Well, now you do. I have to have some tantalizing tales to tell people when I get home, right?

"4. Cliche Firewall"
I believe cliches exist because oftentimes, they are a good common way of expressive a relatable sentiment. Still, this Lexi Nisita has it right - calling wine vino is a toolish move. I try not to fall to it to often but sometimes words complete slip my mind in English and I'm blogging at 3 a.m. But, while I promise to never tell you that "Paris is the world's most romantic city," I really am pretty sure my senora makes the greatest tortilla espanola, and I'm not going to call it 'potato omelette' either.

Nisita briefly mentions the grand summations of one 'feeling more mature and independent' or 'weeping' at great works of art, (and while I facetiously mourn the relative lack of history and culture in America) I find that quite the opposite is the case. I feel young, like I learned how to be fun again after sophomore slump had hit hard. I'm less independent because my senora has cared for us in a truly dreamlike way (and honestly, this was so not the case for other families - I lucked out.).

So, like I said, sometimes study abroad is a cliche. When you land in a perfect host family and you're exposed to a new lifestyle, you are susceptible to some level of grand sweeping statements about how your life is forever changed.

I haven't changed much: I couldn't wake up this morning. I spilled coffee on my shirt as I went out the door. I took the not-so-glam metro to school. I still talk really fast and like organizing plans.

But some things change: I went to the gym today. I'm okay with eating dinner at 10 p.m. I like lentils. I've been to Morocco. I take deep breaths (sometimes). I don't call my mom in between classes.

I sort of speak Spanish, and I definitely couldn't say that before.
Semester success!

 Me, still Stef. This blog, just on Stuff.