So I figured now would be a good time to update my vast quantities of readers (est. value: 3 people) on my experiences at PITT!

So I live in a suite with 7 other girls: Ashley (my immediate roommate), Ebonee, Andrea, Sam, Thea, Maia, and Dorothy. And me. We live in Sutherland Hall, which is on top of a massive hill, so despite eating twice the suggested intake of calories a day, I still appear to be fit. Our floor has 12 girls...and like, 30 boys. But it's fun! The boys who live across the hall are almost always drunk/high (or as Lara's mom would say, "drunk on pot"), and are in general, hilarious. My roommates are all also amazing. Miraculously, we all get along great and do a lot of stuff together!

The thing about Pitt is that you can't be by yourself late at night. Despite being in Oakland, one of the relatively safer areas of Pittsburgh, we have been told numerous times that if we wander out by ourselves at like 2 in the morning, we will probably be mugged or raped. So we have a buddy system! Unfortunately, there's a frat literally 20 feet away from Sutherland called Sigma Alpha Epsilon which has been nicknamed "Sexual Assault Expected". Thus, we never make eye contact with any of the people standing in front of their house.

My classes are pretty good! As I type, I'm blowing off my algebra homework and reading 57 pages of "The Women's Room" for my gender studies class. But we have no school tomorrow due to Labor Day, so I intend to stay up late tonight So, hmm...how should I go about doing this? Here...

Algebra~ I originally thought this was going to be an easy class-- hello, we've been doing algebra since middle school, but this class is a ton of work and is extremely fast paced. The first unit is all review of stuff we've already learned, but the rest is likely to be foreign to a CP2-er...oh well. If only my math SAT score was 20 points higher, I would've placed out and could've taken something more enjoyable, like stats...which I miss terribly, surprisingly. Anyway. My professor is Alfredo Gabriel, who is actually Filipino despite his name, and he's adorable, but speaks quietly and with a thick accent, so I sit up close.

Seminar in Composition- Gender Studies~ This class is also a crapload of work and reading (I had 100 pages to read this weekend, and I've already written 2 mini-essays), but the class itself is really interesting. I had to buy a book called "Sexing the Body" for the class, along with some other fine pieces of ltierature...ooh la la. "The Women's Room" is long and dense, but surprisingly, I really like it so far. It's interesting. Gender studies have always fascinated me. The professor, Ellen Smith, seems nice, too!

Introduction to Cultural Anthropology~ A 300-person lecture. My professor, Richard Scaglion, is known as one of the best anthropology professors at Pitt, and I can see why-- he's so engaging! We haven't really learned much, but we did watch a video about a primitive Tanzanian civilization, where young boys hunted large rodents by biting them and then whacking them against a rock. It reminded me of those overly graphic videos we watched in AP Bio last year x_x

Introduction to Psychology~ I SO wish I took the AP Psych exam, since I took a full year of it back at CC...but that was junior year, so a refresher is always nice! My teacher, Natasha Tocowicz, seems nice AND lenient-- aka, attendance is optional, homework is optional, and if we have to leave early or arrive late, it's not a problem. Of course, she recommended we come to class and do homework as needed, but it isn't required that we do so. :-P I don't want to blow off the class though, as I'm pretty sure I'm declaring myself a psych major next semester

Spanish 0020 Conversation~ I forget my professor's name, but I know her first name is Naussica (like that Miyazaki film!), and her lisp suggests that she's from Spain. She's really nice, though! And I think I'm definitely going to love the class, much more than Int 2H last year...that was a nightmare. The classroom is slightly bigger than my dorm room and we're on the 23rd floor of the Cathedral of Learning (which translates to a 10 minute wait for an elevator), but I like our class (it's really small), and the fact that the class is focused on conversation and not grammar is immensely enjoyable.

University Gamelan~ Indonesian percussion! There are lots of pretty mallet instruments that resemble xylophones, these upside-down pot things with round metal projections (aka, they look like boobs), and some gongs and a few skin-headed drums. I play one of the boob-like instruments. Figures. I might also try my hand at some singing, which should be interesting...but I like the class! Playing gamelan is really chill...you sit in front of your instrument and the music is all very quiet and relaxing...it's a much lighter atmosphere than taiko, too. My instructor is really nice, though I forget his name. He's from Indonesia, and has a thicker accent than my algebra teacher...

Dance Production~ We actually get to dance in this class! Basically, it's dance ensemble club for credit. The teacher eerily reminds me of Ms. Robin-- blonde hair with no gray in it, despite being over the age of 40, blue eyes, and similar physique. Though this lady seems a bit less intimidating...anyway. I'm excited for next week! We're going to be doing hip-hop dance!

Freshmen Studies~ A class where we learn about Pittsburgh and the programs and systems the university has to offer. For homework, we have to go to a certain part of Pittsburgh (for my group, it's the Strip District...no, not the StripPING district) and take pictures and make a poster. It should be fun!

So yeah, I'm taking 8 classes. I know I'm crazy. Next semester, I'm hoping to have no math class or intense English class, and have a dance class, concert band, Spanish, Psych II, and maybe something in linguistics! At the moment, I'm minoring in music and dance and majoring in psychology (pretty sure), and plan on exploring the field of linguistics.

Social life has been good. I've actually been to two frat parties (GASP), and I only had fun at one of them. The first one was just a crowded hallway filled with sweaty ugly boys drinking cheap beer, but the second one was like an actual dance! I didn't get drunk or anything (beer is nasty, even so-called good beer like Miller Highlife), but I actually danced with people and had fun doing so! I'm finally breaking out of my shell :-P

Boys? There are some hotties, there were a few interests that died down, and there are some obnoxious boys. Right now, I'm just taking it as it comes. Kind of like life in general right now. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Much love to all of mis amigos at college and at home. To the girls and boys away at college...keep it real. For the seniors at home, I hope you guys do great, and want to let you know that the work WILL stop eventually and that you will end up happy wherever you choose to go to school (and even if you don't you can transferrrrr!)... AND, if any of you plan on doing visits to schools in Pittsburgh, let me know, so I can visit with you!!
I'm also really sad to hear about the recent death at CC, and know that some of you guys were friends with her...I never talked to her personally, but I knew who she was, and hope she's in a better place now. R.I.P. :'( Hugs!

Call me or skype me (gracielita24) anytime. I miss everyone so much!