I haven’t written much about my classes (with the exception of those concerts) because they pale in comparison to my adventures as a tourist traveler. But, since the semester is over, I feel I can appropriately discuss them now. Some of my classes were taught by Spaniards so I was able to experience the “official” Spanish classroom setting and expectations, if not merely because they were reflecting the values and experiences they had as students.

I found that my Spanish teachers seemed to have low expectations of the students (enough so that they would often beg people to turn in assignments or do their homework instead of leaving them behind or failing them for not doing their work), but then they would grade extremely hard or proudly announce to the class how well we had all done and not give out a single A.

Exams were also a tell-me-everything-you-know style where we were given very broad, open-ended questions and then expected to write for the time given and hopefully say enough and the right things to get a good grade. So many times we would receive comments asking us to include things that we knew but just didn’t realized that was really what they were looking for. In contrast, the essay-type exams I have taken tend to force you to make a stance or state your opinion and develop some sort of driving thesis, often with comments to include dates, artworks, formulas, etc. as a hint of what specifics you should include or not in the short amount of time given. Being the purpose-driven person that I am, I was not particularly pleased with this form of examinations.

Naturally because my school was smaller, the class size was as well (average 10 people) and the dynamics were quite different. It is true that Spanish students do not feel inclined to participate in class as many Americans know they should even if they choose not to.

Overall, I realized how badly I need an intellectual environment to thrive. Without a challenge present, I lost the invigorating aspect of academia that I so love. I went to class mostly for entertainment and to fill the hours, rather than to walk away thinking about some new concept or way of approaching the world. Information did not seem unique to me, but rather a regurgitation of so many other sources before and therefore unimpressive. Exams were something that, if I studied enough for them, I could get a good grade. In comparison to many exams I have taken at Penn (or many other American universities) in which no amount of studying would have changed my grade. I noticed the difference in the values and thinking styles of my peers abroad and it made me appreciate even more the intellectual environment at Penn.

Despite my intense disdain for the high-stress environment at Penn, I still missed my classes there. It felt weird to not have that huge crescendo of assignments, exams, and things to do at the end of the semester, though I didn’t exactly miss that chaos. It almost felt more like high school.

I am not trying to sound like a pretentious academic (because I would hope you know I am far from that), but merely acknowledge the differences and expose my realization for the need of an intellectual classroom and community to do and feel my best; something that I was always told by others but never quite internalized to this extent. Some of my peers also commented on this lack of academic regality, so it was not just a contrast that I was experiencing.

Another thing I never thought twice about was having a good library.  Our school library was very small, leaving us with problems of study space and poor resource selection.  This was particularly problematic for a final paper that I had to do because there simply were not enough books to thumb through, and my teacher had to restrict us and lower her expectations.  Surely it’s not the same, but I can see a bit more clearly what is meant by the disadvantage of being an inadequately funded school.  I also adore libraries in general, so I felt a little bit empty without one.  No adventures into bookland to find something new to pique my interest.  Looking back, I should have taken the time to explore a Spanish library, but I never got to it.

I will admit, though, that as much as it may appear to be, this is most certainly not a complaint about the semester, considering how difficult it would be for me have had so many adventures with a heavy course load. Though I have lived in Philly for three years now, I still do not know it nearly as well as any other city I visited for only 36 hours and have never gone to NYC, Boston, or D.C. like I was so determined to do when I chose to go to school out here. In fact, I probably don’t even know Detroit as well, and I have lived there for nearly all my life! By the time I graduate next year, I am going to change all of that. (Hopefully putting this in words and publicly declaring this will keep me honest.)