Hello!
I am feeling very well rested as I write this, because my weekend was extra long. My one class was cancelled on Thursday due to "inclement weather." Forecasters were calling for 4-6 inches of snow and 1/4 inch of freezing rain, which is really weird for Portland--especially in November. It ended up not happening (it snowed maybe a dusting), but classes were cancelled Thursday morning because some roads were icy, and the threat of snow still loomed. Because I just had one class, that meant my whole day was free! I stayed home and watched Christmas movies with my housemate while we drank hot chocolate. We figured it was appropriate for the weather.
It's been pretty cold here-- just look at this picture of the reflecting pool I took this morning!
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| usually they drain the water from the pool before it's cold enough to freeze, but the cold weather came early this year! |
There are still little patches of snow and ice left over from last Thursday. I don't think they'll go away any time soon, but I like it. Maybe it's because I'm from Minnesota, but I really like snow and it makes me feel like I'm home.
Besides having Thursday off, I had a pretty restful weekend. On Saturday I went downtown to get brunch to belatedly celebrate my birthday (I turned 21 last Monday!). After brunch a couple of friends and I ventured down Hawthorne in southeast Portland, then decided to go to a mall in Clackamas. We took a series of busses and ended up really far from campus, and really close to Santa's workshop (we decided against sitting on his lap though). On our way home we stopped at a Chinese restaurant in northwest. It was a busy, fun day.
Sunday was more filled with doing work. I finished my abstract wave drawing that I talked about in my last post. I'm pretty pleased with it, and my class seemed to like it. Every time we have a project due, my class spends a while critiquing each piece. It's a good way to get feedback, both positive and negative, and to give you ideas of what you can change. It's also kind of fun because often people will interpret your drawing in a way that you hadn't even though of. It gives you a sense of how authors must feel when high school students analyze every line of a text- as someone on tumblr puts it, sometimes a blue curtain is just a blue curtain. It's fun, though, because it makes you think about what your subconscious was saying.
We are very, very close to the end of the semester. We have this week, half a week next week (and Thanksgiving), and a week and a half of classes after that. Then reading days and finals. That means I only have 6 of my T/Th and M/W classes and 9 of my M/W/F classes left. I have a lot to do before the end of the semester!
The biggest thing on my to do list right now is getting my visa for Chile. Because I'll be studying in a university and will be living there for 5 months, I am required to get a student visa. Right now I'm waiting to get the analysis of my finger prints I sent the FBI, which I need to send with my visa application. I also set up a doctor's appointment in our health center today for after Thanksgiving break. I need to include a letter from a doctor in my application, that says I'm healthy and don't have any communicable diseases. I'm also waiting for copies of my acceptance letter from the study abroad program. Once I have all of this, I'll send it to the Chilean consulate in Chicago, where I'll then have to go (unless I can figure out how to do it at the honorary consul in Minneapolis) to sign and pick up my visa. I'm a little bit stressed about it, but I'm making myself think about all of the people who did it before me. If everyone else has been able to do it successfully, I'm pretty sure I can, too. I'll keep you updated.
I have to go work on my final project for environmental education, so I'll sign off here. Please email me if you have any questions! rekidder@lclark.edu!
-Rebecca