By jtmanley
Well, last week was busy to say the least. March 11 marked the start of the 2013 academic year at UCA. March 13 marked the beginning of His Holiness Pope Francis's papacy. These two events have definitely become highlights of my time here in Buenos Aires. It is amazing that so much happened during the week that marked one month since I left for Argentina.
It was great to get back into the academic swing of things. For many students it is hard enough to pay attention in class at GW. I know many would cringe at the idea of listening to a professor lecture in Spanish, but I was surprised at how easy you can adapt to change. Like most skills, foreign language ability improves dramatically when you're forced to use and rely on it. I think a big shout-out to my amazing Spanish teachers in middle school, high school, and college is in order.
There were some other things that caught my attention though. When a professor asks his students on the first day to define ethics and liberty, expect an hour-long debate between students. If a class is discussion-based , you do not have to wait for it to happen. Furthermore, your professor might decide not to show up to class. No announcement. It's not a big deal because he will show up to the next one as if nothing ever happened. Finally, there are quite a few vestiges of high school at university. It makes for a good laugh. Overall, the classes are excellent, and I'll probably talk about them in-depth at a later point.
The only thing that could beat the first week of classes was the news about the new pope. UCA has a special relationship with Pope Francis. Besides being the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires (1998-2013), Pope Francis was the university's Grand Chancellor up until his election to the papacy. Francis's election came six days after UCA celebrated the 55th anniversary of its founding, and the connection that this pontifical university (i.e., established by and under the direct authority of the Holy See) has to the new pontiff is a source of pride for everybody who goes to or works at UCA. I enjoyed celebrating Francis's election with locals on the steps of the same Metropolitan Cathedral that I pass every school day. It was nice to see so many Catholics around my age there. The youth showed up in large numbers and stayed until later on that night. When Pope Francis has his inauguration mass on Tuesday, I hope I'll be able to watch it live. This student is praying for a day off!