So, everyone knows (or at least can imagine) how hard and weird it can be living in another country, specifically if it is America that we’re talking about. At first, everything seems pretty cool, everything looks big and tidy, some places are incredibly clean, people are very friendly, even the squirrels are nice! And what about the thousands of clearance sales? Shoes, shirts, technology, whatever you want with huge discounts! Here I discovered that even going to the supermarket can be fun.

Until you have to study–studying is never that fun.

First of all, I thought that in my country it was already tricky to get to college, but I was wrong. There were a lot of steps to take before getting to go to class, including videos to watch at MyMC. But there weren’t many options aside from arming yourself with patience.

So that’s what I did. I took the Accuplacer ESL exam and I waited ten days to get my test result. It had to be ten days, because if I checked it early, I wouldn’t be able to see the results, ever. Just kidding; I would have had to go to talk to a counselor, but I didn’t want that.

To be honest, I was really excited about it because I really wanted to prove that I could speak English, you know. So the moment came, I logged into MyMC and… there was a 45-minute tutorial video to watch before I could see my score (sad theme playing). I put on my glasses and watched the whole thing, and I didn’t even get the full results! I didn’t understand a thing, I just wanted to go to class! But well, patience, remember?

So I went to campus, waited half an hour to talk to a counselor and did everything I could so she could understand what I wanted to study, with the whole mimic and gesture thing–very humiliating, by the way, but it worked!

So, happily, I went to the Welcome Center so I could finally do the enrollment process, and guess what? There was another 30-minute tutorial video.

How many videos do I have to watch to become a student?! What else do you want from me?! I’m already going to a voluntary jail, and I’m gonna have to pay for it! So I shut down the computer and went back home.

Kidding again. Patience, again.

I registered for all my classes, got a schedule that doesn’t benefit my sleep routine at all, and I paid for it so I got poor. But then a good thing happened. I got my student ID, so at least I didn’t have to pay for the bus, ‘cause that’s a good thing, right?

And here I am, writing and not studying at all. By the way, did you know that the buses don´t always follow the same route? ‘Cause I didn’t, but that’s another story.

Have a great semester, you all!

Oh, almost forgot. I’m from Chile, and my name is Camila.

Have a good one.