UMass Boston

Hello! I have so much to tell!

I've been at UMass Boston now for a week and a half. Tonight I have my 8th class... halfway through, I can't believe it!

The 2 weeks leading up to this were a mess because everything was so mixed up as far as my housing application and class registration. The director for the course had been in Haiti for over a week, so I was unable to get in touch with him, and the housing coordinator did not receive my email asking her about my housing. Anyway, I was freaking out about everything, and did not get in touch with the lady I am living with until literally the night before I was moving in! She was understanding though, and I had no problem getting to her house and settling in. She had my room all ready for me. It has a double bed, closet, desk, and filing cabinet that I use as a nightstand. It's perfect because I am basically only there to sleep.

Last week I drove to campus every day because I was nervous about taking the T and prefer to drive just because I have always driven a lot. However, parking here is $6 a day which is ridiculous! So, yesterday and today I took the T in. With my CharlieCard it is only $1.70 a trip making it $3.40 a day saving me $2.60!! Considering my current monetary state, I'll take all the savings I can get! Last night I didn't even have to take the T home because one of my professor's gave me a ride! I am staying in Mattapan and he is 2 towns over so he just dropped me on his way home. Saved me $1.70 on my CharlieCard haha. So basically I get up between 8:30 and 10 then get to school between 10:30 and 11:30. I hang out at the Campus Center (like UConn's student union... it's very new and very nice) and do things online and then study for class. Class starts at 5 and goes until 8:30 or a little later depending on how into it we are.

Okay, so I'll start at the beginning of last week:

On Monday we all started in the same room, there were probably about 50 people and 5 professors. The professors all introduced themselves and then talked a little about the course. Then we all went through and introduced ourselves- our names, where we're from, and why we are taking the course. It is the most diverse class I've ever been in. UMass Boston is pretty much the headquarters for Haitian Studies so people travel from all over the country and world to learn Kreyol.

In my class there is a black woman from the Netherlands that was adopted from Haiti as a child and now wants to learn the language and do a documentary on some aspect of Haiti. I think she is an anthropology student. There is also an older nun from Ireland who will be in Haiti for a year beginning in September. We are going to stay in touch so we can meet up while we are both down there. There is an older guy who is a doctor from Louisville, KY. He's gotta be at least 70, and comes off as cranky, but is actually pretty silly. Then there are a few people who work for Partners in Health (if you read Mountains Beyond Mountains then you are familiar with this!) and a few women whose husbands are Haitian so they want to learn the language. Then there is a dentistry student from CA who wants to be able to use her skills in Haiti.

I always am weirded out by how small the world is. My class is no different. A girl from Pomfret is in my class, and she has met Bette (who is my contact at HHF) at a conference. One of my professors is the author of and the voice on my Haitian Creole learning CDs. I am going to get him to sign it before i leave. He knows Sister Maryann who will be my boss at HHF. There are 2 priests in my class, one of which is affiliated with St. Justin's in Hartford where they do a Kreyol mass each sunday for the Haitian community.

Okay, so after we introduced ourselves, we did a placement exam. Clearly I was placed in the beginner level. It ended up with 2 beginner level classes, an intermediate, an advanced, and one focusing on translation. Then we had our first hour of class. We did not waste any time! By the end of the first hour we knew basic greetings, how to introduce ourselves and even basic actions and objects.

Some examples:
Bonswa. Kijan ou ye? - Good evening. How are you?
Mwen rele Marissa. E oumenm? Kijan ou rele? - My name is Marissa. And you? What is your name?
Kanpe - stand
Chita - sit
Mache - walk
Tablo a - blackboard
Tab la - table
Chez la - chair

Each night we see three different professors- one for each hour. So from 5-6 I have Lionel where we go over basic vocab and review. The book we use during this hour is called Total Physical Response... we actually use our bodies and get up and walk around. We take turns telling each other what to do and asking questions so we practice vocab, pronunciation, speaking, etc. Sometimes it becomes mildly inappropriate and pretty funny. Then we have a break from 6-6:15 where we go into the hall and have a snack (or in most cases, dinner!) We take turns bringing food in so we'll have anything from fruit and crackers to fried chicken, sandwiches or veggies and hummus. This saves me money on dinner! So from 6:15-7:15 we have Patrick where we go over more cultural things and vocabulary. We use Ann Aprann Kreyol (Let's Learn Kreyol) for this part and use the exercises to learn and practice. Then we have a quick break and go back for the last hour with Joel.

Joel is the one who did the Pimsleur CDs so he loves going over pronunciation and having us repeat after him and really learn how to say it. We use Haitian Creole for Health Care with him so we learn some health terms and how to talk about the body, etc. There are a lot of good exercises we do in that book as well. Yesterday I went in for extra tutoring that starts at 3:30 and went over the verb "to be" (ye/se) because it is kind of confusing. After we went over it and I had a good grip on it, two other people from my class came in and asked the same thing. So instead of going over it all again, Joel had me go over it with them. This ended up being a great idea because it reinforced it in my mind, and I can see how their minds go in English, so I was able to help them understand a little better. When we had our last hour of class, he had me do the same thing with the entire class. I hope it was helpful to everyone! I wasn't even that scared in front of the class, and normally I have a panic attack speaking in front of people.

So it is almost 2:00 and class is at 5 so I'm gonna go have lunch, then do some reviewing and studying. I'll write more tomorrow!