Visa/Play

Hello
Not much going on here. Still trying to get my Student Visa straightened out. I went to my appointment at the consulate and they needed more forms and stuff. Luckily I have a lot of time to sort this out since I made my appointment so early. Also, I am allowed to email the rest of what they need so I don't have to trek uptown to the Spanish Embassy again.
I went to a really cute play with my roommate last night. I was Off Broadway but the two male leads were famous-ish. One is the guy who plays Uncle Andy on the show Weeds and the other played Zack Morris is Saved by the Bell. So it was pretty cool to see them. The play was called "The Understudy," it's very new and I thought it was really funny.

Update on the classes

Hi all.
Randy said I should blog every day.
Today I'm giving you an update on my classes.
1. Democracy and the American Dream
The teacher for this class is pretty nice. She canceled classes one week because she was sick so the lectures have been moving very quickly while she tried to catch up. I've gotten full points on all my reading responses so far. We have a fairly long take home exam due Wednesday that is a huge part of our grade, so wish me luck on that.
2. Spanish III
My teacher for this class is goofy. He doesn't care much about the actual work we do (its all assigned and organized by his boss, not him) but hes really great at teaching the class and explaining everything. In fact, I got a 95.5 on my first test! There are only 3 tests and a final exam in that class, so each one is worth a lot!! There's also an oral presentation, but I don't give mine until December.
3. Idealization and Satire
Luckily, I'm taking this class with my friend Michelle. I don't understand any of it. Neither does she. Some people in that class are majoring in Latin or The Renaissance or crazy stuff like that and totally understand everything. The professor, however is very nice and understands that most people can't name more than a few Greek philosophers or Renaissance poets off the top of their heads. I'm always lost in the discussions... but I got an A on my first paper and he said my conclusion was "excellent."
4. Foundations of Special Education
I obviously love this class because it is the most applicable to what I will be doing. However, I've felt a little behind at some points because everyone else is a Junior and sometimes they draw on their student teaching experiences or other education classes, and I can not do that yet. I still enjoy the lecture and discussions and today I got back our first test! I was so nervous but I made a 94!

Well, that is all. As you can see, I'm staying on top of my work and studying so far.
This weekend will be pretty exciting- I'm going with the Murphys to visit Allison at college on Friday. Sarah M, Dasha and I are going to an Avett Brothers concert this Friday. Then on Sunday, I'm working at a special event at the gym. I've never worked at an even before but we have to dress nice and we get $10/ hour!!!!

Madrid

Today I did so many things in preparation for next semester.
I was accepted to go to Madrid in the Spring and today I finally confirmed my spot and put down my necessary deposit. Now I definitely have a spot in the program!
Next week I have an appointment with the Consulate of Spain to get my STUDENT VISA!!!!!
Today, I was going to go to the post office to get a required letter notarized and pick up a money order for the Visa fees. But while I was a work I learned that one of the business managers at the gym is a certified public notary! So he did it for free! It was so much fun!
I still went to the post office for the money order, my first one ever, and that was also nice. The post office employee who helped me had been to Morocco once and tried to go to Spain for a weekend, but the ferry was broken! Spain and Morocco are very close and my friends and I will probably take the ferry there for a day so we can say we've been to AFRICA!! Hopefully it won't be broken :/

Equality!!!

Hi family!!
This Sunday there was a HUGE march for equality in Washington D.C. and I was there!
The issues we marched for were equal rights for the LGBTQ community. That means Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender and Questioning.
Gays and Lesbians are not legally allowed to be married or have any of the many many benefits of a legal marriage and they can be fired from their jobs especially in the military.
Four of my friends and I were able to go because an organization called Broadway Impact provided FREE buses from New York and Metro Cards for D.C.
We're all straight but as many of the speakers said, this isn't a gay rights issue, its a Civil Rights issue.
Here are some news articles about the event!

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1929747,00.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2009/10/12/VI2009101200940.html

It was a great turn out and for me, it was very inspiring. We made posters that said "Equality Now!" and "No Laws Against Love"
As we marched through D.C. to the Capitol Building we chanted things like "Gay, Straight, Black White! Marrige is a Civil Right!" "1! 2! 3! 4! Love is what we're fighting for!" and "Obama! Obama! Let Mama Marry Mama!"
Our route took us past the White House where we reminded Obama of his promise to fight for the rights of the LGBTQ community by chanting "Yes We Can!!"

Walk!

The Walk To Cure Diabetes was this Sunday. Thanks to everyone who donated! We raised over $1500!!! The walk was a lot of fun. My friends Sarah K, Sarah E, Sarah H, and Dasha walked with us. It was a 12K mile walk from Battery Park across the Brooklyn Bridge and back.