Finally Catching Up

It's been a while since I've posted an update, so here goes.

I'm finally starting to get caught up with school and teaching. My studying for the SLA theory exam paid off--I only missed one point! (I really didn't expect to do that well, but I was thrilled!). I've also managed to stay caught up on the readings for that class, but I have a presentation to prepare for next week and the week after. I'm sure it'll come together. I've mostly caught up with the readings for Dr. Troike, which is good because we've got a test in his class on Tuesday. It's a take-home test, but I'm hoping to be well-prepared so I don't have to spend every waking hour on it. We'll see how that goes...

What's really incredible is that the semester is already halfway over. I've got to get serious about my final projects (I've done a fair amount of work on one, but I have almost no idea what to do for the other two). Today, I decided what classes I'll be taking in the spring and submitted my teaching availability form. It's so hard to believe it's that time of the year already. (It's also hard to believe I'm just two classes away from having an MA!)

As far as teaching goes, I did finish grading papers, and I returned them last Monday. My students were a little disappointed, but no one argued with me about the grades, which was nice. I did let them rewrite to earn up to 10 points back. The rewrites have been graded, too, so now I have a week off before collecting the next essay. Thankfully, essay 2 has a personal element, which makes them much more fun to read!

Finally, the trip to Chihuahua was good. Things were a little rough on Wednesday; we spent over an hour getting the rental car, discovering that I was too young to help drive, and started hearing a disturbing break noise once we arrived. It all worked out okay (we got our break pads replaced and the rental company took the cost off of our bill), but it was a rough start. Other than those glitches, it went pretty well. I was incredibly nervous before the presentation, but it was fine. I made note of a couple things to do differently in the future, but the audience was really attentive and kind. After the conference, we had a really nice lunch with some of the faculty from the University. That evening, Deida (the friend who organized all of this) took us around town. We got to see some cool things (including part of a concert by a famous musician!). I didn't take my camera, but the others did, so I hope to get some pictures from them to post here soon. It was a good experience, and I'm glad I went. But, I'm also glad I'm home and not planning to leave town again for a while!