After a morning learning about the male reproductive organs in Spanish and the myths surrounding these organs, I felt I wanted to go back to school for a third B.A. in anatomy or public health. This time, perhaps a university in Latin America! First things first, and that is that this is "technically" my last week as an intern at CASA and it is also my last week (not counting a final presentation) as a student of Spanish at Portland State. Ideally, if all goes as planned and forms are processed in good time, I will have a degree in Spanish by the end of the month. I could go into a rant about the value of a B.A. in the U.S. right now, and whether or not it was all worth going into buckets of debt but... what's the point?! For whatever reason or for the many reasons I am here now, it is due to all the little choices and steps I took in order to write this current entry. I'd like to think I had the courage and where-with-all to get myself to Latin America without the support of a school program. Yes, I'd like to think that, but truly, I needed some structure and I needed guidelines. I've reflected since I've been here on the many ways in which my education in the classroom did not entirely prepare me for conversations in Spanish. I found that I was more capable of reading in Spanish than speaking and for awhile, I was disappointed that my university education didn't offer classes in advanced conversation. I felt as though I needed to relearn the language people actually spoke here and not the language used in academic settings. Now, although of course I'd love to not owe money to the U.S. government for something I believe should be FREE, I am at peace with my decision to study Spanish. I loved most of my professors, most of the subject matter, and most of my classmates. I've had many experiences where had I not had an education in Latin American history, culture, and art, specifically with respect to its authors, I would not have been able to connect in a vibrant and wonderful way with people I have met here in Mexico. One of the first interactions I had when I arrived in Mexico, at the airport in Guadalajara, was exchanging US dollars for MX pesos. The woman who was working at the exchange office handed me a 200 peso note which boasts the face of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. I shrieked a little in delight and said "me encanta, me encanta sus poemas!" The woman beamed back at me, and using a small glass scope, showed me that there was a little quote from Sor Juana's poem "Hombres Necios" on the bill. I've had countless moments like this. Moments in which I am so thankful for the choices I've made that have allowed me to participate completely.