2nd Day of School

So today (1/20/2010) I had Portuguese class, Sociology class and then History. In Portuguese class they read a poem that was about some general (I really only knew that because there was a huge picture of a general on the page next to the words). They discussed it after and I tried to pick out words I knew. Then after the fifteen minute break I went to Sociology. I don`t really know what we talked about. Something about globalization.... The class had homework, but I don`t have my books yet, so I can`t do it. Then my final class was history. I had history yesterday too and today we had to take a test. The teacher let me use a book and try to answer the essay question. The test was a document on the Potstam Conferance after WWII and the students had to write about what the world was going through at this time. I used the book and tried to pick out phrases and words I knew. I wanted to say a lot more, but I didn`t know the Porguguese translation. I hope the teacher will be able to understand my broken Portuguese sentences. After the test, the teacher lectured. I could understand more today. I could understand that the main topic of discussion was alliances after WW II but I didn`t get all the details they talked about. I could answer a few questions the teacher asked me about NATO but mostly I just tried to follow along with the discussion.

A little bit more about my class... I am with the same group of students for all my courses. There are 15 students, not including me (5 boys and 10 girls). The school is under construction so we have some of our classes in trailer-like buildings that are set up outside. The buildings are two levels with four classrooms on each level. There are three rows of tables with about five tables in each row. Each table has two chairs. The teachers either speak or just write on the white boards. The walls are bare and white but there are windows on either side. One of my classes will be taking a trip to Lisbon to see Universities later in February so that should be fun. Tomorrow I will have Psychology class, Gym class, and Sociology. Every Thursday in Sociology we watch a movie so it will be easier to understand. My host mother is helping me learn pronunciations of words. I have to forget how letters sound in English and learn a whole new way to say the letters.