In Over My Head?

In Over My Head?

Every Tuesday this semester from the hours of two till four, I believe you will find me sitting attentively in the front of my Economic Development professor.

You may at this point be thinking to yourself, “E(l)mily is not very good at brown-nosing, she’s actually a lot better at sleeping in class.” And you would be right, and that is how the whole mess started.

After arriving late to my first Economic Development of the semester I took a seat on the other side of the room from the professor. The lights in the classroom were out and the overhead projector was on.

Medically, narcolepsy can be triggered by many things, non-medially, I’m pretty sure it can be triggered by overhead projectors. I never had a chance I was nodding off in minutes, despite my best efforts to stay awake.

It was during one such nod, that the professor decided to ask me what country I was from. Well, no surprises here, I didn’t answer his question. So he repeated it. A nice girl sitting in front of me gave me a gentle tap, I jerked awake. The professor changed his question, this time to, “Do you understand Spanish?” “Yes, of course,” I answered. “You just don’t know how to say what country you’re from?” This was embarrassing. Which is worse, admitting I was sleeping on the first day or not understanding Spanish?

Not being able to stomach either alternative, I lied and said I had been very focused on taking notes. The professor asked me to stay after lass to discuss my placement in the class. This was not the positive impression I planned to make. Now, I am stuck playing catch-up. And with the help of my old friend, espresso, I will be the best exchange student PUCP (and Prof. Tello) has ever seen.