AMG Presentations

I spent all day at the local high school today, mostly giving presentations. 10 in all, half an hour each... and by the end of it my throat was sore, my legs felt as if they might collapse under me, my back ached, and I felt as if I was using the very last of my powers to keep a smile on my face and keep talking about why kids should study languages as if it was the first presentation, as if I was still thrilled and passionate and... ahhh...

It was a long day, but good, and those few good students have the power to encourage you as much as the sleepers discourage you.

One of the teachers actually asked me whether I had taken a speech class! She said that I did a brilliant job with the presentation. :D And the Latin students were really friendly, asking tons of questions, so I felt comfortable around them and it became less of a presentation and more of a conversation. They asked me where I was from with a sort of awe at one point, and I came down to earth a bit and laughed, saying, "Over in St. Louis".

"She seems almost like an alien, doesn't she?" Said the teacher.

But she said it like a compliment. :)

Ah, I came home tired to the bone... you're welcome, AMG!

First AMG Participation

Hey folks. Latin and Italian are two different languages. The difference between them is significant in both meanings of that word.

That aside, the meeting at Hickman went well, I thought. Four of us from AMG (I love how I became a member Friday, and haven't even been sworn in yet, but I'm already participating) went and met with the language department at a nearby high school and we decided to give powerpoint presentations to inspire the students there to continue with foreign language study.

I felt a little uncomfortable because the Latin teacher looked straight at me and said, "I need to convince my students that they haven't made a mistake. I try to tell them, but it doesn't mean much coming from me." How do I say that I regret taking Latin... not sincerely or painfully, but that if I had it to do over again, I probably would have taken German for the 6 years and Latin for the 3?

Otherwise it looks good. And I got to know Stephanie (the president) a little better, and this guy named Ben who likes languages. :D So it was productive and good, and I plan to help with the presentations as well.

I had to get up early, early for all of that, before the sun rose, and it's been a while since I've done that. And it's creepy to get up in the dark, prepare a bit of oatmeal, cross an empty campus as the first light of dawn creeps over the horizon, attend a meeting in a high school as bleary-eyed kids wander around and the sun rises, then come back to my dorm room a full hour or two before I normally wake up. The campus is still empty, and it's a bit ironic that I'm actually going to have more time to study for my 11 o'clock exam this way.

Things are busy right now. Schedule for today:

7:00 - Meet at Starbucks to go to Hickman meeting
11:00 - Journalism exam
12:30 - Government lecture
15:30 - Meet with my German project group
17:00 - AMG Meeting
20:00 - Racquetball

AMG - Foreign Language Honors Society

I just joined the foreign language honors society here, and I've got my fingers crossed. If there are language fans here at Mizzou, this is where they'll be... it's my best hope, and in a way, my last hope. Wish me luck and joy.

I am participating in the first event tomorrow, and getting up at 7 am for it.