Soooo.......I didn't.
I also skipped the makeup hour of my ethnography class, because I wasn't paying attention anyways, so I figured I could just as easily not pay attention from my house.
That's one of the things that's different about the university here. When the professor is sick and cancels class, it's great for the moment, but you do have to make it up later. Unfortunately our prof cancelled 2 2-hr classes, so we have to make up those 4 hours later. We're doing that by having class from 4-7 instead of 4-6 for the next few Mondays. Which wouldn't be that bad if it were any other class, but for some reason, this class seems to drag on forever as it is. Probably because the professor just rambles on about random stuff the whole time.
There's a few other things that are different about the university here.
One of the things I love, is that the teachers don't assign books that you have to buy. They find readings from books and then leave them with the photocopier of that department (or as a pdf on "virtual campus" sometimes). So they tell you what readings you'll need to get, you go to the 'fotocopiadora' and tell them what class and reading you want, and they make a copy for you. So far mine have been about 1.50 soles a piece. I think altogether up to this point I've paid about 3 dollars for all my reading materials, and I doubt if I'll have to pay more than $20 this entire semester. Which is great compared to the $300-$400 that I usually shell out per semester at UNL.
This system is necessary, because, as my host mom was just telling me, scholarships are pretty rare here, especially at La Catolica (PUCP). Therefore, they can't ask students to cough up hundreds of soles for books, because they can't afford it.
One of the things I miss about UNL is that it's practically a small city. According to everyone I've talked to, La Catolica is the closest thing to that kind of campus in Peru. It has dining halls, a bookstore, some little outdoor cafes,a bank, libraries, a rec center (I'll get to that in a minute) and lots of grass and open spaces. However, it doesn't have a union with places to sit and hang out. It doesn't have a post office (that I've found) and the library lacks the comfy couches that I so love at UNL's library. So when I have a big break between classes (usually I go home, but for example today I grabbed lunch with a friend so I just stayed on campus afterwards until my class started) there's nowhere for me to curl up in a comfy chair and do my homework. Even the benches outside are ridiculously uncomfortable. Instead, I go into the study room in the library, trade my student ID for a number, go find the desk with the matching number and sit and read. It's not quite as relaxing.
Another thing that's different is the security. The campus is completely walled off and there are 2 entrances with 2 security guards at each one. You have to show your student ID, and if you're a visitor you have to trade your ID or passport for a 'visitor' ID card and then trade it back to get back out. There are security guards randomly walking around campus, and even to get into the library you have to have your student ID scanned, you can't just walk in.
The rec center looked pretty big at first, until I realized all that was inside was courts and special rooms for martial arts classes, chess club, yoga, etc. The actual gym area is a tiny building off to the side that's about the size of half a basketball court. It's got a few exercise machines that look like they're from the 80s and some weights and that's about it. And the use of that is not even included in your student fees. You have to buy a membership.
Also, there are no dorms. All students commute to campus. Which explains why they don't need to have things like post offices on campus. People can just go to the one by their house. Most students live with their parents during college. They go to one less year of high school here and one more year of college, so the kids might be 16 or 17 when they start studying.
In conclusion, there are a lot of amenities that UNL offers that I miss, but at the end of the day, I can't see this on campus in Nebraska
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