Four weeks ago

Four weeks ago, I wrote to you. Now I need to catch up. Things have happened; America is becoming normal. I am almost used to it. Two nights ago, I drove a Lexus back from Sacramento. Driving on the right side did not phase me. It wasn't exactly normal either, but I am getting there.

Let me tell you about my study life:

I am taking four classes. Four classes is what most people take. Some take three and graduate in five years, or they take classes in the summer.

One of these classes is on pavement engineering, which in American means, how to design roads, landing strips and port docks. I am taking this class mainly because I have to. I have to do a certain amount of courses that relate to my degree, and since I have done most of what they offer, I am stuck with this course. But it's not that bad; the teacher is a nice man, who really believes in what he is teaching.

Another of these courses is entitled "Energy and Environmental Aspects of Transportation". Every time I talk about this course, I hear a compassionate sigh. But this is actually one of the most interesting course I have ever taken. It deals with the upcoming energy crises, and with the different courses we can take to prevent them. We had guest lectures on biodiesel, ethanol and the clean air act. The latter is a measure taken by Californian legislators to raise fuel economy standards, through a legal loophole at the federal level. Following the oil embargo of the 70's, the US introduced standards that required car manufacturers to meet certain fuel economy standards by 1985 (26 mpg for cars, and 20.9 mpg for light trucks, from about 14 and 10). The manufacturers complained loudly, but the law remained and the standards were met. Since 1985, powerful lobby groups and the rising popularity of light trucks (SUVs-4WD, and trucks-utes), have lowered the average fuel economy. Bush does not plan to act; so California decided to intervene, and has mandated a lowering of greenhouse gas emission by 30% in the next ten years. GHG emissions are directly related to fuel economy.
The guest lecturers had drafted the legislation; they told us they expected about 9 law suits from the car industry, and they showed us how they had prepared for them.

I am also taking a intermediate microeconomics class: i skipped the beginner class, but this is still a joke. Economists pretending to know maths. The teacher had trouble dividing 300 by 4. The class doesn't understand what indices are. But I reckoned that I'd need this basic knowledge, so I do it anyway.

And finally the most interesting of all my classes: marketing. Simply put, it is a fascinating topic taught by a mesmerising teacher. A teacher nice enough to give me a ride back home one night after talking to me for an hour on marketing decisions. And the guest lecturers he brings in! They have all gone through his classes and are very successful. Forget empty theories; this is about people who teach what they practice.


On the marking system:
They have midterms! all of them. What a surprise. It means that last week was rather annoying, with its host of tests and assignments due. And the tests are mainly about the readings, which means that I've had to buy the textbooks. I am back at school, which is what uni is called here anyway.
And midterms aren't exactly MIDterms either: they're more like THIRDterms. Yes there are two of them. Another set coming in only a few weeks,

And there, I have dealt with the study side of my American experience,

Albert