Two Rounds for Tuesday!

On Tuesday, our first full day, we started off by learning a bit of the Spanish language and culture from Dr. Bares to help with our rusty phrases like 'Hola, como esta usted?' and 'Donde esta...' Then, we heard from Dr. Bey, an expert on Maya anthropology and archaeology.

We found out that the Maya have been around a really really long time and that they continue to be a large segment of the population in Yucatan, and so we should have the chance to practice our two Maya phrases: 'bisabel' and 'chem beya'. We also learned that they knew about astronomy and had an incredibly complex calendrical system. And that the year 2012 isn't the end of the world, but actually a new beginning. Phew (sigh of relief)!

After a nice lunch break, we returned to our classes. This time, Josh Bower from the Mississippi Development Authority spoke with us about doing business in other countries. You have to know a whole lot about a country's customs when you're doing business: for instance, Arab men hold hands as a sign of friendship, Nigerians avert their eyes in certain company, and Latin Americans stand REALLY close to you when they speak. BTW, you certainly don't want to shake with your left hand in Egypt...just so you know. The running theme: cultural literacy.

The last class of the day was international marketing taught by Penny Prenshaw. We found out that ants and other squirming insects are considered delish (okay, delicious), and that the fiesta was considered a great representation of Latino culture as a whole. Uniting religious symbolism, family ties, and the freedom of the masquerade, the fiesta provides a framework from which to consider the values and mindsets of Latinos.

After a brief break and then an evening meal at P.F. Chang's with Stacy, our other Admissions compadre, it was time to bowl. With a current Millsaps student in tow, we bowled two intensely competitive rounds. I think we were all a bit rusty, but that made for some great competition!

Here you can see Kyle in the fetal position after yet another gutter ball. But I can say we all improved by the end of the night and everyone at least made it to the double digits!