It's Saturday, and crowded in a smaller (but very nice) lecture room are about 40 international students, most of us American, and we're being told where to go to get registered. We're all excited. We're all nervous. We're all "BEST pals" because we don't know anyone else. But we're all, also, used to the American system of "I'm going to get mine first, then you can have yours, but let's be friends.. ok?" That was the atmosphere.
So 3pm saturday, my registration appointment. I got the classes I'd hoped for (mostly) and was alllllll set. My really kind advisor even wrote out my time-table FOR me with room numbers and map with circled buildings and everything! Some didn't help nearly as much, so I was lucky.
On my time-table it says I've got Monday morning lecture, Linear Algebra, at 9am. So I wake up at 7:30 am and get off to class on time (early.. actually) but nobody's there. Nobody arrives at all until 9 on the dot... and it's one guy.... on crutches. He breathes out a "Oh Holy Hell" and turns around before I sort of jump up and get the door for him to go back out and ask what class this is supposed to be because I"m confused/lost etc. He says he's here for a COMPLETELY different class!! Not even my "non-existent" math class! So we go together to look it up on my lap top and he says my class is in the room upstairs. Awesome, I was early now I'm 5 minutes late because my advisor wrote the wrong room and the computer system isn't updated yet for me to look it up myself.
I go in, get looked at, and sit quietly through a lecture.. that I recognize.... as last year's material. This was NOT my class but I wasn't about to LEAVE!! I'd just gotten there LATE! Besides, what if it WAS my class and he was just reviewing things??? So I stayed. It was a nice lecture and If I have this fellow for a professor later I won't mind but it definitely wasn't my class and I couldn't ask anybody because, seriously, no one spoke. Not one WORD the entire time... perfect little angel students. Awesome.
So at the end of the class (which was actually Advanced Calculus, or Calc 3 at home) I asked the professor for help figuring out what I'd done to get so confused. He lead me to the math department offices a block over and we looked at the printed time-tables for all of the math courses..... I hadn't missed my class afterall!! No, actually, my class is TOMORROW at 9am instead of today. Luckily it doesn't conflict, and my advisor did write the correct room, just the wrong day.
So there you go, the first day at a new school, in a new country, and I've already gone to EXTRA class. Hahahaha. From there I went to my Religious Studies course (which I absolutely love already, I'll write more about it later though) and am now munching on a 'dorm-made' PB and Honey sandwich with the modest groceries I bought at the Hillhead shop that I imagine will feed me through Saturday (for lunch). So... 6pounds 5pence (about $9) for 7 lunches. Not bad.
That's it for now, back to class in a bit,
Cheers lovies!!
Well, at least you know you don't need to panic. Things do work out. Also, you know the level of math class coincides with what you experienced at the big U of I. I feel badly for the guy on crutches. It is not easy getting around on crutches and he was obviously in the wrong place.
ReplyDeleteSo, in Dad's scheme of figuring out how much each individual class costs when you miss one, does that mean you can skip a class for free now?
ReplyDelete(just kidding Snook!)