First Week of Class (much dread)

This week has been absolutely crazy. After the stress filled meeting on Monday, Tuesday was started with another necessity - laundry. The smelly socks were calling from the corner in which they were hurled. Then reality hit once again, when I received an email from the director of the third year math department - S. Champier - saying that classes started on Monday and that I was already behind. Could I meet her for a meeting at 16h00? As I had received the email at 14h45 there was little time for questions. So Melissa and I took out our transit maps and figure out the trams and buses that we needed to take and where to make the transfers.

We made it up to the Métare campus with ten minutes to spare. The lady was 20 mins late, but that was ok, we needed someone to explain the system and the way things work here. So she showed me the schedule and gave some brief instruction on how to read them. She also lead me straight to the biology guy to give me information. As of now, I won't be taking any bio courses this year, because to fit them into a schedule is darn near impossible. Students here, apply for a program and if accepted they are handed their course schedules and requirements with only one or two choices each semester - not electives - but a choice of two different math courses or whatever their program. So this whole idea of being a french, math and bio student is completely lost on them. We got ourselves back to our residence in time to calm ourselves (myself) down for the evening and into bed.

Wednesday morning, we went to la Maison d'etudiants (the registrar's office) to get our student cards - which aren't cards at all they are more like the size of a regular photo. crazy. well that was another adventure in itself. I had just grabbed my folder that has all of my documents in it (including the forms that the international student lady had given us just the other day). It turns our that they needed one of those forms. But when we first arrived, we were behind the counter that we needed, so the one girl showed us to the counter door to the other side. We were then immediately attacked by a guy trying to sell us 195euro health insurance (we were warned of this by other canadian students that had paid it) and with Melissa's dutch strength we evaded it completely by forcefully saying that we had already purchased such insurance in Canada. whew!
Then when our number was called we went to the counter and Melissa had not taken the form, because school people were going to help us with it on Friday at the Grande Reunion.

Anyways, while she headed up to the second floor (actually the third) to wrestle for a dossier (form) from the lady. At this point there was already a slight level of frustration. Then the lady had to ask me some questions because I had left some of the lines blank not knowing what to fill them in with. So with my hack french and her impatience, we got the form filled out correctly. Then there was the issue of paying for the tutition. She had also wanted a photocopy of my passport, which I just so happened to have (and which Melissa had to go and find a store that would do it for her - more stress and money) .Well, with ORA I had already done that with McMaster and a french student had paid Jean Monnet and was at Mac. To get the point accross to this lady was incredibly difficult till finally she went to and international lady upstairs and came back smiling saying that I was right and that I didn't have to pay for it. heh! Now I had to wait for the guy to actually have a print out of my card and then staple a pciture onto it.

It was now 10h20 and with my first class starting to 10h00 and a 30 minute commute, I was officially late. So off I ran not seeing Melissa again because of the photocopy thing. I made it to campus, checked the room, and went off to find it. I asked a guy in a lab coat where it was within 3 mins of arriving. He pointed me in one direction. I got to building G and then was told blankly that I was at the wrong campus and that I needed to be at Site Gambon. This not so friendly lady gave me a map and sent me off. 18 mins of walking later I reached Gambon. The building was locked. So I walked around the whole thing, trying all the doors. Through a clearing, there was another building - the door was open!!! but the rooms didn't have any labels. So sucking up some courage, I knocked on a door. This short little quiet old guy answered the door and told me that I had indeed reached the room I was in search of.

I sat down and started taking notes. I was understanding everything that was occurring. Perfect. I had finally reached the right place. comforting thought. Then it hit me that I was once again in class. oh my goodness! four months doesn't seem that long, but working at the co-op is on the other end of the spectrum from school. Anyways, at the end of the class, the prof gave me a sign up sheet to write my name down and the homework for the class. I was sitting in a physics/chemistry class. wrong place. This is totally not cool. I went back up the hill (St Etienne is located in the foothills of the Alps and therefore walking anywhere involves serious hills), to confirm that I was in the correct room. I had been. Now totally confused I went back and email the prof - who happened to be the lady that I had seen the day before - to ask what I had obviously missed.

Wednesday night at 21h00 (9pm) there was a pub night for the international students. Melissa and I went. We me the Kentuckians again - a group of them that have the worst french accents and know next to nothing - language wise. There was also two Belgium girls, Aurelie and Julie. They are nice and we got to know them pretty good and made plans to meet up with them later in the week. We left early just because we don't do the super late thing and I had class at 8h00 so I had to be up and cone by 7h30 latest. way too early for anybody normal.

So topologie class on Thursday morning was interesting. The prof was really quite spoken so I could barely hear him (even sitting in the front). Of course it didn't help that pretty much everybody was talking. It seems that french students have less respect for professors than Canadians do. Then was Integration tutorial. I had missed the lecture on Tuesday and so everything was foreign, but the girl, Paulina, behind me was really helpful, letting me borrow her notes and chatting for a little bit. She had a friend that went to Alaska for a year, so she understands somewhat the difficulties for foreign students. She also gave me her email address, so if I have any course or life questions, I can just ask her. That's just great to know, that there is someone to turn to for some help.

After class, I went back down the hill to meet with Mr. Laxton - the canadian student guy - he helped me with the course thing and called this Champier lady to arrange a meeting to determine which level of math that I am in - the french degree program is 3 years, Canada's is 4. Afterwards, Jessica, Melissa and I went for baguette and coffee/beer - a well deserved beer.

Friday was a big day. I had class again at 8h00 so I was up at 6h30. I met Paulina to give her her notes back after class, and then I went to this big grande reunion meeting. BORING!!! This was the FSL (french second language) presentation so they spoke at half the speed of smell. It was incredible. but there was a free lunch buffet, so everybody stayed. Then after lunch of salads, baguette, cheese and apple flan tart for dessert, we were to be back in the auditorium for 13h30. The ladies didn't come until me and 3 others went up to their offices and went HELLO!!!!! Then we could actually get to the paper work for our carte de sejour (residency permit) and our CAF form - the government rebates on housing. free money - sweet!!

On Friday evening, Randy picked us up at 19h00 for dinner. We blatantly asked him if we could take Jessica with us. She would have otherwise been stuck in her appartment alone all night. So that was fine and off we went. Randy was the one who had given the message on Sunday morning. Sandy was in the kitchen when we arrived. Sandy and Randy are Americans doing missions work in France. Following french custom we sat and had drinks and appetizers before dinner. Dinner was then followed by cheese and bread and then dessert. The conversation was good and we didn't finish till 22h30. we got back to our place at at 11pm and went straigt to bed.

Saturday started off perfectly. I slept in. Till 9h30. It was truly beautiful. Then we chilled, bought some groceries, figured out my schedule and went to bed on decent time. Nothing really remarkable happened.