Scheduling Difficulties

Much has happened since I last blogged, as always. I'll try to sum it up quickly so I can move on to the real topic of this particular blog. I did get a bus card and I highly recommend it. It is much easier and cheaper than buying a ticket every time. Also, I am still working on setting up a bank account. I have to get a paper from Madame called un attestation du logement. I think it just proves that I am actually living here in Angers. I am going to try and get that done tomorrow. I still adore Madame. She is so silly; we were talking about weird foods one night and I said how in Florida people eat alligator. In the morning I found a giant stuffed gator outside my door! I laughed so hard, I couldn't believe it. Also over the last few days I have met many new people and made a lot of new friends. I went out a few times with them and my roommates, but otherwise life has been kind of slow here recently. Everyone is still adjusting to the new environment and focusing on getting their schedules arranged. On a side note, I tried the French McDonald's today... very expensive here in Angers, and the fries tasted funny, but otherwise the building itself was gorgeous and my burger was yummy. Bon appetit!

On Monday we found out where we placed on the test and there was a huge range of levels. But of course, as luck would have it, my name happened to be missing from the grand list of students. I went to the secretariat (the office for CIDEF students) and told them that my name was not there. I was placed in the class 212 based on my past French classes because they evidently lost my test. I found the classes extremely simple and did not like them at all. Throughout the day, I spoke to many people and discovered that the 300 level had much more freedom in terms of electives. After going through all my classes that day, I stopped in to see M. Loiaseau, the head of the department, to discuss a change of classes. He managed to find my test and told me that I had actually placed in 213, just one step up, but I told him I wanted to be in 311, two steps up. He told me to try the 213 class for Tuesday and to come back if it was still too easy. I agreed, but also sent my professor back home an email telling him my situation. He basically responded saying that I had to be in at least 311 to get credit for all my classes at CMU.

Therefore, today I was very stressed out and wanted to move up immediately. I tried out the classes like I told M. Loiseau I would and still hated them, more-so since I knew they would not count. To add to my frustration, more and more people continued moving up even from classes below mine into the 300s because otherwise they would not receive credit. At the end of the day I was so fed up that I went to M. Loiaseau for the THIRD time and this time told him that I absolutely had to be in a higher level class, that otherwise I wouldn't get credit, and I knew that was the same excuse everyone else used, but I just HAD to change classes. I could feel my face heating up as I spoke. I think I scared him a little because he instantly agreed to move me, however he did warn me that it would be very difficult. I just kept on answering him back with "je comprends, je comprends, je comprends..." until he changed it. I was shocked when he put me in 314. I had heard that the lower classes were filling up but even so, I was surprised.

 

My final schedule! I will be taking langue of course, and I think l'histore de l'art,  la phonetique, and la comprehension orale.

So now I am back on top; a little nervous, but happy. I went to my new phonetics class after I talked to M. Loiaseau and I loved it. The professor is very goofy, but she is hilarious and seems very nice. Also, I was able to understand at least 90% if not all of what she said, which made me feel like I made the right decision. Wish me luck! I will write again soon about my other classes and perhaps some upcoming trips! Also, I will post more pictures of Angers soon, I've been waiting for a nice sunny day.