This morning I had an 8am class at the FAC, so I got up at quarter of six when the stars were still out and my friends in the states probably hadn't even gone to bed yet. So I get up, shower, grab some breakfast and get myself out the door...listening to superchick on my ipod in hopes of staying awake and keeping up my energy. I get on the TAN, go to the FAC...get off a stop too soon (whoops...) and walk the rest of the way in the barely-post-dawn cold until I see the building where my class is. Victory! Well...not quite. I still have to find the classroom. No worries, though, I've still got twenty minutes till class (good thing I left the aparte an hour early!) So I start looking for the classroom...I found the psychology wing, the philosophy wing, the geograpy wing, the classics studies wing, the history wing...anything, of course, but french literature. It's 8 o'clock by this point....if I can find the classroom asap I won't be *too* late. no such luck. it's now quarter after and I have to accept defeat -I've been wandering around the building for half an hour and I've seen every hallway twice. I have NO idea where this classroom is, so I have to resign myself to the fact that I'm just going to have to miss the first day of class. Hopefully I'll be able to find the classroom next week...and hopefully I'll be able to find the classroom for the OTHER lit course I have in 3 hours. So then I try to get a TAN back to IES...and the door closes and the TAN leaves right as I'm about to get on. Once again...I am left frustrated and about to cry, feeling nothing but completely incompetent and useless. It's mainly just that I'm in a foreign country and EVERYTHING is significantly more complicated. Even the simplest of things - finding a place to eat, figuring out where a damn classroom is, even expressing how you're feeling becomes infinitely more difficult. For someone who considers herself pretty articulate and well-spoken, the lack of language is the hardest thing. Sure, my french is pretty good...but it's also pretty basic. I use the same vocabulary over and over and I find myself unable to say what's on my mind, how I'm feeling or anything like that.
ugh. it'll get better. I know it will. It's just that right now...it sure doesn't feel like it.
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3 comments:
Oh, Linds, what a tough way to start the school year. Chin up, though, this is just a small glitch in the HUGE task you are undertaking. Best news is it's all uphill from here. I'm sure it was very frustrating and I'm sorry you had to experience it. Looking forward to the next report with all that's good about your classes.
(True Confession Time) The time difference is confusing me a little - was this a Tuesday class and post? Does that mean Monday went well? Lots of love to you!!!
I know exactly how you feel. I had registration today, and I was running late because I went on a mini-field trip that I had to leave early from. Well, I would have been on time except somehow when I changed lines, I didn't change lines - I ended up back on the exact same platform and got back on the wrong train! So I had to take the train back and find the right one - I ended up almost running down rue Daguerre in futile effort not to be late. I was late AND in the wrong building. Yeah. So when I get there, I'm out of breath and frazzled, and so when she asks me what I'm taking, I don't have any idea. I ended up signing up for the most random classes - kind of like freshman year. Yay. So hopefully I didn't get too screwed over.
PS - check Facebook. You have a message. From me.
Wow, that's pretty rough.
Hang in there though! :)
By the way, if you are able to, and need to, you can always call me. As know from camp, I'll stay up as long as needed. The fact that I'm posting this at about 5:30am ET pretty much confirms that, lol.
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