A Little Eccentric

Imagine

Hello all!
Things are beyond crazy in this country. I highly suggest you all try to read or catch a news report about all this stuff. I am more involved in French politics than American right now. Honestly, I have no idea what is happening with Bush but I can write you a 20 page paper on Nicolas Sarkozy or Dominique de Villepin.
I am currently engaged in battle with my reponsable (the person here in charge of me). She is more incompetent than anyone here and is not helping out. This week, my CUEFEE classes restarted, but the university is still closed. CUEFEE, however, decided to extend classes further into the summer (I am so NOT doing this) and is giving a bunch of tests to make up for lost time. If I even manage to pass these tests, I have to figure out how to make up end of the year ones. Plus, I still have 3 other classes that are indefinitely postponed. It is a HUGE mess, and no seems to know how to clean it up.
To give you an idea of the lack of communication, I have a little anecdote from just today. I ran into a girl from my translation class today (she's from Scotland and has the sweetest accent ever) who is in my Translation class. That class was supposed to have a test weeks ago, but there has been no class because of the strike. She informed me that the teacher decided to make it a take-home test and that the tests were in her office. Her office happens to be located in a barricaded building that has only one open door. After eventually getting inside and locating her office, I find I sign posted on the door that the test was supposed to be handed in two days ago. This instructor has my email address, but never contacted me or Tchykita. This was no possible way to know about the test, or it being due, etc. I have no way to contact this instructor, and no gives you their office hours or a syllabus. Also, that was one of only two grades I have for the class.
Now, I would like all of you to imagine this scenario. Now, imagine this or something similar happening in all 8 of my courses (If you are a fellow college student, visualize this happening in your own classes). Now imagine being surrounded by people who you can communicate with on an elementary school level, and who don't care about your problem. Also, imagine how these people smell bad and are very rude, and are rarely in their offices to begin with. Imagine getting rained on everyday, riding a bus 25 minutes to classes that may or may not be open and only being able to talk to your mom twice a week and not at all with your friends. Now pretend that all the work you have done, all the credits you signed up for and classes you have attended might not count for anything!! Voilà! You now know what it is like to Study Abroad in France!
Sorry for the cynicism, folks. Its hard to come off a wonderful week with your family to all this crap. I find that living on my own in another country has turned me into a smart, mature, independent, cultured...cynic.
Despite all this though, I am trying to focus on the silly little good things that are funny about being here. Like doing rock, paper, scissors loudly in the computer lab to decide what to have for dinner, or Tchykita and I trying to get the French kids to taste Ranch dressing (That was hilarious, and they didn't like it).

Here is a link to the latest article from the NY Times about the strike:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/24/international/europe/23cnd-france.html?hp&ex=1143176400&en=3147b8d4c83cf332&ei=5094&partner=homepage

posted by Molly Jo @ 8:31 AM