Day 1 Part 2

Even though class #1 was a bust, I was able to get a map, hop on a bus, and make it to class #2. It was way out there, and not entirely in the direction I had headed in earlier, so no wonder I was so lost. But now I have found this complex and won't have to search for it again.

So class #2, really class #1, was entitled "musical influence in cultural studies." It is a class that I would love...if it were taught in English. There were about 25-30 people in the class - they all knew each other, and the professor knew all of them - except me. I prayed he wouldn't single me out and ask me questions, because I knew right from the start I didn't belong in that class. The students here were at the end of their bachelors or into their masters degrees; yes I know I am technically a senior in college, but I don't think I can handle this upper-level coursework in another language. There was a LOT of reading on the syllabus and I think I would make myself crazy trying to keep up. In addition, there was a prerequisite taught last semester that was an introduction to this subject area, and this class was a more in-depth look into last semester's introduction. I don't think I'll be going back to that class.

See....since there aren't really any records, from what I can gather, of which classes I take, my strategy was to just go to a bunch of them this first week and see what is interesting enough to keep going to.

But anyway - I'd picked out another class this afternoon, on the view of education as reflected in the media, but I decided it would probably be like this one and I was too exhausted to try again. After sitting through that first class I changed my strategy - I think I will re-take music history I, and maybe re-take theory III. I already know the material, so I can focus more on learning the language and comparing how it's taught in two different settings. Plus, the review will probably do me good.

I checked the bulletin board for the music pedagogy area, and found out that they had already had separate sign-ups for their classes - last week. I need to email the professor and see what I can work out. Hopefully I will be a little more comfortable in that subject area.

Next on the list was to go to a meeting for the international student office, that was a continuation of last week's orientation. I had my piece of paper with the information about the meeting, went to the building I thought it was in, went to the room I was supposed to, but it definitely wasn't the international student meeting. There were just a bunch of German guys sitting around and talking, rather than a room full of international students that I recognized from last week. I have no idea what happened, but I never did figure it out and never did get to that meeting.

I've decided I need to storm the international office tomorrow and refuse to leave until they give me answers. I need to know so much about what I'm doing here and no one has bothered to make sure we have all the information we need. How many classes is a "full load?" How do they keep up with our grades and classes? What should we expect from the end of semester tests? Does it even apply to me? How do I know which classes I'm "allowed" to take, and am I "allowed" to take classes outside my subject area? Even within my subject area, how do I know what classes are available and don't need prerequisites, like this morning? What's the difference between a seminar and a class? What, if anything, are the attendance policies? What do all these symbols and codes mean all over the course lists (just telling me the word the symbol stands for doesn't help...describe to me what it means in reality)?

Shouldn't all of these things been told to us in orientation?

But the good news is, I found out there is a campus orchestra, and I can audition next Monday. Now I just need to find a place to practice - easier said than done.