new classes, new problems

we have been told from the start to leave california behind. don't try to compare the university systems, they are very different and it really won't do you any good. and i must admit, that has been kind of tough. usually ending in me preferring my university system back home and wishing the one here made more sense to me. but i've taken it in stride and understood that that is what study abroad is about. i chose this, and it is possible to get used to it. and so i managed to make it through last semester. the first week was crazy as i went to an excess of classes trying to figure out which ones i would actually take. but eventually, i figured it out, and i should even be getting credit for three of the classes i took! assuming i passed that is.

i was looking forward to second semester being easier. i understand the language much better than when i first arrived, and i understand what is involved in picking classes. plus, i may not have to go to a ton extra the first week either.
things started going downhill for me though. it was fairly easy for me to find psychology classes i could get credit for last semester because, well, they are all listed under psychology. plus, when i tried to get a hold of my psych department at home, they were actually responsive to me.
finding education classes hasn't been quite as simple, and i knew it wouldn't be. i knew it would involve picking classes that i would have to get cleared by my department at home, because there aren't any obvious education classes offered here. what i didn't realize is that they would be nearly impossible to get in contact with. and when i did get in contact, they would keep telling me i need to walk into the office. anybody else see a problem with me walking into the office? and no, it's not because i'm too lazy to walk allll the way up to science hill. i'm thinking the whole me being on a different continent has something to do with it.
not knowing what else to do, i called my dad hoping he could help me figure out how to get around this unfortunate situation. i figure him working in education could maybe help get me somewhere. and amazingly enough, it did. soon enough he had gotten me in contact with someone in the education department. no, this person couldn't guarantee one hundred percent that i would get credit for the courses i found, but at least he gave me some idea of what might work and what might not. and honestly, i knew that is as much as i could ask for. sure i could still be taking a class that won't count when i get back to santa cruz, but i'm glad that at the moment there is at least a possibility.

so now it is the weekend before i finally start classes again, and it looks like i actually have my schedule figured out:
psychologie cognitive: education
psychologie: education-formation
psycholinguistiques
version (translation english-> french)
i only have classes tuesday-thursday which keeps my weekends open for traveling if i want, and my afternoons are open as well. which means that hopefully i will get a call back saying a tutoring position has actually opened up. not only would a little extra travel money be nice, but to be honest i probably have to much free time on my hands at the moment, so it'd be nice to have something to keep me a little busier.