First Day of Class

Most of today I just lazed around. I didn't have anywhere to go really until 1:30pm. So I woke up and uploaded more pictures to the blog. But then I went over to the theatre department to register for classes, and things got a little nuts for a while. They said that I had to register for classes with the department by today at 4pm but then they said before I could register I had to show my admissions letter and proof of online registration. Which is backwards from the way I've been doing it with other departments and with what other Ghanaian students have told me. Usually you sign up with departments, then register online. But anyhow, I ended up running around with Kelly, another ISEP theatre student, to the International offices and what not, only to find out that they had blocked international students from registering themselves for classes online because they had had so many problems in the past. So, the guy and the international offices just told us that we should just keep going to classes normally and then register online with them next week when the international student registration deadline is. He basically said that they don't have the power in the department to not let you take the class just because you did the steps backwards (according to them). But interestingly enough we found out from another theatre student that actually the reason for the really stringent and strict registration policy is because they have had problems in the past being able to enforce attendance like they want to because they don't have the final lists for students attending a given class until much later. I thought that was interesting.

Then I went to my first class, African Indigenous Religions. It was cool for the most part. I really liked the professor and the material seemed interesting, but the class is pretty large and people are always talking in the back so its almost impossible to hear when you need to. I'm debating over whether to take it or not. After that class I went around to the ISEP office and picked up my meal stipend, then went to the post office and the bookstore and got some awesome postcards to send my professors back home. I'm excited. I promised I would send some. And the bookstore said that they would be getting in a bunch of new ones in a few weeks, so I'll probably go back every once in a while to send post cards to people. : D

After all that, I ate with some other ISEP students and then experienced another cultural blunder and almost had a HUGE mishap. I wanted to stop into the bathroom at the place we were eating so that I could change out of my skirt (which is acceptable attire for lecture classes) and into my yoga pants (which would be better for the dance class I had next). Well, I go through the only bathroom door I could see, and walk in on an older man zipping his pants. I was mortified. I almost turned back around to leave but he didn't even react to me being there really just washed his hands and left. But the bathroom had a stall in it and then a urinal up against the wall as soon as you walk in the door. I am still not sure whether I went into the wrong bathroom or whether its like a coed bathroom. I don't know, but I am just very glad that I didn't walk in on a poor old Ghanaian man trying to pee.

Last off, I went to my African dance class, which was freaking huge for a dance class. There were about 100 people in there and the main instructor said that would be less that half that actually took it because most of the Ghanaian students weren't in class today. Crazy. But there are about 15 different teaching assistants in the class as well, so its really helpful when you get behind. But that class was sooooo much fun. We danced for like 2 hours straight and it was awesome. And interestingly enough I actually don't suck at this kind of dance. I was picking it up pretty quickly in fact. AND we also learned some traditional songs to go along with the dances. I'm not gonna lie I am pretty stoked for the next class on Thursday. It's just too much fun.