I also started my registration at the University of Toulouse today!! I was rather anxious about going to the International Student office today because my acceptance letter said I had to have official translations for my documents (which of course I didn't have) and I started wondering if they would ask for the diploma in Marketing I got in high school in the occupational program or other random things. Everything went smoothly though. The woman barely glanced at my college diploma and didn't even ask for my transcripts or any translations. I have 4 pages to fill out for Monday when I will fully register with the university and get my ID card and pay the fees. I was going to ask about getting a bourse (scholarship), but I think I can handle 184€ to register for the Master and 195€ to have health insurance. Unfortunatly I can't continue as an ayant-droit with B and free health insurance since I will no longer be unemployed but a student. I might just chuckle a bit as I write the check: "A Master? For 184€? You have no ideal how ludicriously cheap that is! Hahahah!"
I called the Communications department yesterday to ask if the class schedule was ready and received a sour response from the secretary. I took it rather poorly, insulting her after I hung up the phone, but today I got to see if from the other side. The secretary was still bitchy, but I can understand it a bit better now. While I was getting my paperwork at the International Student office, someone called to ask if he could register late because he was in Morroco. Apparently he studied in Toulouse last year and wants to reregister, but won't be back in France before the end of the registration period. The woman didn't have an answer for him and wasn't in a position of power to grant him an extension for registering, so that meant she was rather bitchy and transfered him to another service. Again, I'm not excusing her attitude, but if you get calls from people all the time asking for favors and special treatment and information that has nothing to do with your limited job description, I can understand how it can get annoying. The French seem to think everyone is doing in purpose though, or are simply incredibly thick.
When I worked at the Language Resource Center at my college, we got all kinds of people asking for things we didn't have, or lost, or confused about what their professor told them. My boss told us we were never to say "I don't know". If they were in the wrong place or the center didn't have what they needed, we always looked up the information they needed or at least directed them to where someone could better help them. Sometimes we had professors come down and ask us for help with things that had nothing to do with the resource center, but we did them anyway (well, to a certain limit anyway).
As I was leaving the university, I was stopped by a young woman at the magazine subscription table. I'd totally forgotten, but there are major discounts to tons of magazines through the company OFUP if you're a student. Awesome! Now I just have to decide which ones I want to subscribe to (and can afford). The Economist is "only" 99€ a year and Time just 45€. I might subscribe to something dealing with communication (since I am studying it after all), but I don't know the ones they have on the list, so I'll try to check them out at a newstand tomorrow.
It's fun getting back into the student universe, though working and earning money will be nice too.
Epitome of French civil servants/university employees
"That's not my job!"(B wants me to make the disclaimer that this picture is from the US)
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