Registering for classes…is this blog too late? Maybe not!

When registering for classes at Penn State while living in Media, PA I would sit in my bed with my laptop and chose the classes that I wanted and needed to take (according to my diploma) and clicked submit. Then three times in the course of the semester I had to go to the bursar’s office and pay my tuition. That was it…over and done with.

Let me discuss UGANDAN STYLE!!!

Firstly, I was accepted to the Makerere University…OH NO SORRY….I wasn’t really accepted, I just got an “acceptance letter” and wasn’t really accepted until after I registered at the end of September. (Wow…how this could have all turned out really bad). I forge on. I had to first go to the centrally located Senate building to get my student number then preceded to walk for about 8 min to the main building were I had to get the account number of the university. I then had to find a bank and open an account, so I could pay the tuition by bank draft. (That took a week in itself). The bank was able to “transfer” the money to the schools account. Okay…great…. but no, they weren’t set up to do that YET. I was told to wait one week and then return. I waited one week. That turned into two. I finally got the bank draft and went to the Main building where I gave them my back draft and they gave me a receipt. I then had to return to the senate building where I was to fill out forms, paste my picture, and copies of my diploma from PSU, and my transcript from high school, PAUSE……..MY WHAAAAAT???? Sidebar…I was informed that scans would be enough. WRONG…so after being told to ‘GO HOME TO CANADA “ and get them, I pleaded, but that didn’t work, so I tried tears and that didn’t even work.
Discouraged I went home for the day and well gave myself a week off.

I return with my documents (except those copies) and a gentleman wearing a pink shirt tells me he was so sorry about what had happened last week that he will admit me “provisionally” until I can get the copies they need to see. He gives me MORE forms and directs me.

I now go for another walk to get a signature…then walk another 10 min to another building to get a stamp onto of the signature. Then walk to another building to get another signature…and then to another building to quadruple check that I did in fact pay the tuition and then get that stamp on top of that last signature.

Then I was suppose to take all the forms and get my student I.D. card…BUT they were done taking pictures for the day, so I retuned yet again to get the card. Which was hilarious because they had to “adjust” the colour 50 times because I was SO white!

I finally registered the last week of September.
Or…actually…I just thought I did.

Today Kate asked me to help her finish registering and I took her to all the rooms that she needed to have stamps and signatures. When I went into the room the lady recognized me (why wouldn’t she? She has only stamped and signed and seen me 50 times). She hands Kate these forms and tells her to register…I barked “What I never did that”…ERRRRRR more forms to fill out. Kate then didn’t want to wait, so she fills it out and takes it to the appropriate office as she then asks “after all this am I registered?” No, she then shows us a books that we have to sign”.

Just as we are about to walk out she says “DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR AN EXAM PERMIT”. I almost dropped dead. Today is Wednesday and exams start MONDAY.

Just writing this blog as exhausted me…and the thought of having to do it again next month makes me want to…I love Uganda!!