Financial hold and the ensuing rant
I have incredible news: 7.4% of my blog viewers comment and they leave an impressive 0.58 kudos per comment! I know, I know: wow! Read on. I have been tracking these statistics a bit, and I am happy to report that these numbers are both down since November. In fact, back then over 10% of viewers commented and each left an average of 0.6 kudos. In light of the fantastic statistics my blog has built up, I solemnly vow to post more often. Luckily, that will not be too difficult. My average is one post every 19 days.
Anyway, I hope you are all doing well. You in the northern hemisphere should be sailing into better weather. That is, unless you are in Eureka, Nunavut. In that case, you can look forward to an April average of around -28°C (or an unlucky April low of -49°C). The weather here in Uppsala is coming around, finally. Spring has been a bit elusive, but I know that it is just around the corner. Daylight Savings Time hit this weekend (hopefully most of you folks noticed) and the extra hour of sunlight in the evening is very nice.
You know, being an exchange student is pretty damn nice. We lead lives of leisure and careless abandon, doing as we please and enjoying it. Good food and good conversation are on the daily menu. We indulge in plenty of partying and travel; some have even deemed us 'exchange tourists'. This is an accurate moniker if you ask me.
I am not sure whether classes here are really easier, but the student life is definitely less stressful. Group work and projects abound. We usually take exams in small groups and we can retake them if necessary. Professors slate more-than-ample time for coffee breaks. Textbooks are cheap and usually not mandatory. Now you are likely wondering why I am writing this blog. "Tristan only writes blogs when he is flustered, grumpy, upset or drunk." Well, you missed one. I also write blogs when I am supposed to be writing papers. Which I am. Besides, I am upset too, and who says I'm not drunk? I am an exchange student, remember?
The issue that has me irked at the moment has to do with my finances, which is probably no surprise. Here's the gist: I am supposed to register a new fleet of courses for the autumn, so I signed onto my university homepage. Much to my chagrin, I found that I owe UBC over CND$1000 in overdue tuition. This tuition should have been automatically deducted from my loan cheque, but these things never seem to turn out right for me.
The consequences? As usual, I am on goddamned financial hold. This means I cannot register for classes. Bad news, because I just transferred all of my money from Canada to Sweden. Also bad news, because 'all of my money' is barely enough to live through the term. Barely enough to live through the term if I don't pay rent, that is: I am living in the uninsulated attic of the international students' house. The temperature up there is higher than Nunavut's April average, but not by much.
This is just the latest in my long list of school finance disasters. My whole exchange has been punctuated by these bureaucratic fuck-ups, including a number mix-up that left me nearly penniless the entire first term. This is all made much more frustrating and difficult by a general lack of interest in my problems that seems to be common to all UBC staff. I emailed the Director of Student Services at the end of November and again in mid-December; I received a cheery response on January 13th. I emailed her back on the 18th asking for a follow-up and she never replied. When I returned from Tanzania, I emailed my exchange co-ordinator about the same issue; it has been nearly two weeks and she has not replied either. Keep in mind that these employees are both in the Faculty of Forestry; they are responsible for assisting all of around 400 undergraduates.
You know, in spite of it all, things aren't so bad. I think that in writing this I have gotten a bit of angst out of my system. I am going to write a bit more of this paper, but not too much. I've got partying to do.
Anyway, I hope you are all doing well. You in the northern hemisphere should be sailing into better weather. That is, unless you are in Eureka, Nunavut. In that case, you can look forward to an April average of around -28°C (or an unlucky April low of -49°C). The weather here in Uppsala is coming around, finally. Spring has been a bit elusive, but I know that it is just around the corner. Daylight Savings Time hit this weekend (hopefully most of you folks noticed) and the extra hour of sunlight in the evening is very nice.
You know, being an exchange student is pretty damn nice. We lead lives of leisure and careless abandon, doing as we please and enjoying it. Good food and good conversation are on the daily menu. We indulge in plenty of partying and travel; some have even deemed us 'exchange tourists'. This is an accurate moniker if you ask me.
I am not sure whether classes here are really easier, but the student life is definitely less stressful. Group work and projects abound. We usually take exams in small groups and we can retake them if necessary. Professors slate more-than-ample time for coffee breaks. Textbooks are cheap and usually not mandatory. Now you are likely wondering why I am writing this blog. "Tristan only writes blogs when he is flustered, grumpy, upset or drunk." Well, you missed one. I also write blogs when I am supposed to be writing papers. Which I am. Besides, I am upset too, and who says I'm not drunk? I am an exchange student, remember?
The issue that has me irked at the moment has to do with my finances, which is probably no surprise. Here's the gist: I am supposed to register a new fleet of courses for the autumn, so I signed onto my university homepage. Much to my chagrin, I found that I owe UBC over CND$1000 in overdue tuition. This tuition should have been automatically deducted from my loan cheque, but these things never seem to turn out right for me.
The consequences? As usual, I am on goddamned financial hold. This means I cannot register for classes. Bad news, because I just transferred all of my money from Canada to Sweden. Also bad news, because 'all of my money' is barely enough to live through the term. Barely enough to live through the term if I don't pay rent, that is: I am living in the uninsulated attic of the international students' house. The temperature up there is higher than Nunavut's April average, but not by much.
This is just the latest in my long list of school finance disasters. My whole exchange has been punctuated by these bureaucratic fuck-ups, including a number mix-up that left me nearly penniless the entire first term. This is all made much more frustrating and difficult by a general lack of interest in my problems that seems to be common to all UBC staff. I emailed the Director of Student Services at the end of November and again in mid-December; I received a cheery response on January 13th. I emailed her back on the 18th asking for a follow-up and she never replied. When I returned from Tanzania, I emailed my exchange co-ordinator about the same issue; it has been nearly two weeks and she has not replied either. Keep in mind that these employees are both in the Faculty of Forestry; they are responsible for assisting all of around 400 undergraduates.
You know, in spite of it all, things aren't so bad. I think that in writing this I have gotten a bit of angst out of my system. I am going to write a bit more of this paper, but not too much. I've got partying to do.
