Arabic?

Date Written: 3 February 2011

Having only one class on Thursday, I figured leaving the Wifi zone at the Jones Quarterly Building (JQB) a mere fifteen minutes before the commencement of class would be perfectly fine. I have rarely been more mistaken.

I began with the Modern Language offices; where I had signed up in the first place. Failing to find a lecture hall, I examined the notice board—these are essential to function of UG, Legon—and found that Arabic 112 was in the Modern Language Annex. I was directed to this new building’s exact location by a passing student.

At the Modern Language Annex, Arabic 112 was nowhere in sight. It was indeed home to a place of language study and I asked someone where the lecture hall was supposed to be. Apparently, lectures are no longer held in this building despite what was posted on the notice board. The Larway building was where the class would be or at least I was assured anyway.

One must keep in mind that UG, Legon campus is huge and spread out. Everything seems to be a five to ten minute walk away. After asking another passing student, this gentleman was kind enough to walk to me the elusive Larway building. However, no lectures were under way there.

My only option was to return to where I had started in hopes of discovering a knowledgeable someone who worked there. Luck finally caught up, having followed me around for nearly fifty minutes. Or at least so I thought. One of the students who was in charge of registration had to call someone for an answer. That answer was the New Block, Room 1. Lucky quickly deserted me as I hiked to the “N-1,” a good fifteen minutes off of the main campus drag. While two classrooms were occupied by students absorbing knowledge, Room 1 was of course empty. An unblogable response quickly tumbled from depths of my throat, parched from wandering an hour and twenty minutes in search of a class that did not even appear to have met.

Apparently, it is uncommon for professors to show up to class during the first week. But I had doubted this tid bit since all but one of my classes had professors who not only showed up but taught as well. I must have been quite a sight as without my “Indiana Jones” hat, sweat pours over my face in much the same spirit as Niagara Falls. At least I know where to go next week.