Class Registration

I'm in the process of registering for classes at Masaryk, which was supposed to be done a month ago (yes, I have a procrastination problem...I'll get around to overcoming that sometime).  I've had several problems/issues with it.  First of all, the classes that are part of the actual program don't interest me and don't really advance my studies; they include Music in Czech Lands and Czech Film.  So, I am looking at the classes offered in English.  Most of these classes are master's level courses (it's a 3 year bachelor program, so 400 level is first year MA classes).  I have been working on getting professors' permission to take the courses.  The courses average an hour and 40 minutes a week, and will transfer back as 6 or 7 ISU credits.  So, there is the question of what number of classes to take.  Do I treat these classes like a 6 credit class or like a class that meets for 1h40/week?  I can't really seem to get a straight answer from anyone, so I'm confused.  One of the professors gave me maybe the best advice:  Just register when I get there.  

The courses I'm looking at include Remodeling Political Culture in Central Europe after 1989, the History of the American Presidential Elections, International/Transnational Orgs. and Euro Politics, The Making of Europe (Euro System of States since 1648), EU in European Politics since 1989, and Political Issues and Social Policy in the EU.  The last one is dual listed as the same class, taught by the same person, but as a 100 level class and as a 400 level class (but the same class and same meeting time, so of course I'm confused.)  Oh, I'll be taking a Czech for Foreigners class, which will help me communicate with people in the CR and with some of the elderly folks in Traer/Clutier, which I'm looking forward to.  Hopefully, I'll get all registered and get everything taken care of soon.

Going to Europe

I leave in 9 days and I am sooo not ready.   I'm doing Destination Iowa State this week and then I will be going home Monday afternoon to pack, then back to Ames Thursday night for the ISU game and then I leave from Waterloo on Friday morning.  I have my flights ordered, but I have no idea how it's going to work out.  

On Friday, August 29, I will leave from Waterloo and go to Minneapolis then on to Detroit and finally to Frankfurt, arriving at 7:50 am local time on Saturday.  I will be staying with the Hermanns, my host family from my Germany trip 4 years ago, in Marburg, north of Frankfurt.  I will leave on a Ryanair flight from Frankfurt Hahn to Venice, Italy, on Monday, Sept. 1, at 10:50 am.  I'll be in Venice, then take a train to Florence and Pisa, and another train to Rome.  My flight leaves from Rome at 10:30 pm on Sept. 6 and arrives at Frankfurt Hahn at 11:50.  I guess I need to stay at a hotel there, then get a train ticket back to Marburg to pick up my luggage from the Hermanns, and then get on a train to Vienna in time to catch a bus to Brno, Czech Republic, so I can be there on the morning of Sept. 8.  I don't really know what I'll be doing...any advice on where to stay, what to see, etc, would be more than welcome.  Well, this is my first ever blog post.  It's probably really bad and I'll try to get better at them as I go along.