Well, everyone, I've reached the week that I thought would never come. The more time I spend here, the more I wish it wasn't coming so soon. I think if I had left a month ago, I would have been completely fine with it - satisfied with my experiences but ready to be back with family and the familiar.
In recent weeks though, I've really started to really feel comfortable here and attached to some of the friends that I've made. What's more, I won't only be missing my foreign friends. It's strange to think that even when I go back to the U.S., I won't be anywhere near Jill, Danny, or Shamique, my American friends who I've really gotten to know over these past few months. I love the U.S., but why is it so gosh darn huge? Luckily we all go to university along the east coast, so we should have the opportunity to meet up. It just won't be the same!
I've been busy with exams lately, which are very different from how they work at American University. Almost all the exams are held in a sports hall on the very edge of campus (a 20 minute walk from my res) and are held during two 3-hour time slots per day. So it's possible to have two exams in one day and be writing for six hours! Luckily that didn't happen to me, but Danny wasn't so lucky...
That's the other thing. Exams are "written" here. Rather than a bunch of short answer questions or multiple choice, all of my exams are essays. Usually you're given a list of five or so themes and have to write essays on two or three of them. The idea is to get everything you know about the subject down on paper, and there is definitely a reward for length, not necessarily substantiality, which has been hard for my American educated brain to deal with. From the time I was first learning to write and structure paragraphs, I've been taught to combine ideas in meaningful ways that support my argument Also, definitely no "fluff!" (Thank you, Mrs. Collins!) However, there seems to be more reward here for providing fact after fact after fact rather than making an eloquent argument, which has been tough. I just hope for the best!
On a more optimistic note, I have this whole week off until my last exam on Saturday. That's right, exams on Saturday! They really are crazy here.
On a completely unrelated note, I finally got certified as an open water diver after all my ear problems! I've got the card and everything to prove it. Pretty cool, hey?
Also, check out my latest post on the Interstudy blog!
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