Amidst finals week during my first semester abroad, I've found myself feeling more than just a little anxious when it comes to studying, preparing to fly home for the holidays, and finishing up some last minute errands. One of my all-time favorite Christmas movies to watch that never fails to put me in a better mood is "Home Alone", so I decided to incorporate this movie to properly demonstrate exactly what I'm feeling at this point in time.
1. The weekend study sesh
Of course, I had organized a complete study plan for the weekend, even allowing myself some time to sleep in as a treat for having already completed a difficult grammar final the week before! Naturally, not everything went quite according to plan.
2. Surprise sickness
I went to bed on Thursday night with a sore throat, thinking it would just pass and I would be able to have a productive weekend. This proved to be a stupid thought because I went into my grammar final on Friday feeling a bit woozy and sore, and by Saturday morning, sure enough, I had a sinus headache and stuffy nose.
3. Commencing the studying
At first glance, the notes for all of my classes seem quite alarming. I had 4 packets of information for my Spanish literature class, a vague list of vocabulary for my conversation class, and don't even get me started on the amount of memorization required to pass my linguistics class.
4. Intermittent snack breaks
I'll admit it, I think I might have a slight addiction to Pringles and they're just so tempting when I keep them concealed in a bag next to my desk along with a stockpile of chocolate. But hey, if you're already sick, what harm is a little extra junk food going to do at this point? Besides, I've already convinced myself that after studying for 2 hours I deserve it.
5. Evening movie break
After a long day of studying (and blowing my nose) I felt more than justified in heading out to the movies to see "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" with one of my friends who shares a homestay with me. It was time well spent and since I don't tend to study too late into the night anyway, leaving the apartment at 8:00 pm for a 9:00 pm showing and getting back at 12:30 pm didn't seem like a waste of time for such a worthwhile film (even if I did see it in Spanish).
6. The suck of Sundays
This was when my anxiety about the upcoming week truly started to settle in (and I might have stayed in bed a little longer that morning because I didn't want to get up and face the amount of work I had to do). Luckily, I was able to drag myself out of bed to get some work done and salvage the rest of Sunday.
7. Not being able to fall asleep Sunday night.
Because of my cold, I was not able to find a sleeping position that both allowed me to breathe and be comfortable enough for the rest of my body. I had to wake up at 7:15 am for a final at 8:30 am on Monday morning and didn't end up falling asleep until 2:00 am...
8. The dreaded Monday wakeup.
Kevin's got it spot on. So. Many. Regrets.
9. Settling In for the first final.
Even though I felt prepared for my first Monday morning final, I still felt reasonably nervous (and a bit out of breath because my walk to class is roughly 20 minutes uphill in the cold.)
10. Feeling great when it's all over
After two finals in one day, I was feeling more than a bit exhausted...
11. Finally realizing you have to pack.
I still have 2 exams left and 3 days to pack everything I'll need for the next month when I'm home in the U.S..
