Fall break is over and it was marvelous. An entire week of family, friends, food, and most importantly no school. University is just a faint memory in our minds as we've had our taste of relaxation and home-cooked meals making returning even harder. Not only is it hard to leave our families again, but we aren't simply returning to average school life, we're coming back to finals week -- basically, the worst week. It's the week of darkness, black coffee, hand cramps, and red eyes. There are only two and a half weeks left before Christmas break, but I can guarantee they will be the longest weeks of our lives.
I feel like Frodo, staring at the seemingly endless road ahead, wondering if it will ever end and if my GPA will survive the journey intact. While I may not be traveling to Mordor, I am once again leaving the Shire, bound for a treacherous adventure with many uncertainties. Two and a half weeks is not that long, but it seems huge when you're standing on the edge looking down into the canyon that is the end of the semester, and realizing there is no way you could make it through.
Ultimately, we need to determine how to survive this eternity in finals week. We put on our favorite sweatpants, microwave our Ramen noodles, and get to work. Grab your satchel Mr. Baggins because we are about to ace our finals no matter the cost. We will lose sleep, we will go broke, and we may not see daylight for days, but it is for the greater good of our grade and our future. Stock up on coffee and get your pencils sharpened because we are about to descend into a pit of despair for the next two and a half weeks. This will not be the end and we will not go down without a fight. These weeks ahead seem endless but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We will come home again and there will be much holiday festivities and cheer! Do not be discouraged, the darkness will soon pass and so will we. We will not only survive, we will thrive. The journey cannot be all bad, right? We will bond together in our common pain by working to bring our GPAs up to a level we, our parents, and our nosy uncles can be proud of. We will climb out of the valley with our GPA held high and a smile on our face before we collapse from exhaustion for the next 12 hours. The end is in sight dear friends and we will survive. The two and a half weeks may seem endless, but trust me, it will all be worth it.
