Long time no post eh?
Well, a great deal has happened in the last month, mainly it has been the season of essays. The school system in Scotland is really different from the one back home in the good 'ole US of A. What is the difference you ask? Well let me help you out- in the US students are, for the most part, assessed constantly in the form of tests, quizzes, multiple essays, etc. And I know I have done my fair share of moaning and groaning but then you take the assessment over here which is, if you are lucky, a mid term essay and a final. That's it. Dear. God.
I personally don't do well under stress tests- so knowing the fact that in one of my classes the final is worth 80% of my grade is just a little bit paralyzing. Yeah. Imma let that sink in before I move on. We good? Excellent! Keeping all of that in mind, I've had to write four essays within two weeks of each other. Now, picture this. You walk up to a computer in the library, and are filled with a mixed cocktail of hope and sadness- hope because the library has over 3 million books so there's bound to be at least five on your subject, and sadness because you have to write an essay when all you want to do is grab a cup of tea.
You enter the subject of your essays, and hit submit. Glory be to the library gods because there are over 500 books just on your subject, so you hurriedly write down six titles and push forth into the stacks. PR 1456. 89- It said the book was checked in, but then why isn't it on the shelf?
You proceed to look like a CRAZY person running between the same two book shelves for fifteen minutes, and then it hits you.
Everyone else in your course is writing the same essay and even though you are writing the essay a good three weeks before it is due someone has hidden some of the books in the library which is the size of a small country so that they will be able to use them.
WHY. WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS?! Just check the book out- at least then I won't get all excited about a potential source!
Ugh- sorry... I just don't understand, okay rant over.
But the essay season is over, and I can finally relax. So having said that, here are some more hints, tips and pieces of wisdom I have collected since jumping over the pond:
1. Making sure you get your veg and fruit every day is not only a good thing to do but it is essential, it is way to easy to just eat easy pre- made foods and carbs all the time. I know, I nursed a comfort food diet for the first couple of weeks, but snap out of it!
2. Let the little things go. Rarely do things go as planned, so just breathe and approach the result with bent knees. Don't do this:
You definitely need more oxygen than that.
3. The maximum number of cups of tea you should have in a day is probably no more than 7....
4. Mark out time during the day to read, or draw or do whatever you love.
5. At the end of the day, your study abroad experience is yours and yours alone. When I am on the plane flying back to Boston, I don't want to have regrets, no shoulda-coulda-woudas. I don't think there is a cookie cutter study abroad experience everyone needs to hold as a standard. Basically what I'm saying is YOU DO YOU BOO.
6. Netflix is the devil.
7. Never leave printing out an essay for the day it's due- I once spent 45 minutes roaming around the library looking for a free computer. Madness.
I guess that's it for this post, another one to follow soon!
xxoo
E
Well, a great deal has happened in the last month, mainly it has been the season of essays. The school system in Scotland is really different from the one back home in the good 'ole US of A. What is the difference you ask? Well let me help you out- in the US students are, for the most part, assessed constantly in the form of tests, quizzes, multiple essays, etc. And I know I have done my fair share of moaning and groaning but then you take the assessment over here which is, if you are lucky, a mid term essay and a final. That's it. Dear. God.
I personally don't do well under stress tests- so knowing the fact that in one of my classes the final is worth 80% of my grade is just a little bit paralyzing. Yeah. Imma let that sink in before I move on. We good? Excellent! Keeping all of that in mind, I've had to write four essays within two weeks of each other. Now, picture this. You walk up to a computer in the library, and are filled with a mixed cocktail of hope and sadness- hope because the library has over 3 million books so there's bound to be at least five on your subject, and sadness because you have to write an essay when all you want to do is grab a cup of tea.
You enter the subject of your essays, and hit submit. Glory be to the library gods because there are over 500 books just on your subject, so you hurriedly write down six titles and push forth into the stacks. PR 1456. 89- It said the book was checked in, but then why isn't it on the shelf?
You proceed to look like a CRAZY person running between the same two book shelves for fifteen minutes, and then it hits you.
Everyone else in your course is writing the same essay and even though you are writing the essay a good three weeks before it is due someone has hidden some of the books in the library which is the size of a small country so that they will be able to use them.
WHY. WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS?! Just check the book out- at least then I won't get all excited about a potential source!
Ugh- sorry... I just don't understand, okay rant over.
But the essay season is over, and I can finally relax. So having said that, here are some more hints, tips and pieces of wisdom I have collected since jumping over the pond:
1. Making sure you get your veg and fruit every day is not only a good thing to do but it is essential, it is way to easy to just eat easy pre- made foods and carbs all the time. I know, I nursed a comfort food diet for the first couple of weeks, but snap out of it!
2. Let the little things go. Rarely do things go as planned, so just breathe and approach the result with bent knees. Don't do this:
You definitely need more oxygen than that.
3. The maximum number of cups of tea you should have in a day is probably no more than 7....
4. Mark out time during the day to read, or draw or do whatever you love.
5. At the end of the day, your study abroad experience is yours and yours alone. When I am on the plane flying back to Boston, I don't want to have regrets, no shoulda-coulda-woudas. I don't think there is a cookie cutter study abroad experience everyone needs to hold as a standard. Basically what I'm saying is YOU DO YOU BOO.
6. Netflix is the devil.
7. Never leave printing out an essay for the day it's due- I once spent 45 minutes roaming around the library looking for a free computer. Madness.
I guess that's it for this post, another one to follow soon!
xxoo
E
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