I'm finally done with midterms!

After having my four midterms spread out over two weeks, I finally finished my last one this morning at 10:40 my time. My first one was last Monday, the day after Carnevale weekend, and of course it was for my Italian conversation class, which meant a sort of oral presentation in Italian. So I couldn't be comatose for it and thus, I spent the first of my two 3-day weekends in Lugano, wandering aimlessly around downtown. Then was my written Italian midterm that Friday, which was fine. I of course made a few stupid mistakes, but I can't complain with an A-. Then yesterday I took my Spanish midterm, and today was French. I don't feel too badly about either one, but of course I won't see the grades for a couple weeks now. But I'm still glad that I am now finished with midterms for the rest of this school year.

And that is a weird thought. I'm not used to this semester system, only having two sets of exams each year instead of three. But I can still rub it into my friends back at UCSD (and of course the U of O). In fact, this is the end of week 9 back at home, which means one more week of classes and then Winter Quarter finals. It's hard to believe that much time has already passed. I wish you all luck on your finals. If it makes you feel any better, I'll be taking my finals here around the time you all are taking your Spring midterms. And before you think I have it really easy this year, I am taking some summer classes, so I'll have some more work to compensate. I can't brag too much.

I also don't get a real Spring Break here, but what they replace it with isn't too bad. Franklin has this program called Academic Travel, a one-unit class where you go somewhere else with a professor and 25-30 other students. I'm going to Paris with a history professor (who actually did his undergrad work at UCSD), so we'll have walking tours, visit a bunch of museums, and write about all of it in a travel journal that we turn in at the end. I'm glad I didn't get one of the travel classes that has an exam or a research paper, like I know some have. It should be fun. And it will be the first real test of my French skills. I'm hoping for the best...