Tough Times

I'm not dead. I'm just very stressed out this week, so I haven't been willing to write or think about much else other than my projects. One presentation was taken care of today, and the second one is tomorrow. The trouble with being a native English speaker is that there is this terrible feeling that I'll be judged more harshly than the other students in the class. Sure, all they do is copy-paste information from the text books, seemingly regardless if they really do or don't understand it. But God forbid I don't get what I'm talking about... I feel like there is so much more pressure on me. Usually I would be handling this with the normal amount of stress, but because this is, literally, the MOST WORK I'VE HAD TO DO ALL SEMESTER, I have forgotten what it's like to work hard. I actually miss Coe's class structure, where each class meets (normally) 2-3 times a week, and where there is at least one written assignment per class; at least we're constantly working. Here, I've been attending lectures and living for 5 months, had some light reading for a few of my literature classes, and hung around Germany. Now I have to kick into gear, and I'm really feeling the effects. Andrea even said I looked tired. After this is over, I'll be free from presentations, and can concentrate on making note cards for Italian.

So people planning on studying abroad, beware: there is so much NOT doing work here that when it actually comes your turn to do something, you become the type of person who could easily hate everyone.

I had a big lunch today at the Mensa (University cafeteria) and was so full afterwards I was actually sleepy. But by the end of the class hour and the presentation, I walked out and was completely hungry again. Crazy how adrenaline seems to jump start metabolism.

In a week or so I'll have prepared a post that will go over how to buy yourself a ticket at a train station. Tschüss.