This week has been a little stressful, to say the least. I have a feeling next week will be this level of stress times about 20. Apparently in the Scottish university system (at least for English majors) your entire grade for each class is based on one paper. One paper! There's no grade for attendance, no quizes, no tests, no small papers.....just giant-comparative literature-heavily researched-essay. As I began to try and figure out how one even writes an English paper in Scotland, I asked my fellow students whether I should use APA or MLA citation style. They looked at me as though I was speaking some other language. For some reason I had assumed these styles were somewhat universal, but apparently not at all. So even figuring out how to write a paper is a huge challenge.
Anyway, all that to say, I found out at the beginning of this week that I essentially had two weeks to work on one of these massive, one-shot, final grade papers. I already booked trips to Germany and France weeks ahead of this before knowing about the paper....so as of now, I pretty much have a week to write this thing (on top of reading approximately eight novels and philosophical treatises). UGHHHH.
If you have not yet listened to The Swell Season (aka Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova) or watched the movie Once, then do that. It is so, so beautiful.
3) In my Bible study group this week (for which I am immensely thankful....these Scottish girls are so lively and wonderful), we happened to be discussing this verse:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" (John 14:27)
And that's enough.
Germany tomorrow....
Anyway, all that to say, I found out at the beginning of this week that I essentially had two weeks to work on one of these massive, one-shot, final grade papers. I already booked trips to Germany and France weeks ahead of this before knowing about the paper....so as of now, I pretty much have a week to write this thing (on top of reading approximately eight novels and philosophical treatises). UGHHHH.
Also, the clocks rolled back this weekend, meaning that twilight falls about 4:30 now, and it gets pitch black dark about 5:00. Kind of gloomy to say the least, especially when coupled with the unceasing rain and gray skies during the daytime.
In the midst of all of this came two unexpected rays of sunshine:
1) A tiny package from my mom! This was mostly to send me my mail, but also involved tea, hot chocolate, and a smiling frog card which now resides on my wall. After I found this in the mail Tuesday morning, I was smiling for the rest of the day.
Just putting this out there: I love mail.
2) I got this great email from iTunes saying that two of my dear friends gifted me this amazing CD:
If you have not yet listened to The Swell Season (aka Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova) or watched the movie Once, then do that. It is so, so beautiful.3) In my Bible study group this week (for which I am immensely thankful....these Scottish girls are so lively and wonderful), we happened to be discussing this verse:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" (John 14:27)
And that's enough.
Germany tomorrow....
