The end has arrived....

So just finished my last/only exam at University of Leeds and it was one of weirdest exam experiences I have ever had.  My exam took place in the Sports Center, so I went to the main entrance and waited around with some other students.  We were then told to look for our seat number (I was 269) and get in the queue.  So I waited in a line with 300 other university students to get into the exam room.  When I entered the room, a proctor was on a mega-phone telling us to put all of our coats and purses against the wall, and to only take our pencils and student id cards with us to the desk.  I felt like a part of a herd being shepherded around the room.  So I placed my things down, and headed for my seat, which probably took me about 5 minutes to find.  We were all facing forward and our papers were face down on our desks.  I was worried that it wouldn't be the right exam paper and since I couldn't look at it I was nervous I would turn it over and I would have another person's exam (you see there were more then one exams being taken in the one room).  

So when the man yelled over the mega-phone that it was time to begin, I was relieved to see I had the right exam.  The next problem, the answer sheet.  Unlike any kind of answer sheet I had before, the area you filled in were squares instead of circles (looked more like this.... [ A ]  ).  So while it said to fill the whole square in, all I could think was where are all the boundaries?  How do I know that I've filled in the right amount of square?  Will the computer read what I've filled in?  So I asked a proctor, who asked me if I'd prepared for my exam.  I said of course I'd prepared, but unfortunately I've never taken an exam in the UK and want to be sure I understand what "filling in the square" actually means.  He said that what I had done looked fine, so I hoped for the best and continued.  

I had 80 questions to answer in 60 minutes, and luckily I finished them all.  But when the exam was over, we had to sit quietly to wait for all 300 of our papers to be collected.  We then were let go to find our belongings along the wall and then were herded out of the room and back out into the open air.  Its just really interesting to me how impersonal all of my final projects and exams have been.  Unlike at home, we turn our essays in to the departmental office with a generic form during the office hours, and then collect it from the office when its ready to be picked up.  One class, I turned in my essay and my professor was sitting right there, but she didn't speak a word to me, only the secretary did to ask if I was turning in all of my material.  How's that for personal relationships?

My design project had to be hung up between the hours of 10 am and 12 and then we left our work there to be picked up the following week.  We could hang wherever we could find an empty spot, and I only knew 3 other people hanging up their work around me.  Everyone else was in a different section of the module, and I had never seen half of them before.  Then this exam...let's just say how the conduct their school system is just a very different experience than what I'm used to and I'm wondering how I'll adjust back in to NC State's school system.  There will be a lot more "checking in" and weekly assignments and personal contact that I will not have had for 5 months.  We'll see how that goes...huh?

WOW!!! Time flies!

So I am realizing that it is the point of the semester where I am almost finished!!! Can you believe it? Because I can't! Not only am I amazed that this semester is almost over, but I have all these mixed feelings about whether I'm excited to go home, sad about going home or looking forward to seeing people. I have no idea, and its especially hard to think about as I am stressing out over finishing up all my course work and planning my final trip to Spain and Italy (I leave on Saturday).

So yeah already I'm thinking about the things I will miss once I leave England:

1. The Otley Run (a fun and intense night of pub hopping)
2. English Pubs in general
3. Tetley tea
4. Leeds night life
5. MY FRIENDS OF COURSE!!
6. being close to Europe
7. not having class every day of the week
8. Leeds shopping district
9. cheap student tickets at the theater
10. England's wonderful transportation system
11. the accent!
12. the wide variety of student life (the student groups and events)
13. the style
14. The Leeds Student Union (what a wonderful feeling knowing you can grab a pint in between classes, I haven't done it often but its nice to know its an option)
15. Hyde Park in the sunshine!
16. The words: cheers, love, car park (they just sound so PROPER)

That's all I have for now and I'm sure I'll think of more, especially when I return to the States. Its just an amazing feeling knowing that I have done it! I have lived overseas and tested out another country's university system. I have traveled and I have seen things that I never thought I would see.

This may be a bit of a sentimental post, mainly because its sad to think I'm even at the point where I have to think about coming home. But everything good must come to an end I suppose, and mine is almost here. I just hope I end it knowing that I have experienced all that I could!