Week 13: Our Final(s) Week(s)

After our trip during Reading Week to Paris, Venice, and Rome, it was back to UL for the last two weeks of school. Finals run from December 3rd and continue through the 16th, with Erin and I having three days of finals, one each day. Our other classes had final portfolio projects or essays as the final assignment, so it was nice that we only had three tests to worry about.

Our first final, on December 6th, was Physiology of Muscle Movement that we took as a Kinesiology class for our PE major. It was 50% of our grade and all essay; overall, it wasn’t too bad! Next, Erin had her math final on that Friday the 9th. You can ask her how that one went… (just kidding it wasn’t that bad…I hope.) On Monday the 12th, I had my physics final that was 70% of my grade; all the painful studying paid off and the test was better than I thought it was going to be! Both our physics and math tests were a full 2 hours of solid work. Our final exam was the 13th, a 25 multiple choice question exam for our Physical Activity, Health, Growth and Development class. The test was a lot trickier than anticipated, so let’s just say we were excited to finish that one!

Tests are taken very seriously over here. All coats, backpacks, and belongings are kept outside the examination room. In all of the rooms we took exams in, there were close to 340 students inside the room, sitting at individual desks, with examiners walking up and down the aisles. They checked out IDs to make sure that they were valid and that we were actually ourselves; only certain types of pens and pencils are allowed, with strict rules on calculator types. Erin and I were surprised we didn’t have to walk through a metal detector to get into the room…

But in all seriousness, we are happy our tests went well and are excited that we are done with our first semester abroad in Ireland. I can remember going to class on the first day and thinking to myself, “I don’t know how I am going to do this and pass my classes.” Nevertheless, time took its course and God has truly blessed us in bringing us this far. Although we won’t know if we passed our finals and classes until the middle of January, we are thankful for the knowledge gained through those classes!

So the next couple days we are taking in as much Ireland as we can — spending time with Irish and international friends, eating some fish and chips and comforting Irish food, traveling into Limerick and down to Cork for some last minute shopping, and enjoying the culture in whatever adventures we go on.

On Saturday the 17th, Erin and I fly out to Zurich, Switzerland, where we will meet up with the WELS church there. From Zurich, we are bussing up to Munich, Germany, where we will enjoy some Christmas markets and our final days in Europe. We fly back to America on December 22nd; the song, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” has never been more meaningful!