the final countdown…

One more week left? How can this be? Did I really just take three exams over the past four days? Holy smokes! Well, if you couldn’t tell by the opening sentence, I only have one more week here in Lincoln. I can’t believe how quickly this semester has gone by. There were moments where time seemed to crawl and the homesickness would creep in, but looking back now and being so close to going home, it’s really weird to think that it was back in June when I left the United States and arrived in New Zealand.

It has been four months since I have seen my parents, my brother, my boyfriend, my friends, and my little kitten who isn’t such a little kitten anymore. A lot has changed since I left too but at the same time, a lot has remained the same. I am going back to the same wonderful boyfriend I left back in the states and with him my cat and his new sister (feline sister to clarify) will be waiting for me! I will get to see family that I haven’t seen in a very long time and get to spend two weeks with my mom and grandma traveling through the north island of New Zealand and even Australia! I can’t believe how lucky I am!

On the exam front, my three exams I had so far went well. The exam format in New Zealand is very different than it is at Oregon State, because most of my essays are short answer and essays, so they actually want you to know your information, not just regurgitate it onto a multiple choice exam. I should end up with A’s or B’s in all of my classes which would be fantastic! I do admit, I didn’t maintain my “normal” study habits and level of commitment to school, but after years of feeling burnt out and constantly stressed, I took this semester as an opportunity to take a little R&R time. I know I certainly needed it. But the good news is, I should come out of this experience with good grades, amazing memories and fantastic friends.

One more week left. One more exams and then I am off on my next adventure: two weeks with my mom and grandma traveling the north island and Australia. Let’s do this!