The End (of Finals) is Here!
- tossought
- Oct 23
- 7 min read
Ok, well, starting out this week with once again finding that Wix delayed my scheduled post for a day after I scheduled it, and it didn't post today as was intended. So sorry about that - I'm leaning closer and closer to hosting my own site, because Wix has been pretty nightmarish in terms of functionality and reliability, but I haven't taken that step yet, so for now, I continue to suffer. Anyway, here is this week's post: hours late.
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The end has come!
...To finals week, that is. This block of classes is over and done with, and my fellow students and I are moving into free week, which is time between blocks to rest our brains and prepare for the next set of 8-week courses beginning in November. Honestly, I'm not sure why free weeks aren't common in the US, or at least weren't in either of my degree programs, because after so much studying and stress of finals, I am looking forward to a week with no lectures, no exams, no assignments; just rest. I remember getting little breaks between semesters, but this schedule, with an intensive two months of learning few subjects followed by a week's break, and then another two months with new subjects, has been much more conducive to my learning. I have absorbed more information in these last few weeks than I would have otherwise believed possible. Having a structured learning environment with dedicated professors, and keeping subject matter to two subjects at a time is an excellent education strategy. My US Bachelor's degree was not only exhausting in that we studied year-round (with holiday breaks between, and with one semester being an internship somewhere), but I was also usually taking four subjects at a time and for a greater length of time. method of learning, for me, here, is superior. Not only is the actual learning more intensive and focused because of the small number of subjects, but when I take the finals, it is on information I have been studying for eight weeks, and it clearer and also more fresh in my mind. It also means the entire subjects of those courses are ready to be a foundation for the next set of courses in only eight weeks' time. This makes the layout of my education feel intentional and meaningful rather than an overwhelming slog. I recall the finals in the States often feeling impossible, because I had to recall three months' worth of information on four subjects well enough to pass a brief exam. And often, by the next semester, much of what I'd learned in the beginning of the former semester was gone from my mind. I'd cram what I could to get through the final and end up retaining very little of it.
So. I have yet to receive my final grades, but in both classes' cases, I feel the final exams went better than the midterms. The information seemed more readily available in my mind, and I felt I had a better overall comprehension of the subjects. I actually felt ready for these tests. There are, of course, pieces I know I did poorly on: parts of the subjects that I knew I struggled with while learning, and which I didn't actually get to work on before the tests were upon us once again. A flaw in this particular system is the lack of assignments which provide ways for students to familiarize themselves with a subject and receive feedback on their progress. I'm sure there is plenty on my final in Linguistics, for example, that I'm I struggled on during the midterm, but there was not time nor opportunity in the three weeks between the tests to work on those things, because I was busy learning the second half of the course material and each lecture was a guest lecturer on a specific subject.
Still, I'm confident I passed both courses, and though I am happy to have a rest week, and already looking forward to next block.
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This free week, many of my fellows are traveling on vacation, or flying/taking the train home to visit family. I don't have the luxury of doing so - not only due to finances but even more so for political reasons - so my Dutch friends have decided to adopt me for the week. They are insistent we all go to a museum together, knowing that I haven't yet gone on my own, and I'm insistent that they watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy with me, because three of the four of them have never seen them! I have the most flexible schedule, unemployed as I am, so I'm waiting for them to coordinate a day or two to get together next week.
Over the weekend, I'll be travelling south of the city to attend an SCA event, and meet some of the local shire populace. There are some archers planning on being in attendance, and though my own bow and arrows won't arrive in time, I'm hopeful there will be some loaner gear so I can shoot a little. I miss the range quite badly - and archery was such an important part of my stress relief before the move, I've been feeling its absence since arriving here.
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We are making progress toward getting my visa changed and my husband's application in. There are many documents to track down and scan, and balance sheets to be written. Simultaneously, I've been working on building up a stock to sell. Little embroidery hoops and embroidered pieces, and some decorative cordage I plan to offer both on its own and as optional necklace or bracelet attachments for the embroidered charms. I've never run a business on my own before, and I often find myself fighting off doubts about how much I can make off of selling my crafts when the time comes, but it's the option I have before me, and so I must make it work. It will still be months before I'm allowed to open shop, and until then I'm riding solely on my loan money - I try not to watch the diminishing number and despair, knowing that I was granted the amount my university estimated would cover a year of tuition, food, housing, and odds and ends. But I have a lot of emotional shit wrapped up with money (ah, don't we all? Well, those of us who aren't millionaires, I suppose), and seeing Number Go Down and Not Up is distressing nonetheless. I feel I need to get very good at pre-marketing my goods beforehand, which I've also never done. So. Wish me luck! And also share advice if you have any!
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Storm Benjamin has arrived in Amsterdam, and the winds have been incredible. It made for quite the end of finals weeks, with windows rattling and trees, buildings, and people alike being buffeted about by angry winds. They woke me from sleep this morning, and the rain and cold set in and haven't really left. The city is far enough inland we don't see the coast of the North Sea, and we're far enough north we aren't expected to feel the full force of Benjamin's gales. Still, it's my first actual storm here, and it's interesting to witness it happening. I am grateful to no longer live in a tornado-prone area. But this city has its own dangers - many of which center around punishing winds likely to bring down trees. It's pretty common for transit lines to be interrupted by tree debris on the tracks after a strong storm, so I'm grateful we as students and professors will not be needing to commute to campus for several days. I hope everyone traveling, as well, can stay safe and secure through the worst of it.
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The Netherlands does not historically celebrate Halloween - they have St. Martin's on November 11th, instead - but in recent years, the tradition of Halloween parties has become quite popular, and Amsterdam is full of them this year. I'm planning on attending one with a local queer group on the first, and when I invited a few friends who might be interested, found they were each planning to attend different ones already. So it seems the tradition of drinking in costumes is as alive and well amongst the young people here as back home. I'm quite interested in St. Martin's as well, and I'm hoping someone I know will be participating in some customs, so that I can peek in on them. I'm too old to be making lanterns, though I might make one anyway, and see if I can't find someone to share some wine and maybe even goose with the night before. We'll see. This time of year is my absolute favorite, and even if I'm away from home, I'd like to participate in some sort of harvest celebration, even if I have to make one myself.
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That's all I have for updates this week! It feels wonderful to have gotten through the first hump of classes! And by happenstance, two of the four folks I find myself studying with most often also share my major, and so while we say goodbye to other classmates studying different parts of linguistics next block, the three of us will move through the same classes for the same program. This is incredibly fortunate, and means we can maintain our study habits together for the next several years. I will see other friendly faces in some overlapping courses as time goes by, and certainly in shared spaces at the university, and during exam days. But it's nice to know I'll have familiar faces for each of the classes from now to the end of my degree. And those faces will then become those of my peers in the field once we graduate together. It's a nice feeling, honestly.
I hope you are all hanging in there, and that this autumn has been bountiful for you! I am so grateful, as always, for those of you who read along and are interested to know what I'm up to. These blogs are a really nice way to track what's going on here while recording my thoughts as I go through this process. And they make me feel a little more connected to people at a time where I feel so removed from the familiar.
Thank you again for your eyes and attention and thoughts and virtual hugs. Stay safe and healthy, and I'll see you in the next one!
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