Exam mode = Vanilla Tea

The practiced movements of making tea, the subtle sounds of the almost boiling water filling an overly large mug adorned with grinning cats, and the sweet, comforting smell of vanilla has become so regular, so routine, that its slowly losing its soothing effects.
I blame it on exams.



My methods of procrastination have become more and more elaborate as the weeks go by...and now only days away from my exam, the hours ticking away much faster than only a few days ago, I've realized that if I'm willing to do almost anything to distract myself, I might as well do something productive...and write for those still reading.
I've been back in Bologna for a little over two weeks now, and all I can say is that these have been the longest two weeks of my life...longer even then when I waited impatiently to fly to Florence for the first time in July. Again, this period of exams at the University of Bologna is to blame. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
There are only a few aspects of living in Italy that I would consider a culture shock, and their education system is definitely one of them. Each week you spend countless hours(or at least should) sitting in a large lecture hall full of students who scramble to take as detailed of notes possible while the professor rambles and sometimes has some kind of order to his thoughts. Then, at the end of the semester, so now, students line-up in the hallways waiting to take their exam with their professor and/or their assistants that could last anywhere from 5 minutes to 45 minutes, from two to three questions to many more. To be completely honest, I have never had to prepare myself for such an intimidating task as sitting in front of my professor and try to explain in detail, and as eloquently as possible, difficult and complicated ideas, in my third language!
OK, I knew before coming to Italy that this is how the system works, but I realize that there was no way that I could prepare myself before hand for such a frightening and truly unpredictable experience. My grade, which will be the only grade that I will receive for the entire semester, is based solely on my "interview" of sorts with the professor...and a lot of it will be influenced by the professor's mood, and his opinion on foreign students. I have never had to/ or enjoyed the idea of playing the "I'm a foreigner" pity card...but I think this situation calls for it.
So, other than studying for my exams, which at this point you might have guessed I've been desperately avoiding, I have been busy getting to know and helping out the new semester students that have arrived in Bologna. While they are busy getting to know the city and most importantly finding apartments, the rest of us "Year" students are busy studying. I've managed to make time out of my oh-so-strict schedule to help them out anyway I can, and its been worth it. It will be very interesting to see how the rest of the semester goes. As of now, I need to focus on exams. I've procrastinated writing this blog for long enough. I'll let you all know how it goes but keep your fingers crossed for a happy and accepting professor on Wednesday!