Exams and Studying

It's now Saturday morning and exams are approaching (not quickly enough I might add, not because I want to take them, but the sooner they are over, the sooner I have my boyfriend in my arms again). And as I sit here (on my bed) and reflect and attempt to study (thank god my literature professor made the exam cover only the last month of material), I'm realizing exactly how much I really do miss UT - scary thought right? Me? Missing UT? What?!

So here goes - a "normal" before exam cram session: spending the week before exams as well as the weekend cooped up in the 5th floor of the library. Have I mentioned that I'm a bit OCD? Yeah well, make that studying at "my table" (the round one that looks out the window towards the dining hall of the student union) of course with no one else at the table, because that makes it impossible to focus, with my books scattered all over the table, wearing my yoga pants, a tank top, a hoodie, my hair straightened, and wrapped in my oversized blanket I brought from home (partly covering the table because my arms like to have this weird allergic reaction to whatever they use to clean that tables and my arms always break out into a rash if they touch the table). I've got my water bottle and cup of freshly brewed iced tea sitting next to me and depending on what time it is, most likely a bowl of rice, pita bread, and hummus from Phonecias too. (If it's after 9pm, replace the iced tea with a grande hot chai tea - just the chai, no latte)

Flash forward to Spain - I'm in my bedroom (which is completely trashed as I am partially packing to spend time with Keith, labeling all of the gifts I'm sending home, and my school stuff - I've been trying to keep the door shut because I know my host mom would die if she got too good of a look), sitting on my bed surrounded by all of my 4 pillows so my back doesn't hurt from leaning against the bar of my bed, there are kids screaming and running and playing that dumb Crazy Frog song on full blast in the room next door - whoever gave them a computer, I swear... - thank god my mom sent me earplugs.

Totally different right? I partially blame my OCD for this one, the other half I blame the Spanish college system.

I really hate the library at school here - each table is divided into 4 small desks, about 2 foot x 2 foot - clearly not what I like and can work with. The chairs are hard and have arms so i can't curl my feet up indian style or prop them up on another chair, and they don't lean back at all when I have to stretch (nevermind that stretching is culturally not acceptable, and the fact that the last time I did this at home I flipped backwards and landed in a garbage can...it happens). There are too many people around, the whole room is made of glass windows so you can see everything happening around you, there's no random asian guy asleep at the table 6 feet away from me to laugh at silently in my head, and food and drinks are not permitted (in any part of the school outside of the cafeteria I might add - needless to say, I have a very hard time staying awake in class without my goldfish). And, they are not open after 8pm nor on the weekends.

Sucks right?

It gets better - no extra curricular activities, no tutoring center, no on campus food places open when I get done with class, no heat or air condoning, no lights until after 6pm, and the only caffeinated beverages they serve are expresso shots (literally, a dixie cup size shot) - that's what they call "coffee" here by the way - gross.

And I wonder why I can't focus.

Yes, I do have problems at home studying - you should see how pissed I get when someone is at "my table" in the library. Dear lord... And why I can't study at home - Mom, when I get home I'm designing a "study room" that will actually work for me for the next 5 years, either that or I'm gonna be sleeping at the med school...

And on that note, time to go back to learning about Baroque era spanish literature - fun.