Un Exam Muy Importante

Reflection:

Two years ago I was living in Michigan con un novio who had just two years left of law school. I had three years left for my degree... Si hay problema. Decision? Let's attend Western Michigan University AND a Community College at the same time! I can double up and take 22-credits each semester so that I can move back home to Minnesota when the boyfriend does. Stupid decision? Sure, in some regards, yes. But with hindsight being what it is, especially today. BEST DECISION EVER!

Morning Before Exam:

Freaking out! FREAKING OUT!!! AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Two years of pushing my way through Spanish classes, and four months of non-stop studying and stressing preceding this trip abroad have all come together for this. If I pass with high marks then I will be able to take my final 6 credits of advanced Spanish and finish my degree. If I don't pass, then this trip will end up being a fun but expensive waste of time that will set me back from my degree another year and a half. No pressure right? See my reasoning for the freak out? So yes, the insides of my elbows are sweating, I've got some kind of something dancing around in my stomach and I have a feeling that vomit is inevitably going to come out of my mouth before this morning is over.

After Exam:

That exam was the most nerve-wracking thing I have ever done in my life! During the entire exam I felt like at any moment I was going to foam at the mouth from whatever was coursing through my veins, fall to the ground and die, there, on the beautiful old marble floor. People would hover over me and ask me (in Spanish of course) if I was okay and I'd be unable to answer, not because I was dead, but because I wasn't able to understand a single word they were saying. But I digress.

80 multiple-choice questions. Facil no? But it was a timed test so actually muy dificil. La Profesora would give us time warnings, but I can not listen to Spanish AND read it at the same time. Ended up rushing through the last 20 questions with cinco minutos left to go and had already guessed on a handful of questions, not mentioning the multiple wrong answers I'm sure I got on the questions I thought I knew. Yeah, not feeling the greatest about this one. On top of that there was a literal one-minute exam with La Profesora in front of the rest of the test-takers. Thankfully she asked if I had a boyfriend and fortunately I can talk about mi novio until the cows come home. Hopeful, but realistically unsure. Oh well, what's done is done.

Resultados:

Somehow I seriously fricken did it! The Multiple-Choice Guessing Gods were looking down upon me with favor and said, "You know what, let's just give this one to her." Literally as I walked back to campus for my results I pleaded with the Universe (yes I capitalize 'Universe' I'm kind of a hippie), "Just give me this one. I worked my booty off to get here in more ways than one. I don't want to have to dispute the results and fight for this too. Please, just let something simply happen for me, finally." Granted I did put in quite a bit of work in preparing for this exam, but I'm so used to having to stretch and fight and bite and claw to make things happen for me that I just assumed that was going to be the case this time too. I was ready for the bad news. Ready to fight.

Waited on campus for my advisor, which seemed like forever. I almost couldn't take it. Then I hear Maria call my name from behind me. Heart attack! She had a smile on her face, but that meant nothing to me. She showed me a piece of paper with my schedule on it and there I was looking for a word, any word that looked like it meant, "advanced". She talked for only a minute before I couldn't take it any more. As politely as I could I stopped her and asked, "So, advanced classes!?" (She knew from our talk this morning how important that was for me) "Si!" I looked again, "avanzado" or course. Duh! I literally started to cry. I imagine the way I felt was exactly how I will feel one day when I hold my first born child... or when those amazing pair of boots finally go on sale.

Celebration:

I have never felt so amazing and relieved in all of my life. I want to celebrate! For now I only know my advisors and my host-mom who is sick on the couch. Probablemente not the best idea to get a drink on my own... no wine or bubble bath at home for my usual celebration routine, so I walked slowly back to mi casa. Street musicians playing, everyone coming out from their siestas. Wonderful people-watching. Celebration enough I suppose. Feeling relieved, feeling relaxed, feeling calm and happy.