STUDYING abroad.

You know all that money I am paying to spend the summer in Prague? Most of it actually is for the former in the phrase, STUDY abroad. The bureaucratic financial system of lovely Northwestern takes a huge chunk of the fee to pay for the "paperwork" and costs for the classes I take while. Therefore, it is a good thing I am enjoying these classes. They are some of the most stimulating I have had. It is definitely worth the money.

However, last week, I realized that it wasn't all fun and games. I had to work.

As a result, the blogging consistency was an embarrassment to say the least

I have to say, I think my studying time paid off. On Thursday, I took a political science midterm exam and did a presentation on the strains between the Roma (or Gypsy) people and Czechs (among other Europeans) within two hours. Whew! The jury is still out on both counts, but I have a feeling the verdict will be positive.

Count one: The Exam.
Several hand cramps are generally in my favor for this one--they are evidence of my ostensible wealth of knowledge that obviously surpassed my mechanical ability to record (hahahaha, just kidding). Unfortunately, one question was left with a paltry response. This, however, was a low point-value question and my feelings were echoed by 20 others. Our cry, "That definitely was not in the notes" may prove successful.

Count two: The Presentation.
I have an issue. It is called anal retentiveness. It generally shows itself most in any form of visual representation. Therefore, an insanity plea could be made, but is not necessary. Our group of girls did a lot of great research and presented really well--I comadeered the visual efforts and all was well. My thoughts are that the teacher was impressed.

To prep for the Thursday session, I took a nice run on which I saw 90 white swans floating gracefully along the Vltava River. The sun was setting and pouring a pink glow over the clouds and onto the water--it illuminated the swans with a rosy glow. Except the lone black swan swimming silently near the end.

After the run, and the rush of Thursday, I prepared for my weekend in southern Moravia wine tasting and touring. More pictures to come on that one. A highlight of this weekend was the fact that my friend Elizabeth Goossen (Fondly known as Goosey or Tatty Goose) came done from studying in Krakow to share it with me. She is still here--so I must be off to show her and her lovely friends around the city!

More to come. I swear. And I'll let you know when the academic jury decides my fate.