Almost done! And by that I mean less than halfway through.

I had my first final out of three yesterday. It was honestly one of the more miserable experiences I have had. The room in which every takes their tests is basically a warehouse- concrete walls and tin ceiling. They crank up the air conditioner so that you hear this constant whirring sound, and since there are at least four hundred students in the same room, there is no end to the sound of paper shuffling.

I don't know about anyone else, but when I study or take a final, I need silence. I get angry when the person behind me has a cold or chomps on their Doritos too loudly, so there was no way I could concentrate well with all the noise. But I got through it...for two and a half hours and five essays.

I'm glad my English final is over, but I dread the idea of doing this twice more for Integration and Cryptology. At least the rest of my exams are only two hours long. Right now, I need to study more for Integration, and my Cryptology exam is on Saturday morning. Saturday morning! Who thinks of these things?

These British-style finals are no good for me. I truly think that having one test count for the majority of your grade isn't logical or healthy. I've been so stressed for the past two weeks. My skin is getting bad, I've gotten antsy and unsociable, and my eating habits have gone out the window- right now, I've been eating Wheaties, fruit and salad because those are the only things that don't make me feel miserable. I feel myself getting meaner, too, even to my friends. I don't like what I'm becoming. I know, though, that once Saturday rolls around I will feel much better. I can't wait.

The worst thing about all the stress, though, is that it's so difficult for me to avoid. I need to do well on these tests by American standards, and "doing well" in that way just doesn't happen save for a few super-genius people. I have not been one of those people this semester- blame it on trying to discover a new country or whatever. Yet, if I am not, I stand the chance of losing my scholarships. It wouldn't happen this semester, but the idea of not having any money for school is so frightening...