Right in the middle

It’s June 2012, and I’m surprised to find that I have been in Scotland for two years now, and right in the middle of my studies to boot. But unlike my pals who study in England and will receive their diplomas next year, I still have two years of essays and exams to go.

Honestly, though, I don’t mind at all; I fell in love with my university (even though Scottish weather still weighs on me quite a bit) and I don’t want to leave. But that’s far ahead, and I still have a lot of time to enjoy Dundee. Even if this may sound insane to some – okay, it is insane – I enjoy the exam stress most of all. Not that I am an extreme masochist who loves memorizing and reading books that are more boring than a telephone directory – not at all: I love the exam period because you can use it as an excuse for doing things that, at other times, people would condemn with contempt (while carefully asking about your state of health). Suddenly, it’s okay to eat a jar full of Nutella at 2 am, talk to your imaginary dog, and devise ingenious ways to convince the entire Faculty of Arts that you don’t have to take the exam at all. And then the last exam is over and, once you’ve had your well-deserved rest afterwards, you are left feeling that it wasn’t that bad after all, and that all the stress wasn’t useless.

I set out to visit Open Gate when I was back home after my exams, to talk to my former schoolmates a little about what the life of a university student is about and to see what was new at the school recently. I have to say that two new buildings and an annex, built in the last two years, is no small change, and if not for my guide I would have had to ask for a map.

Even though I’d like to spend my vacation somewhere by the sea with a glass of tequila in my hand, I found another – and much more useful – way to spend my leisure time. I took an internship at the International Relationship Department of the Moravia-Silesia Region Authority in June, helping to organize visits and guide visitors from various countries including Russia, Indonesia and Vietnam. I had a great time as an intern and collected a lot of hands-on experience, which is just as important as my beloved theory exams.

I got a whiteboard for my birthday from my roommates, to study better :)