One Step Closer to Maine

One of the benefits of studying at Keele is their Study Abroad programme. I have the opportunity to spend the first semester of my 2nd year at one of Keele's many Partner Universities and as an American Studies student I am naturally planning to go to America. During the initial part of the process I decided my first choice was University of Southern Maine, my second choice was Minnesota State and my third choice was Willamette (in Oregon).

Naturally, one of the conditions of being able to go on this exchange is that I pass all of my first year modules. So, when I could think of nothing but clowns during an exam last semester I seriously thought I'd blown it and was pretty upset. Aside from not getting to go to America, if I fail my first year there is no way I can afford to repeat a year (you only get five years of Student Loan allowance and I used one doing part of an HND, and one doing a Foundation Year at Keele). I only have three left for my degree. So, after the clown fiasco I was kinda upset.

Part of me wanted to quit then and there, and not bother returning for the 2nd semester, but my friends (quite rightly) told me that I was being silly and that I probably didn't do as badly as I thought. So I started the 2nd semester of my first year with some mild enthusiasm. I enjoy the Politics lectures, having some difficulty with History. I also have an Intercultural Communications module (which is getting ready for the exchange), a Sex and Survival module and a Student Volunteering module (which involves no lectures, continuing to do Brownies and filling in a workbook every so often). In the first few weeks I got a bit behind with the copious amounts of reading I had to do in what I referred to as "meh attacks". I just could not be assed to do the work. I took it as another stage of depression. Something around the same level as Edgy, but not quite the same.

Then last week we had our module results. I passed. I'm not entirely sure how, but I scraped through the clown exam with a score of 53%. That must have been for spelling my name correctly, or the examiner was dyslexic and meant to write 35%. Either way, I'm not complaining. After the relief of those results I went on a bit of a work bender (partly aided by pro plus, I have to admit). I caught up on a bit of reading. I realised that my meh attacks were because I was convinced I'd already failed and didn't see the point of continuing. But, since I didn't fail, I have renewed enthusiasm. I'm still behind. And I didn't do the work I'd planned to do yesterday because I slept until six pm, although after vomiting four times today I feel a lot better.

Today I had an email from the Study Abroad people reminding us that our acceptance fee is due tomorrow, which came as a surprise to me because I didn't even realise the placement list had gone up. So I got a friend to look for me and discovered they've placed me in Maine.

Woohoo!! I'm going to Maine.

Not quite yet, of course. Lots still needs to be done. I need to pass this semester's modules, I need to apply to Maine, pick courses and get them approved by my subject's exchange co-ordinator, get a visa, sort out all kinds of little niggly bits of paperwork (ooooo, yummy :D I'm the only person on the course looking forward to that bit). But, all things going well, I'll be matriculating with the students of USM this fall. Classes start at 8am on August 31st. I'll have to get there earlier than that of course, for orientation and whatnot, but August 31st is the only definite date I have so far. In 26 weeks, 5 days, 12 hours and 48 minutes I'll be starting classes in Maine. In America.

:D:D:D There is no little emoticon to quite demonstrate how big the grin on my face is right now.

It won't last long. I give it another day or two before all the fears start flooding in again. They always do.