The Francophone Files: Update: May ... and the Rest of Spring Semester!

Thursday, May 15.

Remember when I used to update this blog every few days? Well, it turns out that life back in the States just isn't as conducive to frequent blog-writing!

Part of me still misses the lax schedule of Paul-Valéry, where classes met once or twice a week (if there were no student grèves) and where 'homework' could be completed in a couple minutes while sitting on my bed. The retour to the academic rigor of William & Mary was, unsurprisingly, tough. Although my 15-credit load wasn't necessarily any more difficult than it has been in the past, I found myself working harder than I ever have before. A full week after finishing my last final exam, I can tell you that it was worth it. (Although I can't promise that I would have said the same thing a few weeks ago.) I was really passionate about everything that I was doing, from my classes to my internship to my new extracurricular activities, and although I thought I'd be ready to see the end of what has definitely been my busiest and most challenging semester at W&M, I was sad to see it go.

I've done a lot this semester. Some of it, I was expecting -- I signed up for (most of) my classes and applied for my Admissions Office internship before I even left France. But most of it was unexpected, even accidental -- I had no plans to run for Honor Council, no idea that I would wind up taking a 400-level English class about Shakespeare, and certainly no intention to spend the majority of my evenings in Swem Library! I'm proud of what I have accomplished and while I know that next semester will be an even bigger adventure, I'm excited.

Looking back on the past four months (four months?!), I can't believe that they went as quickly as they did. It feels like yesterday that I was boarding the plane to come home for Christmas! Because there's simply no way to explain everything that happened this semester in the detail I would like, I'll give you the second half of Spring 2014 in photos. If it all seems a little jumbled and confusing, that's because it was!