Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Murderous Midterms!

So...Here's the deal. Midterms are no easier or less stressful in the Holy Land than they are in Provo. The difference is that there are at least 40 other people in the same position as you at all times, and in some cases it is as many as 82 others. It makes for an interesting group dynamics. For example- as we passed out the exams in ANE this morning people would spontaneously giggle at nothing, which would set others off laughing. Study sessions pop up everywhere, and people have been known to burst into song or have dance parties in the laundry room to blow off some steam.
In the last 48 hours I have turned in a quiz for Old Testament, a midterm paper for Palestine and taken a midterm in Ancient Near East. The study guide was 137 items (including long lists of Egyptain, Assyrian, and Israelite rulers) and that is not including the map section of another 30 or so items. I got together with my roommate Amanda and my friend Annalise last night and for 3 hours we came up with the most ridiculous mnemonics to differentiate terms. Things like "Minoans- king Minos built a palace. Sounds like minnows- they were sea farers and invented flush toilets (to flush the minnows)." Or "Amenhotep III- A man in a hot tub: love oriented, had many wives, peaceful time for Egyptians" Not to be confused with his son "Amenhotep IV- Religious reformer who said amen to that and changed his name." We were laughing up a storm, and it helped  on the test a lot. I did well- not a perfect score, but it will be perfectly respectable. In the next 48 hours I will turn in a paper for and take an exam in Old Testament. But the paper is done, and the exam only adds 3 lessons to what I studied last weekend. So, no matter how hard they try---I WILL SURVIVE!!!

The best thing about this past week was that all the stress and pressure reminded me that not only does Heavenly Father pay attention to me, but he puts people in just the right place and time to give me the support I need at that moment. One such experience was a friend who had just been sent a devotional given by Brad Wilcox called His Grace is Sufficient. If you have just a minute, take a look. It was so good for putting things in perspective.

1 comment:

  1. I just love how you live life to the fullest. Sure love your blog! Hugs!

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