Wow. I can’t believe January will be over in 4 days. That will mean I’ve been here for four months. It still feels like I just moved here a week or two ago. Well, except for the whole school thing. I’ve been in school for three weeks now and it alternates between still feeling like my first week and feeling like the semester should be over already. lol.
I’ve done really well in my classes so far. Until yesterday. Up until yesterday, I had 100% in three of my classes and 96% in the other. There was an assignment where I had to answer three of five questions on economics and ethics and I thought I answered the questions pretty well. Imagine my surprise when I get my assignment back and only got 17 out of 50! Turns out, he didn’t want the answers from what was in the assigned reading. He wanted us to do some research online and come up with more in-depth answers. Thankfully, I had turned my assignment in a few days early, so he said I could resubmit a revised edition. I spent over two hours researching all five questions and turned it in. My answers were all correct, but not quite what he wanted on one of them. Even though I did all five questions (I did them all as penance for not doing the assignment correct the first time), he still docked me points because one wasn’t entirely correct. I didn’t adequately spell out the differences between a market economy, a socialist economy and a communist economy. THAT one, he said I could have found in the book. *sigh* Just can’t seem to win. So, he docked me 8 points on the assignment. 42 is a much better score than 17, but I’m still a bit unhappy that he docked me for such a minor thing. My justification is that he docked me because I resubmitted the assignment. lol. That’s what is making me feel better. Either way, though, I had 100% in this class before and now I only have 97.3%, so I’m hoping there is an option for extra credit at some point during the semester. My goal is to graduate in the top 15-20% of my class. I’m pretty sure I’m there right now, with 100% in two classes, 96.3% in one and now 97.3% in another. But if I can get top 10% of my class, that would be amazing. I’m going to try for that, but I’ll be happy with top 15-20%.
The thing I’m worried about with school is all of our trips. We’re going to be in Myanmar for 5 days starting Wednesday, back for three days, then to Phuket for six days, back for three week, then Troy’s parents are here for a week and a half and three weeks after that we will be in the US for a week and a half. Thankfully, Troy’s parents will be here during Spring Break, so that removes some of the stress. I guess the thing I’m most worried about is that I have an English essay (ugh) rough draft due while we’re in Phuket and the peer review for those is due the day after we get back. So, I’ll have to submit that one five days early, just in case I forget to do it while we’re in Thailand. I have a Business quiz due while we’re in Phuket, too, as well as another Business essay due the day after we get back from Myanmar. The last essay I did for my business class got a glowing review from my professor (he emailed me and said he was very impressed with my executive summary of Verizon Communications’ 4th quarter earnings and revenues), so I don’t think it will be too much of a problem. I just have to do another executive summary of another business article and turn it in.
As for my other two classes, one I could have been done with the entire class by now if I’d just sat down and done all the modules, but I haven’t really had the desire to spend a day just watching module videos, taking notes and doing quizzes. I need to do that, though, because that will alleviate some of the workload. The only problem I have with that class is that I don’t want to finish the entire class yet because I still need to find a place to take my final. I tried the embassy, but the guy I know that works there said they don’t really have a facility there to accommodate proctored tests, so I need to find a college here that will do it. I’ve emailed the college by my apartment and am just waiting to hear back from them. If I don’t hear back from them by the time we get back from Phuket, I will go over there and ask in person. My first mid-term is March 22nd, so I’ve got until then. I figure I can schedule the BUS 1010 mid-term at the same time as my LIB 1010 final exam, or around the same time.
My last class, I can’t complete the course early. I pretty much just have to follow a scheduled set of assignments that aren’t posted until the week they are due, so I just need to stay on top of that one.
Overall, I think if I just watch my due dates and get assignments turned in early, I will be fine. Right now, I’m super thankful the school wouldn’t let me take a full-time course load. I honestly didn’t expect us to be gone so much. Troy also wants to take a weekend and go to Penang, another weekend to go to Melaka (I REALLY want to go there) and another couple of days to go to Bali. So, it’s great that I’m only doing part-time school. I just need to take my nook with me on all our trips so I can study my textbooks and keep up that way.
Oh, I just remembered something. Both my English class and my business class have discussion threads that we have to participate in. We have to comment on three other people’s comments to receive full marks. The questions aren’t posted until Monday usually, which is Tuesday afternoon here. If we leave for Myanmar at the crack of dawn on Wednesday, that doesn’t leave a lot of time for other students to make comments for me to respond to. I guess, if there aren’t any comments for me to respond to before we leave Wednesday morning, I will just email my teachers and explain that I’m going to Myanmar and won’t have constant and reliable access to the internet, so I may not be able to make my required responses. Hopefully, they will either exempt me or extend my deadline a few days. Or they will let me do something else to get the points. Cross your fingers that people will comment quickly!
