Due to finals and end of the semester assignments, I’ve been a little behind with blogging, vlogging, and just keeping the world updated on my life. 90% of my time for the last 3 weeks has been spent in the same place, Club Cairnes. I gave it that name earlier in the semester after Aisling and I spent an entire weekend in there, staying until about 1am every night trying to knock our assignments out. At one point, some other guys who were in there started playing techno music, which made some of us angry. Since that day, J.E Cairnes School of Business and Economics became known as, Club Cairnes.
These last 3 weeks have been very eye-opening! For starters, it showed me how much of a slacker I was during the semester. Had I done more of the assigned readings and took better notes in class I may not have struggled as much. It showed me my ability to stay discipline no matter how tired or frustrated I became. Being on campus from 9am-9pm eventually starts to take its toll on your mind and body. But even when I started to shut down I pushed through. As much as I wanted to say forget this, go home, watch some TV and “try again tomorrow”. I didn’t. I understood the effort and work that needed to be put in, in order for me to receive high marks on my assignments and exams.
It showed me just how much caffeine my body can withstand without becoming tachycardic. Aisling even started exhibiting symptoms of withdrawal towards the end when we stopped drinking so much caffeine. She started having really bad headaches and not feeling well. Once she would drink a coffee or had something with caffeine in it, she went back to normal.
But, one of the main things I discovered was I really can accomplish whatever I set my mind too. Yes, I know this sounds incredibly corny but I did discover this to be true. I was genuinely nervous about finals. I felt like I would never fully understand the concepts I was learning in class. Let alone critically discuss them in an essay while also citing sources. But I did it! I got threw finals and I actually feel as I did very well. I don’t feel like I just “passed”.
After my final, my classmates and I all went out and celebrated. It was a really great night because just having that weight off my shoulders felt incredible and then to be surrounded by people who were in the struggle just like you, celebrating what we all just accomplished. it was so nice.
Club Cairnes holds a special place in my heart but I really hope I don’t have to spend so much time there again next semester. I’m really going to challenge and push myself to stay up to date with my notes and reading during the semester so that I don’t have so much catching up to do during exam time, therefore less time partying at Club Cairnes. But then it makes me also wonder, did I do so well on my finals because of all the time I spent in Club Cairnes and how fresh the information all was in my head… I don’t know guess we’ll find out next semester. As I’m writing this I’m in Paris waiting for my flight to Accra to spend Christmas break with my grandmother. I cannot wait to just sit on the beach and relax for the next couple of days. After all the hard work I’ve put in over the last few months in dreary, rainy, Ireland. I deserve all the basking I’m about to do in this bright, hot, African sun.
