Stress Week

So if you have ever been involved with a theatrical production, you may have heard the term "Hell Week". This term is used to describe the week leading up to the performance. Everybody is majorly stressed and scrambling to put the finishing touches on the play. During that week, people might worry that there is too much to do in too little time, and fear that it wont come together as planned. It is, quite literally, a week of hell.

I will admit that I am quite skilled in the art of exaggeration, and that it might be a stretch to consider this last week in Uganda a sort of "Hell Week". However, at this exact moment I am experiencing all the stress and anxiety of not knowing how I will finish the work for my classes in the little time left. Much like being involved in a play, I have known from the beginning what is expected of me, and have had a list of things that need to get done. But as with so many things in life, the very last moments are when these things get finished. Sure, I didn't have to procrastinate as much as I did. But if I had been doing my homework in advance, I would have missed out on having fun! So I don't feel bad about it, I knew that eventually I would have to pay for all of my time having fun. I am entering this week with the attitude of, "while this week is going to be really stressful and yucky, homework-wise, I had a lot of fun these last couple weeks so it was worth it".

Today we had a wonderful rainy day. Both professors came to the house for class which was an absolute treat for us. We got to dress comfortably and I pulled out my sweatshirt and fluffy socks again. During our long lunch break we came up to our room and took turns reading out loud the article for our next class (the copier was broken so we were getting it done in bulk). I will admit that all of us read when it was our turn, but then fell asleep as soon as somebody else was reading. In our second class we discussed feminism and African women writers. Africa seems to be a bit behind the USA when it comes to equality between men and women, which made for interesting conversation.

Now it is 5pm. I have a 12 page paper to write about bananas with my group, a book, and a take home quiz to finish before I go to bed. I also have another book to read this week, another take home quiz, articles for discussion, a presentation and a reflection paper. Plus trying to enjoy our last week and weekend in Uganda before we go on safari. The good news is I work best under pressure, so I am sure it will all get done.

Okay I am sure my readers are hoping I will stop complaining about my work load. Well, you are reading my blog because you are interested in what is going on with us, and I can tell you that right now, everyone is stressing and working feverishly to do everything that was assigned us. Prayers for clear minds and energy would be great!