The End

Last week I finished my finals. Taking exams here was a completely different process than I'm used to at Grinnell. For exams, all students went to this massive building off campus, the Royal Exhibition Hall. If you look back all the way at my first post, it's the building behind the fountain in Carlton Gardens. The Hall was set up with about 2500 desks, and each time I went for a final, there were probably at least four different classes taking exams at the same time. It was incredibly overwhelming just trying to find my seat and focus on my exams.The best thing I can compare it to is when in Harry Potter they take their OWLs. Just masses of students at desks in rows scribbling furiously for hours. Also, the building is pretty old and there wasn't any heat, so that just added to the fun. Both exams I took were definitely an interesting experience, but one I'm glad I won't have to repeat any time soon.

I was glad to finish so early and have a chance to enjoy my last week in Melbourne. Saturday was an Australian friend's birthday, so it was nice to celebrate that and also being done with the school year. On Sunday, I made my last trip to the market, which I commemorated with the American style donuts they sell, so delicious! The market is one of the things I'm going to miss most when I'm home, especially since it was so close. Getting the hang of shopping at the market definitely made me feel like a true Melburnian.

While I spent a lot of the week packing and getting my things organized, I made time to walk around parts of the city and really soak it in. Wednesday I wandered through Melbourne's laneways and ate breakfast at a cafe, a very typical Melbourne thing to do, and yesterday I returned to Fitzroy for lunch and a little window shopping. Today Maddie and I are going for one last Tropicana Juice together, another place I'll seriously miss.

It's just impossible for me to wrap my mind around the fact that I'm leaving. I've had friends leave, but until I actually move out and fly to Sydney tomorrow, I don't think it will hit me. My semester has been truly wonderful, I have loved living in Melbourne and experiencing Australia. I'm thrilled to have more time to see other parts of the country with my parents, but I'm also very excited to return to Melbourne at the end of our trip and show them around. And at the end of it all, I'm very ready to come home to the States. Let's be honest, I am seriously craving some Chipotle.

I'll potentially post some while I'm traveling over the next two weeks, but this is really my last post as a study abroad student. I've enjoyed sharing my experiences on this blog and I hope you enjoyed hearing about them. Thanks for reading!