grades are in!

and i did pretty frickin' awesome! i am quite proud to announce that i did NOT fail my language class, in fact, i managed to get a B+!!! WOOT! i'm still not quite sure how that happened but, i will gladly take it!

also, it turns out that my winter break is way longer than expected- classes don't begin until like the 25th or something crazy like that.i am lovin' having off, even though it means i'm working like crazy--for example from january 2nd until NEXT WEEK saturday (i think that's like the 16th??) i have worked/will be working at one of my 2 two jobs every day! phew.

the "dreaded" midterms....

so i am fairly positive i bombed my language midterm. she DID give us a blank copy to take home that- if we return it *PERFECT* we will get 10 extra points. however, if there is even one mistake (and that includes commas, one mispelling, etc.) we get BIG FAT ZERO extra points. don't think i'll be wasting my time on it. i do think, however, i will eventually have to be contesting the grade she gives me. ::sigh:: i understand life is full of challenges, but this class has a stacked deck!!!

as for my survey level class, things are going well. we had a mid-term "check in"/office appointment with our professor. he had good things to say and advice for the remaining weeks. that's always nice, right? oh- and a possible opportunity for work study next semester...woot???

group work migraines

sigh.

i usually love group work. i do. i enjoy the collaborative process- the uniting of different perspectives to reach the same ultimate outcome: a cohesive project. but right now, i just want to smash open my head with a hammer.

i have a lovely group. great people. smart. insightful. unfortunately, i am the only native english speaker- which doesn't usually make a huge difference. they are all excellent students (well, maybe not all, but i'm trying hard to not jump to rash, hastily drawn conclusions) but it's super super difficult for them to write formal responses in their 2nd language to passages they had to read (and usually decipher *from*) their 2nd language! and understandably so--if i had to write a paper in Japanese or French, it would sound like a mentally deficient Kindergarten-er had written it!!!

so how do i, who is rather competitive when it comes to class performance, juggle the fact that the other sections may not "live up to my standards"? and does the professor take into account the fact that, in a group, only one of the students is used to and comfortable with written papers and presentations in English? is it okay to ask the professor that? and how does one do it in a tactful manner??

OY VEY. i feel like shit 'complaining' about something that is so unchangeable and culture-ist (is that a term? it should be!!) of me. i'm going to go hang my head in shame now....