I woke up at 7:30am giving myself plenty of time before my exam for Relaciones Internacionales. I would be taking this exam a day early and also orally rather than a written as I had a conflict with my history exam on the 27th. I knew I had studied a lot, attended all of the classes, and a good solid background in the subject. I was ready for whatever the exam would be.
Somewhat. I brought my class syllabus and dictionary. On the second floor of the poli sci facultad building, I went into the Aula Seminario where two professors, different than my normal one, let all of the students in. There weren't many desk, but I sat in one near the front. They explained that it would be an oral exam and that they would choose 4 students at a time. The other students would have to come back at 11:30am. Fortunately, I was chosen first and was told to sit in one of the four desks at the front of the room. What was weird was that there were other students in the room while we were being examined. There is no such thing as academic privacy here in Spain.
Once us four selected students had sat down, we were each read two separate questions. I received "Theory and Organization of International Relations" and "Structure and Hierarchy of the United Stations. The professors then stopped talking and I began to write. I thought it was kind of stupid, at least tedious, that this was the "oral exam," just randomized questions. My answer began as a full on essay as I thought we would turn it in when we were done. I couldn't have been more incorrect. About 10 minutes in, they called on the student sitting in the first desk and asked him to explain his answer. They "cross examined" him and he spoke for quite a long time. I was called third and in the few minutes before, I had hastily written out a quick outline for the second questions about the UN.
To put it simply, I did not do too well. After presenting what I thought was good answer, they asked for more. I was at the point where I had begun to stammer and couldn't BS my way out. I told the truth that I didn't know and asked to move onto the next question. Although my analysis of the UN Security Council was quite good, they found my description of the General Assembly weak. I did get her question of "who is the General Secretary," correct though. I left disappointed in myself for not having done as well as I had anticipated.
Catching the "U" public bus up to the Facultad de Filosofia y Letras, I decided to check out the "Grapes of Wrath" from the library as I did not feel comfortable referring to Cliffnotes in my essay. Entering the library, it was an epic search to find the book. The library was a labyrinth. I went down two flights of stairs, cut across a long hallway, and through 3 more rooms before arriving at the small room that housed the "American Literature" section. Back upstairs, I found a great book on Spanish History that I would read to review for my History exam.
After lunch, I read for 4 hours for History. I also finished my last trabajo for the class, a piece on the Spanish Revolution of 1868 and the war between the carlistas and Isabell II.
After dinner and some more studying, I crawled into bed, reading the history book before falling to sleep.
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