Just Driving Along Going 'Ciao'...

So my first semester is almost over, My very last class is this friday.
As far as actually being taught things in class, I'm done for the semester. This week will be all turning in papers, filling out reviews, and giving presentations.
I'm actually really stressed out right now--I have five papers and two presentations due next week. Then I have a 4000 word paper that I need to write before January 8th.
I'm no so worried about that last paper, but the five others (and the two presentations) are getting to me a little.
I'm going to go to the library today (not my school's library,but the British Library since it will have more information and whatnot) and just spend the rest of the day (and probably tomorrow too) doing research.
I told myself that I wouldn't leave this all to the last minute, but of course I have. I'm bad about that sort of stuff. But at least I get it all done! I probably won't get a good grade though.
They expect such different things out of papers here and the grammar still really throws me. And the grading scale is totally different (can you believe that a 60 is still an A? That's insane!)
My Costume Dramas teacher explained it to me though..or at least tried to. She said that if you get anything above like a 90 in the British University system, it means that your paper is graduate level research, groundbreaking, and needs to be published immediately. She says they don't grade based on how well you do for your grade level, but for how well you do out of all university students including graduate students and whatever. She also said that she thinks it's a ridiculous system and she much prefers how we do it in the states (which I do too.)
So anyway, that's going to require a lot of work if I want to pass it or whatever (which surprisingly I'd actually like to do...)
It's kind of upsetting me that all of my friends who were studying abroad are heading home now (except for the two or three others who are studying abroad for a year too). Like, it's not that I'm sad that they're going home, but rather that I'm not.
One of my flatmates went home this morning (she's here for two years though, so she'll be back in January) and one who was just here for the semester goes home Friday.
I'm so jealous, I want to go home and spend Christmas with my family. I miss Kansas. I'm even starting to miss GAC, which is just shocking since I tend to despise the place when I'm actually there (I love the people, but that snow....ugh.)
But instead of going home, I'm going to Paris and Italy (Naples, Rome, Venice, Florence, and Pompeii to be specific) with Paula (well, Paris will be by myself, but then I'll meet up with Paula in Naples).
Which is actually why I'm updating. I'm leaving a week from Tuesday and will be gone for two weeks. I can't imagine that I'll update before then and I know I won't do it while I'm gone, so I figured I would just do it now.
I'm REALLY looking forward to this trip. As much as I wish I could be home for Christmas, I'm excited to spend Christmas in Venice (we're going to Saint Mark's Basilica for midnight mass too, which should be interesting.) I'm terrified and excited to wander arond Paris by myself. I have a long list of things to do though and I'm really, really excited to proove to myself that I can to it (and to, you know, actually do all of it.)
I'm also INCREDIBLY excited to go to Pompeii. Blame my 7th grade latin class. Learning about Pompeii was the ONLY thing I liked about that class and now I get to go! Huzzah!
I'm also taking a train there, which is an insanely long ride (2.5 hours to Paris, 15 to Rome, and then like another hour to so on to Naples) and I've never been on a train before, so I'm nervous but excited for that too.
Anyway, I probably won't talk to most of you until around the new year, so happy holidays!
:)