Yeah! Finally it is all over. My final exams were a really stressful period in my life. It was probably the most stressful time for me since my enrollment here at Saint Leo University. I had a number of difficult tasks that I had to take care of and a lot of fun activities I had to give up. It was not easy but it had to be done.

The stress began even before my final exams. There were tons of course work that had to be completed. My professors seemed to have conspired to bombard me with these assignments just before my exams. Lol! I had projects, essays and research papers. I even had to make a movie for my Honors class. This particular assignment was very stressful but it was a whole bunch of fun. I managed to get through all the assignments knowing very well that I had only one week to go.

The week of finals came and brought with it its share of work and sleepless nights. I was not fully prepared for exams and so sleep was a rare commodity. I barely had more than two or three hours of sleep each night. At least two nights I had absolutely no sleep. Exams were grueling and tiresome. I stocked up on caffeine products and energy drinks which kept me awake. I wrote papers all week. Then finally it ended. I was so relieved. I could finally relax and get some sleep.

The rest did not come however. My friends and I were too relieved to even think about sleeping. We had a couple nights of partying and fun, knowing that we would all soon leave campus for the Christmas break. We partied and celebrated the end of exams. Finally the end of semester had come. We were all happy but we knew we would miss our friends at Saint Leo University.

My final grades came eventually and I was overjoyed. I received a B+ for my honors class (woop woop!) and A’s for all my other courses. I was ecstatic and so were my parents. I had a GPA of 3.86 for my first semester in college. All my hard work had finally paid off. The nights without sleep were not in vain and I was happy. Now I have the entire four week break to rest and relax with family members. I will not be going home to Jamaica. However, I will be spending the break in New York with other family members. I am a bit tentative to spend my winter break in the cold New York climate but I am sure it will be loads of fun.

Posted by Davion Cooper at 3:14 PM | Permalink

Winter formal came and went last Friday evening with much excitement and fanfare. It was much anticipated and planned for by nearly all the students on the Saint Leo University campus. I was one of them. I had been hearing about the famous winter formal ever since I got here in August. It is the ultimate formal event for the school year. Everyone was busy in the few days leading up to the event making final preparations for the big night. Some were buying elegant outfits. Some were trying to find dates. Others, me included, were simply trying to change our dates for the night.

However, the night came and we all made our way into four exquisite buses arranged by the university. We were on our way to the a la carte dinner and ballroom about an hour from campus. We had a great deal of fun on the buses and nonstop photographs. Everyone looked absolutely stunning. When we finally got there we realized how wonderfully decorated the dining hall and ballroom was. The food was great and no one could complain. The highlight of the evening, however, was on the dance floor. We all had fun and went on bad to the soulful music played by the skillful DJ. There were photos, photos, and even more “interesting photos.� We could not have asked for a better night.

The end came much too soon for nearly everybody though. We were all still enjoying ourselves. By the end of the night we were tired yet extremely happy. I am glad I actually decided to attend winter formal 2007. I definitely had a lot of fun. I can hardly wait for Winter Formal 2008. I will definitely be there.

Posted by Davion Cooper at 11:53 AM | Permalink

I had the most wonderful Thanksgiving break in Miami. I did not get to go home to spend the break with my immediate family but I had fun regardless. I still got the opportunity to spend the week with other family members and friends who are living in Miami. I spent Thanksgiving Day with at least twenty family members and friends from back home in Jamaica. I even enjoyed some real Jamaican food. Yeah! It was a great and enjoyable week. I got a chance to get some much needed rest. It was an entire week without the stress of assignments and exams. I had a chance to go out and party in Miami with my friends and family. I even met up with friends from here at Saint Leo University who live there in Miami. I had a great deal of fun!

The break came and went very quickly, however. I was definitely not ready for the resumption of school when I had to come back. I had fun on the four hour drive back from Miami to Saint Leo University. Driving with my friends made the time pass quickly and enjoyably. Oh, and did I say before that I missed my train to Miami? Well yes I did. A friend of mine who was supposed to take me to the train station had car trouble that morning and thus, I did not get to the train station on time. However, that did not stop us as he was kind enough to drive me all the way to Miami. Thanks Debaro!

The holiday was not simply all fun and games though. I am employed as a member of the Saint Leo University Yearbook staff and therefore, part of my break was spent doing online work for the yearbook. Also I still had to complete the tons of assignments that my professors thought I might appreciate during the Thanksgiving break. As you might guess, however, almost all my assignments did not get started until the last day when I was back on campus. Luckily, however, I managed to get it all done on time.

Overall though, I think I had a very good break and a lot of rest. It is now a matter of settling back in and getting prepared for my final exams which begin in two weeks. It will be a lot of work but I know I am ready for the challenge. BRING ON THE EXAMS!

Life in Miami!

Posted by Davion Cooper at 11:56 AM | Permalink