As we are approaching the end of semester, you can feel the tension on the campus. Everyone is under a lot of pressure; projects, tests, presentations, and finals preparation. All these are, of course, followed by a lack of time. You can see a lot of tired faces on campus, hear about many all-nighters and notice a slight fear in the eyes of students. All these symptoms are present mostly in freshmen. After their first semester, things will change. Students will know what to expect at the end of semester, accept the situation and start planning accordingly, and eventually living through the end of a semester as through any other day.

Having all that in mind, students really appreciate Thanksgiving break that always falls two weeks before the finals. That is the last chance to relax, and if necessary catch up with all the late work. That is how I use Thanksgiving break. Since I am an international student, I usually stay on campus while everyone goes home to spend Thanksgiving with their families. That means the campus is empty. Nothing happens, no one is around and it is very, very quiet. Every year so far, I applied to be on RA duty during Thanksgiving. Oh, don't worry, I am not a workaholic. Duty nights are usually shorter and there is nothing going on. Furthermore, you receive a great appreciation from your American colleagues. Other than working in the evenings, I use those free days to work on some projects that are due in last two weeks of semester. That really helps, since that significantly decreases a workload in last weeks. That is what I did this year, too, and again I am very happy that I did that. There is only one day during Thanksgiving that I don't do anything. That is Black Friday. On that day, I use to go all over Boston and check all the sales. You can get huge discounts on anything you want: electronics, clothing, food, cosmetics... This year, I did not buy a thing, but I did the shop screening, made a list and got ready to do some shopping before I go home for the Winter break.

Well, that is how things are these last days of the semester. I am finishing this now, so I can continue studying.

P.S. I gave up on buying a car in this semester. I reserved a rent-a-car and we'll see what will happen when I come back from the break.