Breathe. One simple word with several meanings. During this past week, I’ve had several mini panic attacks because life cannot be simple and easy. Let me just rewind a bit and explain.
Before arriving in Vallendar, students studying abroad at UIUC had to book their return flight so the school would know when we were to arrive home. We were informed that the last day of the term was May 5th. They also informed us that May 5th was the last day for exams (keep in mind, most exams are in late April). The housing contract at WHU ends May 5th; however, if one has an exam, they are allowed to stay until May 6th. At this point, I thought to myself that I’m not going to risk having to pay extra for housing if I don’t have an exam so I booked my return flight for home on Friday, May 5th at 10AM. Once we arrived at orientation week, we were told that if you are scheduled to leave on a certain date and there was an exam, that you should drop the class or move your flight as you cannot take the exam early or at your home university. Three weeks later, the final exam schedule was sent out to all the Tauschies and guess what… I was one of the unlucky ones. I read “Corporate Finance Exam Friday May 5th.” Just my luck that one of my required courses for my major was on Friday. Slightly panicking, I reached out to the faculty member in charge of the courses at WHU for the international students. I was once again informed that I had to drop the course or change my flight. I later checked my options with Delta Airlines and I would have to pay a $200 fee for changing the flight plus the difference between my flight and the other flight. Change the flight would be the simple option, right? Well my German visa expires on May 5th, which means that I would be staying illegally in Germany if I left any time after that. “Is $200+ worth it?” “Is finance the right path for me?” These are the types of questions I began to ask myself. I began questioning if I should risk being behind on my track to graduating early or if I was even studying the right major.
Breathe. My next step began searching more into other majors in the College of Business. Majors like Marketing and International Business came to mind; however, do I really want to stop my finance path? I thought maybe this was a sign… Maybe I need to rethink my life choices. I have until the end of February to decide if I am dropping the course or not (I’ll keep you informed).
To cover-up the hectic week, this past Saturday, I attended another traditional WHU party. As I previously noted in an earlier post, the WHU parties take place throughout the year and they are put on by each class (grade) and the PhD students. Something that makes WHU parties so special is that they take place in the vaulted cellar underneath the school. This party was hosted by the Year 33 students and the theme was WHU Maskenparty (or Masquerade). Once again, I did not dress up because I did not have time to run to Koblenz to buy a mask.
I just want to advise anyone who is considering studying abroad to consider your return date. Take a minute and breathe, today’s Valentine’s Day. Reflect on what and who you have in your life and cherish it because you will never know what the future holds.
I'll see you soon, but not too soon
-E