Week 14: Exams and Rouen's Christmas Market

Hi Everyone,

I’ve managed to find some time in between my exams to write some updates about my life abroad this week.  Firstly, I am proud to say that I have successfully survived conquered my first non-Canadian final exam.  While there were some similarities to exams at uWindsor, there were also some noticeable differences.  I was a bit disappointed to find out that I missed my opportunity to say goodbye to my International Finance professor, as the professors typically do not proctor the examinations.  Rather, there were two veteran-looking) proctors that hosted the exam while acting very stringent in upholding the exam rules.  We were instructed to show up at the exam room thirty minutes prior to the exam.  Waiting for us was a class list and sitting number for our exam. A line formed to enter the room, and at the door the proctors were verifying that we belonged in the class by looking at our student cards.  We then sat in the assigned spots to write our exam.  The proctors individually handed our exams to each of us that had had our student number on the exam.  I like that the exams did not have a student name on the exam, as it helps to ensure that the tests aren’t unintentionally graded with a bias that the grader may have on a particular student. The largest difference that I found to be a nuisance was the lack of a professor attending the final exam.  As the proctors didn’t understand the subject matter, the few clarifications that were asked were relayed to the professor via a phone call from the proctor and then relayed back to the entire student body that was writing the exam.  Overall, the exam procedure wasn’t much different from what you would be used to at the Odette School of Business.

A visit to a Christmas Market wouldn't be complete without sipping on some vin chaud to warm you up!

Sadly, I don’t have much to write about in terms of adventures of travels this past week as I have spent the bulk majority of my time between the library and my room in residence studying for exams. I did however sneak some time into the city to browse the various tents of the Christmas Market in Rouen. In addition to 45 different tents, the market had a carrousel for children and a free ice rink with skate rentals near the city. It was a great treat from all the studying the past few days.

The Quebec Tent - easily my favourite tent at the market!  Home of maple syrup and other Canadian treats.

I’ve also booked a trip to Copenhagen as my final end-of-exchange-trip-after exams!  I will be sure to update you on my trip when I return next week.