Our school website had something new this year: a large banner counting down to the final examinations.
Every day when you checked your e-mails, there was the horrible number getting smaller and smaller but making you feel more and more guilty because you still hadn't started studying.
Tomorrow the number will turn to zero - the beginning of exams!
For the past week though there wasn't a hint of anxiety about exams in the air. As everybody was busy dealing with mountains of homework, tests, the deadly year-end portfolio (which is supposed to be a continuous learning thing, but actually everyone just hurriedly stuffs things in at the end of the term to meet the deadline), and giving final touches to club affairs, there wasn't any time left for us to think about exams.
Some teachers were definitely not in the exam mood either. We still haven't got back one of our tests which we did about one and a half months ago, so we simply don't know how we did or what we can improve on. And the teacher doesn't seem particularly bothered because she hasn't mentioned the test or the reason for the delay. I wonder if she has lost the papers? I hope not.
And as for an essay in another subject, fortunately we have just got it back ... but we handed it in in March!