School’s out, scream and shout!

By Abby M.

May 29, 2026


May has been quite the month! After coming back from an extended spring break, there were two weeks of class, and now the “final” waiting period. In Manchester, finals are done quite a bit differently, in which the school has an entire month to give out finals after classes are over. Even after your finals are done, you still have to wait up to three weeks before receiving your final grade, meaning I could potentially not know what grade I got in one of my classes until after school starts back in the fall at Mizzou! The grading system is also unique as a 40% is considered passing, and a 100% is considered worthy enough to be published and used for academic research. Have you ever gotten a 100% on a paper and considered it research material?

Shakespeare's birthplace
Shakespeare’s birthplace

With this waiting period, it seems like as good a time as any to get some last-minute traveling finished and learn some cool history while I’m at it. I visited Stratford-upon-Avon to celebrate William Shakespeare’s birthday in his birthplace. Krakow, Poland, was a beautiful place with so much history in it as my friend and I were a part of their Polish Independence Day Parade and then toured Auschwitz-Birkenau to gather a deeper understanding of the history of the Holocaust.

Celebrating Poland's Independence Day! (They have been independent for 37 years)
Celebrating Poland’s Independence Day! (They have been independent for 37 years)
The front gate of Auschwitz
The front gate of Auschwitz reads, “Work will set you free.”

We also went to Amsterdam and saw Vincent Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting, the Anne Frank House, as well as Harry Style’s new tour to get a well rounded experience. The last trip for this month was Paris, where I visited the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. Can I be honest? The Mona Lisa is great and all, but there were so many breath-taking statues and paintings all over and Mona Lisa is well…Mona Lisa. But don’t tell anyone I told you that.

Van Gogh's Sunflowers
Van Gogh’s painting “Sunflowers” in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

These next few weeks will be filled with finals, and family coming over to visit, something I am super excited about since I am starting to get home sick. In less than a month I will be back in the United States and less than two months before I am back at Mizzou for my senior year. These posts have been so much fun and I am sad that my next post will be my last. Until next time, bye! Or Do widzenia (polish), doei (dutch), au revoir (french)

The Eiffel Tower at night. The tower sparkles for five minutes at the top of the hour after sunset till midnight.
The Eiffel Tower at night. The tower sparkles for five minutes at the top of the hour after sunset till midnight.

Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: University of Manchester