Finals

Exams start on Monday. These are finals. Son 1 should do well and pass the year, giving him the possibility of carrying on his studies at the University of Lausanne. Daughter has to take finals too, and she’s just finishing up 9th grade, heading on to the high school that prepares students for College.

Only about a third of Swiss-educated students get to go on to University. No telling how many of them finish a complete, degree-ful college education. I do know that the department Son 1 chose has over a 90% failure rate for the first year.

This exam situation will give Son 2 two weeks off soon. No exams for him, but he is tutoring others so they’ll pass. His plans during the two weeks free are getting up early, working in the garden, painting the house and doing our 2004 income tax declaration (yeah, right).

Speaking of income tax declarations, if you live outside of the USA you get two extra months to declare. But you still have to declare, and even to pay up in certain situations. The colonists called that “taxation without representation”. I don’t know what we call it today. Maybe just bad luck.