The Honeymoon Is Over

Due to my extreme exhaustion right now (I've been up for 14 hours now), my memory of today seems to be slightly hazy. However, because I have an impulsive need to save things and to remember things, I will do the best that I can.

So, this morning. I woke up, by myself, at 5:50. Yes, as in 5:50 AM. With no alarm clock. I think my family is drugging me, because that is just not normal. I was out of the house and at school by 6:30, a good hour and a half before school started. The sad thing is, I had enough homework and studying to do to last me double that time. I got it done just in time to turn everything in (all our Chinese homework is due right at 8.) Then the madness that is Chinese started, and we were off for 2 hours. (Consequently, I love my Chinese class. Aside from the thrill of having it all in Chinese, our teachers are really cool, and my class is very adamant. There is one guy who keeps trying to say witty things in Chinese, and the teacher just turns around and starts correcting his tones. It's hysterical.)

After Chinese was a school math test. Every Wednesday we all have a math test, and you just have to sit down in front of the test that is for your class, and go nuts. A couple people screwed up (naturally) but otherwise that passed without a glitch. I missed 1 question. Yay.

Since today is Wednesday, it was a short day, and we all got off of school officially at 12:15. Before that, we had a short Chinese history and culture class, where all 54 of us get together with the program director and talk about China and different things it is doing, and it's culture. It's a pretty interesting class.

For lunch, me and a couple friends went to this dumpling place, where all three of us ate for less than 2 US dollars. It was awesome. I love how cheap (便宜) things here are. At 1:30, there was a music concert that we had to listen to . It was 6 teachers, all who play classical Chinese instruments, like the pipa and guzheng. They were showing us what everything sounded like, because we can take music lessons. For the longest time, I was torn between the guzheng and yangqin (look them up, they are the coolest instruments. Way better than my electric guitar back home.) It soon became clear that a lot of people were going to take guzheng, and so I went with yangqin, because it has a really good sound. It would probably be cheaper to take the other instrument, but I don't give a cooked cat tail about that. I have 1500 yuan waiting for me to spend. What the hell. (It was actually really funny, because I was talking to the guy that is going to give me lessons every Wednesday, and in parting I said "See you next Wednesday." He got really excited. It was great.)

After making the tough decision about what instrument to learn, about 10 of us went off to practice our jump roping, which is so much fun. We did that for half an hour, until all of us were sweating and out of breath (Don't laugh. You try doing Chinese jump rope in Beijing air, when it is hot, humid, and smoggy. Then we will see who is laughing.) A water break was called, and we all went our separate ways, although most people just started a massive soccer game that pulled in many Chinese kids. (It was also pointed out to me that sometime during the day I had sat in ink from yesterday's calligraphy lesson, and it looked like someone with ink on their hand had slapped my ass. Isn't that a nice stain to walk around with? On my new pants as well. They are currently in the wash, so cross your fingers please. )

It was around this time that my exhaustion kicked in. I have no idea what caused it. One minute I was doing my homework, and the next I couldn't even be bothered to move. I eventually got up to go home, because I figured at least I would be able to get more work done. I stopped to buy my mom flowers on the way home (why yes, I am a suck up) and my normal 10 minute bike ride took about 20 minutes, I was going to slow. Seriously, I barely even had the energy to pedal. Thank modern technology that my building has an elevator, otherwise I would not be writing this right now.

My Chinese homework took about 2.5 hours, and I'm not even done with it all yet. It got to the point where my characters looked like blobs, and I called it quits (I can just do it tomorrow before class, as per usual.) Dinner was again mostly normal, although I was already half comatose by the time we had to eat. I wouldn't have understood what people were saying to me in English, much less Chinese. It was a fun conversation. Right now I feel almost dead, and must get to sleep ASAP. My homework is just going to have to wait. On the brightside, at the rate that I am going, my freshman year of college is going to be so easy. All my college fears have just melted away in the face of China. I mean, at least they speak English there.

Just now, as I was typing, I heard a sound like thunder. Huge, long rolls of thunder, that are still going on 10 minutes later (now.) It took my sleep deprived brain a while to understand that it wasn't thunder, but infact the noise from the fireworks at the closing ceremoney of the Paralympics. The Birds Nest is about 10 minutes from my house. How awesome is that?

Now, I must leave before I fall asleep on my computer. Needless to say, I think that the blissful, engergy full days of my "honeymoon" in Beijing is now over. Welcome to the real world, where my days are finally catching up to me. Now, it is time to get serious. Sort of.