Wanted: Another Weekend

Today was long. Even though it was Monday morning and I was supposedly rested from my weekend (ha, that's funny) I still got to school at quarter to 7, and felt like it was Friday afternoon. I was so incredibly tired and out of it. Judging by the way the other 3 students were acting (there were only 4 of us stupid enough to be so freakin early on a Monday morning) I can safely say that they all felt that same way as me. Actually, funny story. One guy, Sterling, was talking to his parents via his computer. His mom asked what he was doing, and he replied "I got some ass last night." We all started cracking up at that especially when his mom asked "From who?" Someone tried to shove me, the only girl in the room, in front of the camera, but I held my ground. Then, Sterling launched into this story about how his host family fed him donkey last night, and then whole thing made sense (somewhat). You could just tell he had been waiting to say "I got some ass last night" since he first had donkey. To our sleep deprived brains, that one joke was uproariously funny.

While some people turned on Reel Big Fish to wake them up, nothing seemed to work for me, and I walked to my Chinese class in a daze, and promptly starting snoozing on my desk. Due to this unfortunate circumstance, I was more zombie like than usual. My neighbor though (ahem) seemed to have all the energy I didn't have, and was bouncing around to the point that I just couldn't stay asleep. I didn't wake up fully until about 10 o'clock, and even the guy that is normally really funny seemed uncommonly subdued.

My break was taken up by a school meeting, and a talk about music lessons. Apparently, because we are going to the Llama temple this Wednesday, music lessons won't start until next week (I am the only one who signed up for my instrument, so while I get a private lesson, it also costs more, and I am going to be using up all of my set aside money for extracurriculars.) This is also when I hit the next snag. Apparently, since the music teachers will be coming to school every Wednesday, we are expected to bring our instruments to school on Wednesday as well. Which means I need to buy one, or rent one. Now, I don't know if you have ever seen a yangqin, but they are big, and not particularly mobile. I don't really want to leave it at school for nine months, so I seem to be a little stuck. But there are some other people who are playing the guzheng (which is similarly large) who are in the same boat, so I will figure it out. Besides, I still have a week. I'll keep you posted.

After my meeting I had tutorial, with Shen Lao Shi, who is the funniest guy ever. He gave me and the 2 other students also in my tutorial tongue twisters for the whole hour, and laughed at us struggling through it. I will admit, it was pretty funny. Also, I corrected him on one of his characters. That was the high point for me. :) Then I had English. That was great. We had this guy, who is a translator and has lived in Beijing for 7 years, came to talk to us. He basicaly told us how it has taken him almost 8 years to finally start to get the language, so good luck. He told us some funny stories about his inlaws (he married a Chinese lady, apparently the in law problem is way worse when you can't speak the language properly. Who knew?) It was a pretty good speech. Except for one part. He said something really funny, and this girl in my class, Riley, started laughing. Then I (because I too laugh a freakin lot) started laughing. It turned into this thing where I would look at her and keep laughing because she was laughing, and vice versa. It took us about 5 minutes to stop laughing (we were both crying at some point) and then we got a lecture at the end of class about how we have to shape up. I don't think our teacher likes kids in general though, because he doesn't know Chinese (maybe he resents us?) and I am pretty sure he would rather be writing than teaching. But whatever.

During lunch, (which SYA gave us; it was Domino's pizza, and everyone went nuts, even though it was pretty gross) we had the Dean of Admissions from both Brown and UPenn come talk to us (I am definitely not in Davis anymore...) It was kinda interesting, but I am still not applying to either of those schools. The supplements are a bitch.

History and Calculus passed without a glitch, and then school was over. I had some trouble deciding what group of people to go with after school (some peope were going to the park, some were going out to eat) but because I knew I had to get home to finish my massive amounts of homework, I chose to go get jiao zi (aka dumplings.) Also, I knew that if I went to the park, there is no way I would leave before it got dark. That place is dangerous. I mean that in the sense that I would have so much fun I wouldn't want to leave. Not literally dangerous.

So, I went to this kinda sketch jiao zi place with Chris, Ian and Sterling, who are all pretty funny. Our chopsticks were not exactly clean (mine were the only ones I would have eaten off of though) and we got 4 orders of dumplings and 4 drinks. Here is where it got funny though. When we went to pay, the waitress told us that it was 60 yuan for the whole thing (which is 8.78 for 4 people to eat and drink, mind you.) This was pretty bloody expensive, in our minds (only in China, right?), but we figured we couldn't haggle in a restraunt. (It was a hard decision to come to though.) So we shelled out the jacked up price and complained about it on the way out. Actually, more like we laughed about it, because even though we all live here now, we are still foreigners, and I am pretty sure that the prices still get raised like we are foreigners. Also, I got my friend to buy me a rubix (or whatever) cube, but it is bloody impossible. What a waste fo 70 cents.

I actually got home at a reasonable hour today, at about 4:30. By the time dinner came around (at about 6) I had finished one portion of my Chinese homework. Fun, right? I still had to write my History paper (which is rather good, if I do say so myself. It is about human rights, and I had a lot of fun writing it.) and finish the rest of my Chinese homework. I finished at about 10, although I feel bad because again I A) didn't finish my calculus homework and B) barely had any time to talk to my host family. I just don't have enough hours in the day.

Now, at 10:30 at night, I am thinking that maybe having that jiao zi wasn't the best idea. I have been downing obscene amounts of water since then, and my stomach has been a little funky. Ah well. I had a really good dinner though, as always. We had this rice soup thing, which was good, and these really chewy and yummy pancakes that had some vegetable stuff in it. I have no clue what it was, but it was good. And also pig something (knuckles maybe?) that didnt taste so bad, once I could get the meat off the bone with my chopsticks. So overall, a very good day.

Now good night my lovelies. Sleep tight. (I know I will...)