We Are the Champions... (Sort of)

I think someone slipped something into my drink yesterday, because although I went to bed at 10, I still woke up at 5:25, before my alarm went off (it was set for 5:30, so I wanted to hurt someone.) I laid in bed for 20 minutes trying to get my energy up to get out of bed, before finally dragging myself to the bathroom, and eventually out the door.

I was at school by 6:30 (because our sports meeting was today, and we had to be at school by 7. On a Sunday and everything.), but it was pretty obvious that no one besides the Chinese kids were there. So I walked around the surrounding area for about 10 minutes, and by the time I got back to school, people were there. I actually had to run back outside the gates to buy breakfast, because I didn't get any this morning. I didn't realize that we were going to be locked inside the school all day (there was a guard at the gates that wouldn't let you out without a pass), so I bought some Bao zi (steamed buns) and a huge thing of green tea as my breakfast. It was actually really good. (Although because I only had 100 Yuan note, my friends paid for it, so now I have to pay them back. That sucks.)

We had to take 54 chairs down from the 6th floor and out to the track so we could sit and watch the events. We got to use the elevator for once though (only to go up though...) so it wasn't so bad. But when we tried to walk out onto the field, two Chinese ladies immediately latched onto us, and started speaking (with gestures) in Chinese (I was at the front of the line, so they started talking to me). I couldn't understand what the bloody hell the were saying (of course that would happen to me, because I suck at life) so I called my friend over who actually can speak Chinese, and he sorted everything out. We had to wait until the procession of kids walking around the track finished, and then we could sit down. (There is an opening ceremony for this, and all the kids put on a little show and walk around the field. It was pretty cool.) As it turns out, we had to join that procession of kids, and because I am "short" (I mean, really now) I had to be in the front. We had to march around with the other kids, and then stop in front of the teachers and say "Lao Shi Hao" (hello Teacher.) They seemed very impressed with us, which shows just how low their standards really are of us.

We moved into our small area, and settled in for a long haul. The only event that I did was jump rope, and that wasn't until after lunch. A big group of us started out playing cards, but that got old fast. So we just watched the races, and talked. Eventually, we all started talking to the Koreans that were sitting next to us, getting in big groups and chatting. There was a lot of number exchanging going on, especially with Korean girls and American boys (hmm...) And as soon as it became apparent that we were not allowed out of the school without a pass (that only the teachers had... of course) we started sending people out into the world to bring back supplies whenever someone got a pass. At one point, we sent a friend out to get 7 omelette things for breakfast (all were eaten rather quickly), and people kept coming back with armfuls of bubble teas to hand out. It was great. The guard just started smiling every time he saw one of us. I myself did a bubble tea and cookie run (I bought the cookies to share).

We weren't even allowed out for lunch time. Instead, we just practiced jump rope for 20 minutes, and then we went our separate ways for lunch. I went upstairs to the cafeteria, and sat with the math teacher and Mr. Bissell (I have no idea where everyone else was, or how they got out). It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was a very pleasant little chat before we all went back downstairs to practice some more jump rope. We didn't do as well as we should have in our practice, and our teacher (Li Lao Shi) was a little upset. So he talked to the Chinese gym teachers, and was allowed to join in for the actual competition. It was pretty cool. (He stood behind people who he deemed "dangerous".)

We actually turned out to be the best jump rope team SYA has ever had. Although the team last year got 183 jumps in 2 minutes (damn...) and we only got 177, we still beat 2 Chinese teams, which is a first in SYA history (We still came in 8 out of 11 though). The kids here practically came out of the womb jump roping. After that I was totally done, and so so SO tired, but still, we couldn't leave, because we had to wait to see who was announced as the winner. But before we could hear, there had to be a closing ceremony. So the entire school got back into formation, and stood in rows of our classes to listen to speeches. We had to listen to the sophomore announcements, and then it was our turn (we competed against the juniors because we are a mostly junior group). You could see the tensions in the faces of the teachers as the announcer got closer to 1st place, and we still hadn't been called.

When the announcer said that we won 2nd place, our whole section went nutty. We started cheering and clapping and screaming, basically just being the crazy Americans we are. Mr. Bissell shoved 2 of our runners forward to get the trophy and the certificate, with a huge face splitting smile on his face. When he got the certificate, he said "We are so framing this." (He also said that when he passes another teacher in the hallways, he can walk past with pride.) It was great. SYA has only won this competition once, and that was 4 years ago, so he is really happy that we did well. It was a very nice way to end the day.

However, I was exhausted, and more than happy to end the day. (I think my feet are getting worse, because they seem to be hurting a lot more than usual. Maybe it's just because I am walking around so much though.) Anyway, after the competition, I tried to figure out what I was going to do. Some of my friends were going to get a massage, and some others were going to eat. Everything sounded good. In the end, I just went home, because I felt bad that I got home so late the night before (I told my mom that, and she just laughed and said it wasn't a problem. I think she was happy I was thinking that way though.)

For the rest of the night, I talked with my family, watched TV, and checked my email. Not very entertaining. I have no idea what the bloody hell I am supposed to do tomorrow. I guess I just have to work on my college essays and actually do my homework. I don't want to though. I did get to talk to my parents tonight though, which is nice. And I am still not homesick which is even better. Bye, bye!