Settling In and Falling Apart

I'm seriously starting to think that maybe I shouldn't do Tai Chi. I woke up at 5:30, so that I could get to school with enough time (before Tai Chi) to do my homework. That is insane. I blame Tai chi. When I woke up, it was still dark outside, which put me in a little bit of a bad mood. I moved rather slugglishly this morning, but I was still out of the house by 10 to 6. My sister wasn't even awake yet, which was a little funny to me, actually. I would never ever do this in America, but now I can walk out the door before 6, no problem. I think i have lost my mind.

I almost biked to school, but decided (when I saw that my bike tire was still slightly flat) that I would take the bus instead. I didn't realize until I actually got to the bus stop (and watched my bus pull away before I got there, may I add) that I had left both my gloves and my bus pass on my desk, way far away. That was unfortunate, but not catastrophic. I just had to pay 1 yuan (15 cents) in stead of .2 (3 cents), and my hands got a little cold.

Once I got to the school, I decided to stop in at the sketchy jiao zi place in the alley way to buy myself breakfast. I got some pretty nice dumplings, although I don't want to know what was in the middle. But they were still good, and warm, which was enough for me. I still had to walk up the stairs with half my locker and computer on my back, so I saved the dumplings as a reward for when I got to the top.

I was the first one to school this morning, which is a new thing for me. I set myself up in my Chinese room, writing characters on the white board and finishing my history homework. It didn't take as long as I thought, but I finished with a couple of minutes before I had to go downstairs for Tai Chi, so I got some socializing in, which is always good. Then it was off to Tai Chi.

For some reason, I felt much more wound up today then I normally do. I laughed when my teacher did this weird hip thrusting for warm ups (he is really the funniest little Chinese guy. We have to do warm ups to Samba music, and it is just great.) But I was still rushed through everything, which didn't help my mental state. Right after, it was straight back up to Chinese to get ready for our Ting Xie, which is when the teacher speaks and we have to write down what she says. They are actually pretty fun. I think.

Chinese was normal, and then we had a break. I went to my history class, because I wanted to study and look at the Common Application site. Not much got done, because there were a lot of people in the room, but I gave it a go. Calculus was the same as well, with Mr. Pettus telling us that he was only there because we weren't ready for the test. Ouch. But he means well, I think.

I was so hungry that I was willing to eat the cafeteria. So I made it to the cafeteria in record time (while dragging my friends along with me...). The food wasn't as bad as I expected, but since I have started eating out, it has been ruined for me. I had a nice chat with some of my friends that I haven't seen for a while, and flounced back downstairs. I had to do homework, so I went upstairs, but some of my friends didn't.

Right at 1:00, I had a music meeting. It was just a chance for the student activities coordinator to tell us that music lessons are tomorrow, and to make sure we all knew what we are playing. Because I am playing a huge and heavy instrument, I and some friends (also playing big instruments) had to take lessons at the actual music school. Once all the little things were sorted out, I arranged with SAC (as I call him) for me to get some extra martial arts lessons. I am going to be taking them with a really good martial artist (one of the students) but I am okay with making a fool of myself. That is just the way it has to be.

I had a free period right after lunch, so I just did homework and talked to friends. Then it was English, during which we continued to take our essays' apart, analyzing our grades and how to make the essays'. If I have to be totally honest, then I admit that it was very helpful. But I am still mad about my grade.

Tuesday afternoon means calligraphy. Which means more laughs. I can't really understand my teacher, so I have no idea what I am doing. Also, Riley sat infront of me today, which is never good. When we are together, our whole area, including us, just dissolves into fits and giggles. It's bad. Today's discussion was centered around middle school sex ed, a topic guaranteed to be awkward and hilarious. Don't ask me how we got on that subject, because I have no idea. It was grand though.

I didn't get out until 4:15, but Hannah, Chris, Sterling and I all decided to go to a tea house close to the school (Chris had to be home by 5:15, so we decided to make it quick.) This place is pretty amazing. It has WiFi, and you pay 18 yuan ($2.64) for unlimited drinks. We all drank 4 glasses of juice in about a half an hour, and it was great. While at the teahouse, we did all the normal things teenagers do. You know, drink, smoke, have orgies. The usual. :)

We all left at about 5. That is about the time most people seem to dissolve their groups and start to head home. I caught a bus home, and got home without any glitches, even though I was carrying an obscene amount of weight on my back. Only my dad was home when I got there (as per usual, my sister doesn't come home until after 6) so I had a quick conversation with him, and then went off to do my homework. We ate dinner relatively soon after my sister came home, and then again, we all went off to our respective rooms.

My mom came home from Shanghai tonight as well. She goes to Shanghai a lot. She came into my room to have a discussion with me tonight. She said that I should only leave home after it is light outside, for my safety. I have no idea how she heard about me leaving early, but in my defense, I did wait until it got light to leave. I told her that, and then apologized profusely. Of course, with my trigger happy guilt trips, I felt bad for the rest of the night, and had to resort to happy music to try to pick myself up, since I CAN'T EAT THE ICE CREAM HERE! Naturally, of course.

Now, it is time to go to bed. So, until next time...