The End is Near, Run For Your... Health?

I haven't written in a while, I know. It's not for any particular reason. Obviously, I could say that I have been too busy studying, or that I have just been really into Chinese, but the truth is, I have just been plain lazy. But I am back now. I might just paraphrase, if that is quite alright with you.

I have seen Jack twice since I last wrote to you. He is on a new kick, after finding a new way to torture me. For many of you, it won't seem too bad. Probably. Anyway, he has decided that he wants to see me sweat. So he has started making me go outside, to the smoggy, humid air, and exercise. Exercising in the humidity? Not so much fun. It definitely gets my body temperature up. I am going to take this opportunity to let you in on a little secret about me when I exercise. First off, I get super red in the face. That is the first clue that I am actually working hard. The second thing about me? I don't sweat a whole lot. I mean, I do sweat, but it's not like Niagra Falls or anything. I tried to explain this to Jack, but he just laughed it off. Out we went. And guess what? I actually did sweat a lot more. It was disgusting. Kind of like how I am explaining how I sweat is disgusting. I think that China has taken away my politeness. Just forget everything that I just wrote.

This also marks the beginning of the end. I am starting to get ready for all my tests. I have a speaking test tomorrow, and a written test on Friday. Everyone is finishing up studying, going into finals mode. We are all seriously burned out. I have almost no studying energy at all. I am done. My brain is too full of Chinese. I can't remember even the simplest characters. Oh well. I suppose that I normal. I need time to review, and process.

It's kind of sad to be seeing everyone packing up and getting ready to leave. I will be sad to leave Beijing, but I won't be sad to see HBA done. It has been such an intense summer. I have worked my ass off, harder than I have worked in a long time. But it was just what I needed to make my Chinese better. I haven't worked this hard in Chinese since I was in Beijing last time, and I have finally realized that my Chinese has come a long way this summer. It has gotten more formal. I still have such a long way too go, but it's better than kick in the head. I'm not nearly close yet.

So that's that. I have basically summed up my last couple of days. And I will talk to you all later!