Running in the Rain

You would be proud of me. I was super tired this morning when I started class, and I could feel myself starting to follow the same path that I always follow: stay awake for the first half an hour, and then slowly start to fall asleep. It is kind of like a race against myself, to see if I can keep my eyes open to the end of class. So far so good. But I decided to try a different approach this morning. I decided to actually take the offensive, and actively participate in class. Answer questions, take notes, use my brain, instead of just watching. AND IT WORKED. I didn’t fall asleep. I mean, I was still tired, but not nearly as bad as I normally am. Who would have thought? (That is sarcastic, by the way. Just to clear this up.)

For our smaller class today, we obviously had the teacher and us 4 students, but there were also about 7 other teachers, just sitting in the back of the classroom, observing. I have no idea why, or who some of them were, but it seemed normal for everyone else, so I went with it. We also had to pick our topic for the debate on Friday. Outstanding. We picked the opposing side. Our topic: We should first protect the environment, and then develop the economy. Our signals got crossed somewhere while they were explaining our topic (well, at least, I thought they did) so I thought that our topic was actually the other way around. This would provide some confusion later on, as you will see.

Then it was lunch time. Ah man. Apparently I was the only one in this city who hadn’t looked at the weather forecast for today, so I missed the fact that it was going to be raining cats and dogs for most of the afternoon. As a result, I had worn a mini skirt and tank top to class, with no umbrella or raincoat. Outstanding. Well, I’ve lived in Vermont for the past year, I know how to handle bad weather. First things first: assess the situation. Obviously, I was not going to be able to go out for lunch, which meant I had to get back to my dorm. Not too far away. But it was like Niagra Falls right now. So, second, how was I going to get back without getting to wet? I was going to have to run. But I didn’t want to wreck my Birkenstocks. Those were going to have to go in my backpack. I was going to make a run for it barefoot. Good thing I got my tendonitis shots before I came to China. (Let me explain something. People don’t walk around barefoot here. EVER. They barely even wear flip flops. And I was about to do a run barefoot. This was going to be fun.) So I put my iPod away, put my shoes in my bag, and made a run for it. Some other people were running as well, but they were not nearly as determined as I was. Even so, by the time I got back to my dorm, I was soaking wet. I mean, I had to wring out my shirt, and use a towel to dry my hair. Bloody summer showers.

I was upset because I thought that it was a freak shower, but when I got back to class for the one on one class in the afternoon (with new clothes and rain jacket this time. Fool me once/twice and all that good stuff…) my teacher told me that it had been predicted for the past two days. Oops. My bad. I don’t really believe the weather forecasts though, because they always change. I have learned my lesson now though.

I really did not have too interesting of a day, if I am going to be perfectly honest. The most exciting thing was running through the rain, and only getting a couple of questions wrong on my HSK test preparation. Good boost for morale. It is a hard test. I really hope that I do well on it. Test day is on Friday...

I also managed to get the topic for our debate changed to first develop the economy, and then protect the environment. That is not what I totally agree with, but it is definitely the easier one to argue, if I have to pick one. It happened like this. I spent most of the day thinking that this was our topic, and then had a bit of a heart attack when I found out that we were supposed to be arguing the opposite. When I talked to my teacher, she then decided that she would change it, as it would be more convenient for everyone. Score. I'll take it. I hope my classmates don't hate me tomorrow.

My day was not super interesting after that. I got my lunch (along with a sweet treat), and then walked back to campus to start in on my homework. I took a quick half hour nap in the middle of the day when I felt my eyes involuntarily closing (which, if you know me, will know that THAT NEVER HAPPENS. My naps are normally at least 2 hours long.) and spent the rest of my afternoon writing my essay. I'm getting good at busting these 800 character essays out. Practice makes perfect.

And now I am off to bed. I am giving up on the characters. Good night all!