The Professor came down last night with the same affliction I had not too long ago. It was a fantastic night. I got to listen to him moan and explode periodically be sick. All night. And so this morning I got up early to get to school on time for my 8 a.m. midterm. And the Professor asked me to get him some drinks for the day, and of course I agreed. But little did I realize that the tiny shop beneath our building isn't open early. Nor is the grocery store on the corner. So I had to make a mad dash to a cigarette and booze shop at 7:35 this morning (don't you love the priorities of China?), then back up to the apartment, and finally departed the homestead at about 7:47 (you've never seen my legs pedal so fast...). I arrived in my testing room with about 3 minutes to spare. It was a bit like Speed Racer: Beijing. Except not Japanese, because I'm hated slightly less than the Japanese. I'm just American.

Anyway, my Reading/Writing class test was at 8 this morning, and it went. Not well, but it is over. My teacher (this wonderfully short, late-twentysomething Chinese man) occasionally came by and patted me on the back while I looked desperately concentrated upon not going down in flames. Then, when I went to hand in my paper, he smiled and gave me a half-taco, man-appropriate hug. It was a form of super-linguistic condolence, and it made me laugh in retrospect.

Then I went to brunch with my American sojourning friends. I took another test at 1, and it went really smoothly. It was much, much easier. Just a listening test. I hate that class with all the passion I can muster against a 54-year-old Chinese woman. She's grandmotherly, but not in a good way. And her class is frustratingly boring and unuseful.

When I got home from all this midterm induced fun, I started on the pile of disgusting sick-covered laundry. It took several hours and a few different methods of cleaning to get it all out. I am expecting some sort of eternal reward for this.

Really.

Tomorrow I have another test at 8, but by 9:40 I am free as a bird. Woo!

T