Today is the day upon which I took the last weekly test that I shall take at ACC. What a day this is. The test was remarkably unremarkable, aside from the fact that it took me two and a half hours to complete.
After the test, we were to meet with a teacher to practice singing a song that the 2nd and 4th year students will present this Saturday at the Chinese Night. I have been saved from participation in this event, as my Chinese family invited me to attend a Beijing Opera on that same night. Nevertheless, I had to attend the vocal practice.
The 4th year students met in the lobby of the dorm for lunch at 11:30. We then left the dorm in search of a restaurant in the neighborhood. We went to two restaurants, in the second of which we had already been seated before the teachers decided that they didn’t want to eat there. The powers that be finally decided that we should eat at the Chengdu Fish restaurant – a decision that I supported wholeheartedly, as it is one of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood. A group of seven students and teachers were seated in our own private room, with Teacher Shi as the ringleader. He ordered a meal of spicy spit chicken (so named because it makes your mouth water), salad, bacon and jiu cai, stir-fried beef, lettuce in hao sauce, bok-choy, iron-pot potato slices, and white rice.
The meal was very good, but the morale at the table was dour. I know that some of you, dear readers, will sour at the mention of data that is not empirically provable (such as morale and inter-personal relationships), but I find it fascinating. The teachers are getting tired of teaching, and the two present had a few slips of tongue at the lunch table: “the semester here is really long,” “I am very ready to travel around Beijing after the semester ends,” and “the work at ACC is really too much,” to name a few. Conversation among the other students was restrained to a minimum, and they would break into short bursts of nervous laughter on occasion. It was an interesting meal.
Since I was about to fall asleep at the lunch table, I napped in the room. Soon after waking up, Wes and Hannah came by the room. I helped them film a short movie that they are making to present at the Chinese Night. The movie is about the lives of students at ACC, and takes a comical look at the insanities of living in China and the numerous linguistic misunderstandings that have occurred over the past semester. I will get a copy of the movie before I return home.
Soon after that, we three went on our own quest for supper. After looking around at several restaurants and being deterred by the lengthy waits at a number of these, Wes and Hannah explained that they would like some fish. I refrained from mentioning that I ate there for lunch until after we were seated. If I hadn’t they would have insisted on going somewhere else, and I personally could eat at the restaurant whenever someone wants to go there. I am hindered from going there myself (a feat that I would be happy to pursue), except that the food at the restaurant is family-style. Ipso ergo facto, going there alone is expensive.
We strolled back to the dorm, and sat around while Wes edited the video. We offered assistance where it was needed, but mostly just watched while Wes worked magic with iMovie ’09. I have to say that I am a little jealous. The program responds a lot better than the ’08 version, and the software interface makes adjustments to the movie itself much easier. The movie wasn’t quite done as of this evening, but Wes declared that it could wait.
Wes, Hannah, Christina, Alex, and I went over to my room and watched two episodes of Arrested Development. We hung out, talking about the end of the program and what we would be doing when it ends on the 25th. After the 2nd episode, we all retired to our respective rooms. They had a big day on the morrow.
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