Well, for me and a few of you others, anyhow. It’s really, really, really nice to have ambiguous phrases once memorized out of necessity broken down into actual words that one can learn, write, and use.
Besides listening to entirely too many ChinaPods today, I also had fun switching my keyboard’s input language, typing whatever pinyin I know into Word, and using CEDICT or Zhongwen to look up more.
Now, if I actually knew anything for-reals, that would be awesome. But it’s a nice feeling having enough resources to know nothing… with style.
It’s That Time Of Year Again (for us poor eternal students, anyhow…). I realized yesterday that it’s a sign of Sara-needs-to-get-the-fark-out-of-school when the department secretary takes an advising block off my account, without asking me whether I had already/will be in the future/would even possibly consider seeing an advisor — no paperwork, no signature, just a general idea of doing everything within her means to get this poor soul out. At this point, everyone and their brother knows that, um, you really don’t want to make Sara jump through one more hoop.
So anyhow. During my day of self-advisory-goodness, I came to a realization (which shan’t be reprinted here, as I apparently have attracted an audience under the age of 18). There is a single, solitary, isolated class required for graduation: which won’t be offered until Fall 2007. Happy. Joy. Yay. Hopes, dashing thereof.
Or… perhaps not. Reasons for all things, and all that — and an unexpectedly free Summer07 is strangely inviting. So for those of you that pray, if you would do so, I would be grateful. Otherwise, please keep me in your thoughts for a while.
Whoa. I totally drove past that University. Well… part of it, anyway. Apparently it’s fairly large. Changzhou was our city. Hooray for flashback central.
Part of me is laughing herself silly and cheering the old guy on — and the other part of me wonders how on earth he’s ever going to get another job?
Serious withdrawal from the face-bank… it’s going to suck for his family.
So I’ve started classes here at Auburn: and if you get text messages in the Auburn area, you’ve probably heard me say YOUR CAMPUS SUXX0RS about three times this week. It still does, for the record. Not a fan, kthxbye. But yeah, taking as many hours as They will allow, in the hopes of leaving ASAP. Don’t ask what my major is. Please, just, um, don’t.
Also keeping occupied with tutoring: I feed that bug via seeing a highschool kid every day for an hour or so — he’s fresh out of Korea, been here about three weeks; I absolutely adore him. And no, I’m not projecting my entire summer class onto him at all, not one bit. And then on Wed. nights I help teach a TOEFL-prep class to a bunch of folks in Auburn, but that just started last night - so we’ll see how it goes.
Ok, but the main news is: SARA GOTS A JORB, YO. Finally. Even though some of the tutoring pays, it’s not much. I needs monay. So now I work here, apparently. Ha ha, look at you try to click ‘here’, yeah right. (what, it’s 6am, I’m easily amused…). But essentially, a company based in Auburn that works with sportsy-folk in the US, and sells them expensive tech stuff. If you are a Power That Be’s with a high school or college sports team around the nation, and you owe moneys, I will be the one calling you to be all, GIMME MONEYS, BIATCH. Yeah. That’s me. 8am. Wake up, pay up.
So yeah: totally not that great, but better than delivery or restaurant work — which apparently is all that hires part-time in Auburn this time of year. Trust me, I looked everywhere this week.
That’s it for this week’s news — those of you who pray; another big change is on the horizon, with any luck (luck?) there’ll be an update on it in a day or two. Keep it in mind.
And yes. I have yet to post any follow-ups about China. I realize this. It’s less a matter of laziness or procrastination, more a matter of… well, procrastination, but in the sense of putting-this-off-because-I’m-not-wanting-to-deal. It’s really, really strange to process and synthesise all of everything, and there’s some part of me that doesn’t want to finalise it by getting it on virtual paper. So there. (However, photos have been flickr’d. Go view to your little heart’s content.)
Because I’m too lazy/jetlagged/busy adjusting to The Real World/etc to unpack completely: I did laundry and passed out gifts, yay. The odds and ends leftover are just staying in the open suitcase, until further notice.
So. The Summer was good. No shite.
The return is troublesome; adjusting is…strange. Funny how this is a first, so far as adjustment-feelings goes. Never had the problem when moving back across the pond before. But I’m not complaining, at least at the moment. The return is part of the journey, or some such drivel — and the adjustment is integral to the return’s experience.
Photos, I promise, to come. Film to be developed whenever I can drive to town. Stories to be added/edited on the blog.
So yes. I’ll depart ye olde homefront somewhere around 6am tomorrow, for ATL, and after that — well, you won’t hear from me for another month and some change. So no different than the usual, really.
It’s weird, though, planning to be gone for so long. Last time I did this was a couple years ago, and I think I’m out of practice. And in this case I’ve also got the “ooo, what if I forget something and my students think I SUCK?!” inner voice going on. But that’s what shopping is for. YAY exchange rates.
So I’m going around and doing the final little things that always get left for last minute: hairbrush (who packs their brush any earlier than a couple hours advance, I mean seriously?!), change the cat litter, and… oh yeah.
OMGWTFBBQ?!!!111
Yeah, that felt exceedingly strange. But I don’t want to pay when I don’t play, and it cycles for me on the 2nd, so that’d be two payments hitting while I’m gone.
Oh, and for anyone that stumbles in here and missed my email, if you’d like to check in over the next month or so, head to English Elsewhere. It’s supposedly going to be updated with news and such from the Great Land Across The Pond.
…Only, um, funny thing, that Great Land has a Great Bigass Firewall — across the entire Great Freaking Country. Which successfully blocks just about every free community-based blogger service from the States. Now of course, if I were travelling on my own, it wouldn’t really be a problem. But. I have a strict no-funny-business-ban in place from the Powers That Be; such a one that I really don’t feel like dealing with possible repercussions. Anyhow, long story short (too late!): updates will still be posted on English Elsewhere, but I’ll be emailing them to a not-so-anonymous cohort Stateside, who will subsequently post. Yay, boo, etc. Better than nothing, I suppose.
Ok. I go now. In other news: would anyone like to buy Sara a digital music player for her next great flight? 72 CDs are kind of… heavy.
So today was officially my last day at Ye Olde Jorb, hooray, hoorah, boo, etc. The original ‘plan’ was to take the next 7 weeks or so off for CHINA, then return for part-time work when classes started back up; um, well, that didn’t quite come to fruition, and many thanks to the jorb-gods for such.
Anyhow. Long story, dwarfing thereof: my (EX=FTW!)boss is terarded. Um, the end.
Actually, yes. I typed out plenty of ranting and raving, but, yeah. That sums it up. Anyhow, someday I’ll grow up, be a real boy, find a cubicle, all that jazz. Until then, I’ll pack my bags and fly away on a jetplane.
Second star, and so on. Until then: holy shitfuck, batman — I can make a damn good latte.
So it’s been a while since some of you have heard a word of TEH CHINA PLANS… and then again, some of you would just about be content with never hearing another word, evar. For the both parties: mea culpa.
Anyhow, the update: I now officially have a destination. Wujin Senior Middle School: Wujin District, Changzhou, People’s Republic of China. Hooray, whee, and rock on.
But… I am becoming increasingly worried about being able to scrape together the funds needed to actually go. See, the way this sort of thing is supposed to work is that, student X (Your’s Truly) contacts friends/family/whathaveyou, and thus finds her happy arse sponsored to China.
Of course, things aren’t that easy. Apparently Student X is a social outcast, and has no friends/family/whathaveyou. Also apparently, Student X is utterly screwed with an almost-no-pay job, and no possible way of making teh monay appear on her own.
So. The means towards an end (with any luck, and a lot of hope): Destination:China
Click for information overload on the trip itself, along with “how you can help” type details.
Alternatively, if you already know everything, and just want to send something (kthxbye):
And now I shall proceed to shut up. Many thanks for listening.
