End of Midterm Week...but not testing apparently

As soon as I typed that title (I was referring to a previously unknown online Midterm that we were assigned today and is due by the 8th), I realized I had to finish the take-home part of an assignment due at 11:59 pm...and I started this last blog of the night at 11:36 pm. I have never done that before, even when I was in online high-school or taking online college courses where many people would say they often turned assignments in at 11:58. This was my first (and ideally last) time doing such a thing. I felt awful! We had our Listening/Speaking Course Midterm today in which we recorded a conversation with the teacher and then were assigned to type it up, write corrections on it, and turn it in electronically...the day of. The day of!! And Fridays are my busiest days - 4 classes back to back and then dinner with host family as soon as I get home. The classes and slight lack of sleep pushed it out of my head until I typed that title. Thank goodness I remembered though.

Anyway, today was interesting since I was pretty tired but I made it through my speaking midterm all right. It's hard to talk at a regular speed or converse extemporaneously when you're nervous and know you are being graded, so listening to my broken sentences on my recording made me a bit more nervous. But the teacher is really nice and I think everyone had similar problems. Next was a class that I fought to stay awake in: lately, what we do, is write an essay out of class and submit it to the teacher, and then we read our essays in class and she corrects it in class. Basically, when it's not your paper on the projector, there's nothing for you to do. And it's not like you can do homework for other classes, read, or anything, because you are technically in class and it would be rude. Delicious lunch during the crowded lunch period passed by very quickly. Then onto third period for which I had to bring my laptop to school to show the progress on my digital portfolio so far (he said we could not use the class room projector) and then fourth period, which was the most interesting of the day.

I had planned to go to K-ON but was so tired, I got some ice-cream and sat in the garden. I was planning on going home straight after finishing my ice-cream and figuring out what I had to do when a Japanese student approached me and started a conversation. He just wanted to practice his English and it seemed like he was really nervous. At some point, he said it was his first time actually talking to an English-speaking student; before, he had only talked with teachers and fellow English-learning classmates. It was a nice conversation. I would say serendipitous. He would say "ichigo, ichie." This is a Japanese expression for meeting someone once in a lifetime and conversing with them sincerely knowing it is most likely only a one-chance encounter.

I'm also including a few more garden pictures, since it was just so beautiful today as well.


Came home and had a delicious dinner of mentai spaghetti (remember that? fish egg spaghetti?), salad, sugar-snap peas, potatoes, and bread. I also tried some white wine and found that it was like the sake I tried, just slightly grape-flavored and slightly more bitter (not more bitter than the blue bottle *shivers*). I don't really like the burning sensation alcohol leaves going down the throat or the overall alcohol flavor. It was there, they often drink with dinner, and I was curious, so I tried it and am glad I tried it. Afterwards, we had mini costellos - originally from Portugal, these little sweet-bread/cake treats are dense and delicious and great with tea.

I was feeling so productive (especially concerning my blog) and good and ready to go to bed when that stressful scare hit me. It only lasted about twenty minutes, but it was like a race and quite nerve-racking. That's why I don't like procrastinating and why I love planning ahead. At least it's over now.

Now I'm going to try to get some good sleep and wake up without an alarm tomorrow (and actually sleep in rather than wake up before I want to). Good night!