I really had good intentions when I made this thing. Really. In times past, I've been a compulsive blogger, posting multiple times a day. However, habits are easy to break and once I fell out of it, it was gone forever. Sadness and woe.

This semester is halfway over. I'm so amazingly glad, and so utterly sad, all at the same time. I absolutely adore my students, and, I find, they feel the same way about me. I hate having to teach every freaking morning, because teaching one class every day first thing in the morning is exhausting -- but I am always, always happy to see them. Next fall, I will not be teaching the same students, since I will be teaching the freshmen once again, and my current students are disappointed to the point of speechlessness. It's really odd. I'm a loner; I don't really like people. I've never been described as social or outgoing and I totally treasure my time alone. I like quiet and solitude. And yet there are 250 or more students who are screamingly loyal to me, and god only knows why. I certainly don't understand.

However, last night I judged a debate competition for the first time. My students were insane. There were 350 or more people packed into this room that's meant to fit ..maybe 80. There are students sharing seats, people packed into the aisles, every seat is full, and there's a crowd outside of the room. Its insane. And as I'm looking over this crowd, I realize that I've taught most, if not all of the students present. I've taught all of the freshmen, all of the sophomores at least once, and four out of seven classes of juniors once. So when the judges were asked to stand up and be introduced, each was applauded. I got a standing, screaming ovation.

I have absolutely no idea what I did to deserve the love of these kids, but.. I'm so proud of the progress they've made this year. My students have really bloomed into confident, creative people, and if I had any part in that at all, I feel like I've made an amazing impact on this world.

But anyway, the semester is half over. Next week is May holiday, where I may have four days off, I may have three days off. I may have one day off and then the weekend. I really have no idea. I really wish I did. Bleh. I think I may have gotten a little upset with the secretary yesterday, because my students were asking me what the deal was and I had absolutely no answer. That frustrates me.

No plans, either, because I have to ask for permission to leave, and it's too late now. I want to go down to Chun Qi Lu, spelling optional, to go shopping..but otherwise I have a feeling that this will be a weekend of relaxing on the couch. I do need to go someday and spend a day or a week taking pictures of Chengdu...but I have a feeling that is going to wait until this summer and my three months off from school. Oddly, I really need it right now.

Summer is also going to include summer project, which is probably going to be two weeks of marathon teacher training. I'm really not at all sure what's going to be going on with it. Bleh. Do not want to do. Here's hoping some crazy natural disaster cancels it. Something that hurts no one, just prevents everyone from doing the project. :) A big hand of god sticks a wall around the university and says,"DO NOT ENTER" for two weeks or something.

Anyway. Here's hoping I'm a little better about posting in this thing in the relative future. My students' midterms are coming up, and I'm really looking forward to them. They've been asked to select a bit of Chinese culture and present for 10 minutes on it, then lead a class discussion. They've got as much time as they want, because the more time they spend presenting is less time I actually have to teach -- and because of the discussion aspect of the assignment, my students are talking, too.

Oddly, one of my groups of students managed to shock me by deciding to do theirs two weeks early yesterday. Not at all expected. They presented on Beijing Opera, which was pretty interesting, and I'm desperately hoping that they didn't copy their presentation. I'm waiting for the e-mail with their powerpoint in it so I can check. If they did, I have absolutely no idea what to do about it. Their grammar was just a touch too good (read: it was nearly perfect) for me to think it HAD been them writing it. Ugh. Cheating just leaves me speechless sometimes.

Anyway. I've babbled enough. Later.