Farewell Old Friend

Today at 5:10 pm, my gorgeous girl finally got to breathe easy. After a prolonged period of poor health, Hannah is now the puppy her body wouldn't allow her to be. She was my baby and I don't really know how to deal with this. I know I saw the needle go in and her limp body afterwards but the fact that I will never see my dog again still doesn't quite click. I can't help but call her once I sit down to watch a movie or something. Seeing her is one of the highlights of coming home and now she just isn't there anymore. There are other things that have happened recently such as going to Iowa again for playoffs and getting a role in Vagina Monologues and A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer. I don't really feel like writing about those right now.

"Is This Heaven?"

I aced my Chinese dictation and got a 94.5 on my Econ exam that counts for about 20% of my final grade. Despite that good news, I'm not feeling that great. I don't know why. There is tension in the house over nothing in particular. Alex is never here but I think that all of us have resigned ourselves to that fact. Ren has just been really pissy lately. She has been fighting with Apple a lot and been short with the rest of us as well. It just stresses me out when the people around me aren't getting along.
The other big thing that happened lately was going to Iowa. I had a really fun trip. I wish that we could have had one big bus so I could have spent time with everyone but I got to bond with the girls who were in my van. Much to our chagrin, Ren, Louise and I were in the same hotel room together. We also had Catrina who is an absolute sweetheart and has the biggest heart out of anyone on the team. We lost our games for both A sides but we won our B side games. Saturday was way too bloody hot to play rugby. When our game started on Sunday, it started to rain. That actually felt really good and made me feel hardcore. During the second half, I got taken into a ruck and one of the big forwards from UNI landed with her knee on my forehead. I guess I got knocked unconscious for about 20 or 30 seconds. When I came to the ball had already moved down the field. Louise said I wasn't moving for a little bit. She said she called my name three times but I only heard her say it the last time. I'd say that's a red letter day for me. First time getting taken off the field for an injury. That made me feel pretty damn BAMF too.

Only Fools Are Positive

Today was a pretty good day. I had a Chinese test that I feel pretty confident on and I got out of class early so I didn't have to rush to my US Foreign Policy class. It was really weird to be the first one in the classroom. We got our Psych tests back today as well. I didn't do quite as well as I had hoped but an 86 is still a respectable score. Work was nice. I did bread for pretty much the whole shift and I am getting better at it. I also got out 45 minutes early so I had time to take a nap before practice. The practice wasn't that hard but we did run unopposed at the end so that's usually a whole lot of running. It was kind of surprising because I was able to keep up relatively well. After practice, Abe, the forwards coach, pulled me aside and told me to work on my fitness. I know that may not seem like the greatest thing in the world or something that isn't totally obvious but I take it as a good sign. That means that he notices me. Noticing is good. He said that he sees a lot of potential in me when I get the ball. I'm hard to tackle and I can take down just about anyone. I need to work getting there to use those skills. Also, Mom, this will put you at ease. I got my Monday shift switched so now I am working the lunch rush from 11 to 2. That way I can take the bus when it starts snowing and I don't have to ride my bike at night.

"You Remind Me Of My Kitty"

So, it's my birthday. Nothing particularly special planned for today. I got about 50 posts on my Facebook wall with Birthday wishes so that was really nice of everyone. I went to class looking cute (P.S. Riding a bike wearing a skirt is not as hard as I thought it would be) Then I went back home took a nap made some dinner and had practice. It was sort of a frustrating practice but I survived relatively well. Then when I was walking back from practice what to my wondering eyes should appear but...Andrea! It was awesome that she came up for my birthday. It was great to see her. She gave me the movie Snatch and a really adorable note (and yes, it did make me cry a bit). Louise gave me a Mahjongg game for my laptop. I haven't installed it on my computer but I have a feeling that it will eat up hours of my life. Right now, Chris is playing some new rugby songs and they are rather amusing so now I shall end my entry.

Deep End

I am kind of freaked out right now. We have a game tomorrow. We are you playing two A side games against Central and Western. This means that I will be playing in an A side game. Yesterday's practice kicked my ass. I couldn't go on when we were doing sprints. It felt like my lungs were bleeding. Normally, no one calls me out for stopping but this time Abe told me to get my ass going. He was nicer than that but that's what I did. I was crying while I finished. I had no energy left to run but I kept going. I need a lot more work on my body but I think that I have the mental toughness to do it. In academic news, I got a 100% on my first dictation but kind of bombed out on the second one. Everyone sucked on it so she is changing up the set up for the next quizzes. Microeconomics is still really easy. I'm really glad that I took Econ in high school so all of it is old hat. I'm sort of worried about foreign policy but I'm really interested in the stuff that we are covering so the readings are so much easier to complete. I guess I'm just anxious about taking my first 300 level class.

FiSH

Today was the first day of Transitions training. It was kind of cool. It's tiring though. I did meet a lot of people and I got to talk to Shingi again for a little while. I'm the Transitions leader for 2nd floor Murray which is the huge building that's on the other end of campus from the other freshman dorms. Also, I got my work schedule. I will be working Monday 9pm to close, Wednesday 11 to 3:30 and Thursday 1:15 to 5. Thursdays will be pretty tight because I have class until 12:45 and then rugby from 5:45 to 7:30ish. At least I will be able to go home for weekends on Fridays after 9 am. I'm trying to be peppy about this but I am really tired right now. I worked out this morning, showered and then spent some time with Jenny and Becky. After that, I had to finish my GVSU quiz for Transitions and the rest of the day was spent doing Transitions related things. It was pretty productive but I still am not even close to unpacked.

This Is The Final Countdown

It's been a while since I've posted anything but that's probably because I haven't really done anything. I'm getting antsy about being at the house. I'm getting the feeling like I haven't taken my Zoloft. It's an anxious, jittery, irritable feeling but I have taken my pills. I think it's just from the idleness in my life. I did a lot of weight training today and I finished reading a book but that just doesn't seem like a whole lot. I have one week until I move out. I'm so excited about moving in and creating my own little home. I just love the feeling of being on campus. It's so alive and full of action. Knowing that there are people around all of the time reminds me of Taiwan. I miss being able to walk outside and knowing that there are people going out and having fun. Even though I didn't really buy anything, just walking around in a sea of people gives this incredible feeling of electricity and connection. I miss that.

Squeaky

One month and counting until I move back to Allendale. I am so excited! Believe it or not, I'm getting excited about cleaning products. I looked up some information about method products and I am very impressed. I also was unaware that they made hand and body stuff to. I knew that they did soap but that fits in with the whole clean thing but they do some very nifty stuff. All of their products are as environmentally friendly as humanly possible. The products themselves are biodegradable and the packaging is readily recyclable. Not to mention the fact that they smell great. It's awesome that more and more companies are picking up on the green trend so it's easier to take steps to make a smaller footprint on the earth. I also got super excited for buying silverware and cookware. I still don't have cookie sheets or baking pans but I have a toaster and pressure cooker. How awesome is that! I am just generally pumped for making my own home.

Pack It Up, Pack It In

I can't belive that Sunday night I am getting on a plane. Our room is full of suitcases, my roommates now realizing the sheer volume of all of the souvenirs they bought and the futility of their efforts to cram all of it back into their suitcases. I'm not going to pack until Sunday. Today was our last day of class. It was sad. I went out this morning and bought everyone mochi. It was delicious! I just discovered that the bakery down the street has mochi. I suppose that's a good thing. I got everyone's e-mail address from my class. They have mine. Hopefully, we can stay in touch but it was sort of funny because today we realized that we still don't know each other's real names. Pep, the Thai girl, asked me what she should call me. We only know each other's Chinese names and I don't know how to write those. It just struck me as kind of funny.

Final Countdown

I can't believe that we have less than a week left in Taiwan! Last night we had our final dinner at the Grand Hotel. It was so fancy. Everybody got dressed up in their snazziest. Of course, dress shopping here is especially difficult but I found some info on a shop with every size available so I decided to head out there Sunday night. Drew, wanting to avoid his homework as long as possible, came with me. We walked maybe 3 miles in crazy heat...uphill. At least it was night time. I wish I had written down the name or something so we could have asked for directions or gotten a cab. So we walked (actually it was more like hiked) all the way up Zhongshan, a two hour endeavor. We never found the store. I probably burned off and sweated out a full dress size. I was not happy but Drew is a sweetheart and didn't get mad about it or anything so I bought him a Slurpee for being such a trooper. Monday, I didn't do so hot on our dictation but neither did anyone else in my class so our laoshi postponed our test to tomorrow. Dinner was amazing. Everybody made me do the walrus (chopsticks under your top lip) and a good time was had by all.

Correspondance

I'm sorry for going so long without posting. We've been having issues with getting a proxy to work for the blogger. Lately, I've gone out with my buddy twice. We went out to an old military base to look at frogs. It was actually really fun. We got to hang out and have dinner with some Taiwanese hippies. Last night, we went out to a lounge bar with one of her friends. I'm the only one who is going out with their buddy outside of the allotted time on Wednesdays. Today, we learned how to make dragon whisker candy. It turns out that I am not cut out for a career in dragon whisker candy making. Mine looked like it got into a knife fight. Lately, class has gotten a little more difficult. The discrepancy between what the other people in my class know and what I know is becoming more apparent. Well, I wanted more of a challenge. Be careful what you wish for, I guess. I have not been feeling well at all lately. My stomach has actually gotten worse. That probably has a great deal to do with why I am so tired all of the time. In other news, Meg and I went hunting for our mail and I finally found mine. Everybody is getting a kick out of the card and the fact that Mom put in an update on the dog. I love my puppy. I can't believe that I'll be back in the States in a little more than a week. It's such a strange combination of feelings. I miss home and my friends so much but I also love being here. While we were trying to find out letters, I was actually able to converse in Chinese. I was speaking Chinese, with a Taiwanese dwarf none the less. There were some bits where she was talking too fast but all in all, I got the gist. It's amazing how much you can just absorb by being around the language all the time. There's nothing else like it. I don't know how the other kids in my Chinese class at GVSU are going to be able to keep up with us. The difference is night and day. I think most of it has to do with our confidence in our abilities. Either way, this trip was so worth it.

Be Cool, Stay in School

So, finally to the big reason I came here. We started classes on Wednesday and I have to say, it's a piece of cake. The only thing that I'm a little worried about is that I have to learn BoPoMoFo, which is a pronounciation system designed for people who are already fluent in Chinese. My laoshi says that pinyin (English alphabet spelling out Chinese words) isn't Chinese so we shouldn't bother. The thing is, it's exactly the same only they use symbols instead of letters. My class is made up of two Koreans, a Japanese girl who looks like the Asian version of the wife in the Sixth Sense, a really pretty lady from Thailand and a Turk who sucks at Chinese. Laoshi (teacher) actually used my handwriting as an example of how pretty handwriting can be. Something about how you don't have to be Asian to do well. I laughed, thinking back to Chiu Laoshi saying that I'm pretty but my handwriting is very much not so. I finished my homework for this weekend but I'm not super confident about the dictation that we have tomorrow. Instead of just vocab words like I'm used to, she reads whole sentences. The only problem is that I don't know all of the words in the sentences because they have had different vocab in previous chapters. I've been studying by writing all of the example sentences in the chapter but I'll let you know how that goes.
I wasn't feeling very well today so I stayed in bed for longer than I should have. This resulted in me going out alone for dinner at 9:30. I'm completely fine with that. It's amazing how safe I feel walking by myself in Taipei. The mentality is so different than the American predisposition towards crime. Shoplifting would be so easy but there is a level of trust that is really neat to see. It makes you feel good about people. I was walking back from the restaurant with my delicious pork fried rice when a man struck up a conversation with me. That happens when you are white and in Asia. People want to practice their English. It turns out that the man was from Malaysia. We talked in Chinese for a while. It made me happy that my skills are growing. His mother is Chinese so that's why he's studying the language. He goes to the same school as me. He's here until December. Did I mention how friendly everyone is here? Sometimes people look kind of scowly but if you smile, just about everyone smiles back. Except the white people. The white people look perpetually unhappy. It's to be expected I guess. Anyway, I have to drop off laundry in the morning so I have to get up early. Therefore, I'm going to bed. Love to all!

What A Relief!

Day 3
That was pretty much an all travel day. Mountain roads + very confident driver + not being able to see out the front= 0 contents in Chelsea's stomach. That was embarrassing. Then Jason, being the asshole he always is, made fun of me for it. He's a real sweetheart sometimes. We arrived in Hualien and I was, of course, grumpy and not really in the mood to walk around but Curtis said that I should at least get a lay of the land. I'm pretty sure that our tour guide was on something because he couldn't walk in a straight line and was really strange the entire trip. Being tired and irritable, I got phenomenally frustrated with following someone who would wander about 30 yards in achieving a forward gain of 10. As soon as Curtis said we were on our own, I went back to the hotel. I took a shower and felt considerably better. Since I didn't have deodorant I was sweaty and stinky along with having the remnant scent of eau de spew. The shower was particularly amazing because we had a tub and a shower curtain. I fell asleep hard and fast.

Day 4
Last day of the trip! I was tired and sick of being on a bus 10 hours a day as was everyone else. We went to Toroko Gorge. It was so beautiful there. We walked around in the park area and on the old road that was dug by the Army during the 50's. In the gorge, there were so many swallows zooming around. The curves of the gorge cause the wind to double back on itself so they were making these super tight high speed turns. It was a little shot of adrenaline just watching them. More driving. No more throwing up. Then we arrived at this little town that is famous for it's freshwater shrimp. They also had a ton of paddleboats out on the lake that the shrimp come from so we putzed around on those for a little bit. Then we were onto the shrimp...or the shrimp were onto us. It turns out the local specialty is drunken shrimp. The shrimp are thrown into rice wine and spices where they die. They don't die for a couple minutes so they are still alive when they get put on the table and still twitching when you eat them. It was definitely an experience. More driving and then we were back at Shi Da. It's strange how quickly a dorm room can feel like home. It was nice to be able to fall asleep in the same, although plywood-esque, bed.

The day after we got back to Taipei a group of us went to Taipei 101. The world's tallest building and home of the world's fastest passenger elevator. The elevators reach a top speed of more than a kilometer a minute, rising 89 floors in 37 seconds. The view was spectacular but it was definitely a touristy kind of thing. It cost 320 kuai for the student price to go up and then another 100 to go to the outdoor observation deck. I wore my brown knee length skirt. That was not the smartest attire for standing over 500 meters up. Think Marilyn Monroe x 10. Tomorrow classes are starting so I'm pretty hyped. I'm starting at chapter 11 and most of the other first years are starting at chapter 6. I've already read through the chapter and I don't think it's anything I can't handle. I'll let you know after I have class though. Wish me luck (and by luck, I mean a hot, single, straight guy with an accent)!

I'm Still Asleep

Sorry for the serious gap in between posts! I just got back from a four-day trip around the island of Taiwan. It was so much fun but I am so glad to be back at Shi Da.

Day 1
Our journey started out with Jess and I not being woken up so I had nine minutes to get ready and finish packing. I had most of it in my bag but I left out my deodorant and my towel…so I was quite the image of hygiene during the trip. We took a short bus ride to the Taipei Main Station where we boarded the high speed train. That was very cool! It looked like the inside of a commercial jet. The High Speed Rail travels at speeds up to 300 kilometers per hour so our journey to Chiayi only took an hour and a half. There, we met with our tour guide and bus driver. After a long and bumpy ride into the mountains, we stopped at a tea plantation. We got to see them drying and rolling the tea. It was interesting and it smelled so good. Then, we sampled some of the tea that we saw being made. The Oolong was very good but not worth 4000 NT ($120 US) per pound. After more long and bumpy driving, we arrived at Alishan. It was so beautiful there. We had lunch and then went on a very long, scenic hike. I got some amazing pictures of the trees and the mist. There was so much vibrance and life. It was a nice change in pace from all of the concrete of Taipei. The air was so clear even though the humidity was killer. Dinner was chicken soup made without water. It was all rice wine for the broth. That was a fun time. We walked back up the mountain to get back to our room. All of the girls had to share a room so that meant that six other people (technically only five because Tracy always sleeps with Jason) had to put up with my snoring. Therefore, I sat outside the room for a while and read to give the other girls some time to fall asleep before my rumblings commenced.

Day 2
The day started far too early. We received a wake up call at 3:40 AM. The sunrise on Alishan is one of the five wonders of the area. Train time was 4:20 and the sun was scheduled to come up at 5:21. It was cloudy so we didn’t get to see the sun break the horizon. It was still beautiful although there were too many people crowded into the area. Instead of taking the train back to the hotel, we just walked back since it was all downhill anyway. Breakfast was a disappointment. I was expecting at least a little bit of fruit or something fresh since we were in the tropics. It was all duck eggs, rice porridge and peanuts among other things of a similar nature. My saving grace was coffee and toast with Nutella. The majority of the day was spent on the bus. We got to Kunding around 4 o’clock. I got to go swimming in the Strait of Taiwan. It was fun but I got stung by several jellyfish. There was a camera crew on the beach that was filming, as Mike described it, “a combination of Girls Gone Wild and Mickey Mouse Club.” It was two teams of girls dressed in fairly modest bathing suits popping balloons on each other and such. Dinner that night was amazing. I took pictures of everything because it all looked so fancy. I didn’t upload them so everybody can see them when I get home. We had clams, lobster, mussels and all sorts of delicious goodness from the sea.



Four Day Trip Around Taiwan

Here's a little slideshow of my really pretty pictures from the trip. I need to get to sleep so I’ll tell of the rest of my travels tomorrow.

Rock Lobster

I am absolutely exhausted! Yesterday was an all day field trip around the north of the island. We had to leave at 7 am and I woke up at 6:30 because I had a late night the night before. Our first stop was Yeliu National Park. It was really beautiful. The area was created to protect all of the unique rock formations there. We hiked around (as usual for this trip) including out to an area that our tour guide said none of his groups ever go because it's too long and hot. It was on the leeward side so not only was it 37 degrees Celsius (98 Fahrenheit for those of you keeping track at home) and 85% humidity but there was no wind. The view was beautiful and with all of the stuff that I've been eating (can we say bakery?) I could definitely use the exercise. The water in the lagoon was such a perfect blue. After that we ate lunch in this town that is famous for its seafood. I forgot to take a picture but it was fantastic. We had snails, fried fish in this tangy red sauce, intestine (sounds gross but it's good) and some kind of shellfish that was really good too. After lunch, we rode the bus to the only lighthouse that is open to the public in Taiwan. It's called San Diego because the Spanish used to occupy the northern part of the island. Another very bumpy bus ride later, we arrived at the National Taiwan Art Center. It was sort of like a not very touristy section of Epcot. There was an old style scholar's farm house and a temple that we prayed at. Tony, our tour guide, was friends with one of the artisans that worked at the Center. He went to talk to him but when he saw Ashley he said he had to sculpt her. Everyone absolutely loves her here. She's going back to the Center to pick up her bust next week. Today, we did our own trip to this huge mall called the Living Mall. It's a giant sphere. I'll post a picture of it on WebShots. I bought a pair of Chucks but it is seriously hard to shoe shop here because they have so few things for my huge American feet. While I was shopping, I talked to some people. I still have a long way to go but I am gaining more and more confidence in my abilities. After all, I did get the highest score on the placement exam out of all the first years. Everybody met up again so we could get lunch/dinner together. I had nuo ro mian, beef noodle soup. It was delicious. A group of us really wanted to see Pirates and there was a movie theatre in the mall so we stood in line for a while but a lady came up to us and said that we would get into the 9 or 10 o'clock show at the earliest. That would get us back way past curfew so we decided that wasn't going to work and took the subway over to Westgate again. We shopped around more and tried to see Pirates at the theatre there but again no luck. I had to go pick up my laundry as soon as I got back so I'm going to take a nice long shower and get dressed in some freshly washed and folded clothes. Yippee!

Culture Club

We made paper umbrellas and played with puppets Tuesday. I can't believe that I'm getting credit for this! Yesterday we had a cooking class and that was so much fun. We made sweet and sour pork and a bunch of different vegetable dishes. I made tofu with green onion and shitake mushrooms. That was so good! I tried everything but there was this salty steamed egg custard that was really not my cup of tea. Later last night, we met up with our study buddies. Mine's name is Winnie. She is super cute!!! We went to Westgate in downtown Taipei. A bunch of people got noodles at this famous noodle stand but they were really hot and I was full from lunch so I didn't have any. Instead, I tried this drink from a bubble tea place. It's called ninmian duoduo. It's like a really thin yogurt mixed with lemonade. Now that I look at that description, it doesn't look that appetizing but it was perfect. It cooled me down and I'm so glad I asked Winnie to recommend something other than bubble tea. After that, we broke off into even smaller groups. Jessica, Chris, and I, all with our study buddies, just found a coffee shop to sit down in and just enjoy the AC. It was nice to just sit back and relax for a little bit. Now, I have to go get breakfast and then take my placement test. Wish me luck! P.S. I now have a Webshots account so you can look at my pictures here. http://community.webshots.com/album/559160595UcnMav?vhost=community

Already So Much But Not Close To Enough

Where do I start??? I have only been in Taiwan for 3 days and I have already experienced and learned so much. Classes haven't even started although we did have our orientation for the program today. It seems like we are always outside, always walking and always eating. I'm so glad that I have my Keens. I would have died without them. The first day I walked around with my roommates and the guys from across the hall for two hours. It turns out Taipei has a furniture/ appliance retail section of town. Office chairs, anyone? I did learn the word for bubble tea and have been making full use of it. It's kind of nice because it's a local thing but it also reminds me of home. Best of both worlds. Today, after orientation, we took a bus to the mountains on the north side of the Taipei basin. It was so beautiful. Words cannot do it justice and neither can the pictures that I took. We ate lunch at a restaurant in the village there. I highly recommend the wild boar if you ever go there. We met with Professor Smith's friend after lunch. He had a small pack of dogs around him that seemed to grow throughout the trip up the mountain. The view was absolutely spectacular. His house was in this secluded little nook that had a spa resort right down the road. After climbing a rather precarious set of steps, we reached the gate to his house. It was locked so he had to run up to get the key so he could open the gate. First of all, the house was set back so far that no one would go up there to commit any crime and second, what's the point of locking the gate when you can just go around and still get to the house. Did I mention he was slightly eccentric? The house was beautiful but the view put it to shame. We sat and ate bananas, dragonfruit and rose apples while drinking tea made from an herb that grew right there on the mountain. Afterwards, we joked around but a silence came over our group when we looked out onto the landscape and saw exactly what people mean when they call a mountain majestic. The lighting made it perfect. The sun was starting to set, defining every ridge and peak in the distance. I, unfortunately, was so exhausted on the bus ride back that I fell asleep and missed the view. Today has been amazing. Now, I'm going to take a cold shower to wake myself up. I still have a dinner to find!

Seasons of Love

I'm officially no longer a rookie. The season is over and my freshman year is almost done as well. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to handle not having rugby for the whole summer. The game yesterday was a lot of fun. I got to play in the A side game. That was definitely cool. We lost the first game. Kenny got a concussion from one of the scrums collapsing. She ended up falling upside down on her neck. She's OK but she had to go to the ER which meant that we lost her and Nelly for the second game. I started in the second game. I even got the first hit. That was a great feeling. It instantly took away all of the tiredness that I had from the first game. It was fierce too. I also caused my first injury. I tackled U of I's tighthead pretty well because she messed up her ankle and had to be helped off of the field. I was pretty proud of me. I did get pretty sunburned even though I put on sunblock. I have a lovely rugger tan from just below my knee cap to about four inches up my thigh. I got a few speckly bruises but nothing too dramatic. I also broke a few blood vessels from scrumming on my shoulder. I spent most of today napping because I was so wiped out from yesterday. I did study geography and read through some of my Chinese. I also went through my T'ai Chi form three times on the lawn between Niemeyer and Pew. I got a few strange looks from that. Meh.

This Is My Pissed Face

I am so beyond livid. My GPY 235 exam is covering Africa. We haven't even touched Africa. The class is called WORLD regional geography. Professor Xu spent way too much time on Europe so we have to cram a ton of things in. I did the extra credit and the mapping assignment. If I ace both of those for full points, the most that I can get in that class is a B-. I have attended every single class and I pay attention. I study but that last exam screwed me over. The class average was 62%. I think that warrants a curve. However, we get no curve. A 62% indicates something wrong with the professor, not that the class is lazy. When he said that Africa was going to be on the exam, I raised my hand to bring to his attention that a final exam is to test us on what we have learned throughout the semester. Putting things that we haven't learned on the final is setting us up for failure.

Under Rug Swept

Kaity is being so passive aggressive right now. She was just cleaning the blinds in our dorm with a paper towel and muttering about how she does it every week. I offered to help and she just started rattling off all of the things that still needed to be done. None of which I could have done at the time. Then she said something about how she has spent so much money on cleaning supplies for our room. I offered to reimburse her for my half. More grumbling only this time about how I don't care if the room is clean. Gah!!! I'm glad I only have two more weeks and then I can move out.

I Simply Have To Take Over

I hacked off my hair and dyed it. I have gotten a lot of compliments on it. I happen to think that it is adorable.

Clarence the Emo Llama

Errata

I am going to Taiwan again. I can do this. Now that I know that Hannah is in better shape than we thought and that if I cancel, I owe a shit-ton of money, I'm going. Now I'm freaking out about a whole new set of issues.

Homebody

After much thought and consideration, I have decided not to go to Taiwan this summer. I need to be here for Hannah. She is my baby and I have to be with her in her time of need. I know it sounds stupid to cancel such an amazing opportunity for a dog but I love her so much. I've never felt something in my soul before. Now, I feel with all of my being that I can't go on this trip this summer. I can work and earn more money. I also want to spend more time with all of my Plainwell friends. I will be able to go next year. I even think that I will be able to gain more from the trip after second year because I will be able to communicate more effectively so I can do more when I get there. The passport thing was also a factor in making this decision. It could have been overcome but it has been a major source of stress in my life. Either way, I feel that this is the right decision for me right now.

In Memoriam

Soozy
12 April 1991 - 30 March 2007

I miss you, Soozeroo. I don't remember a time before you but now I've had about an hour without you. I don't like it very much. I'm so sorry that you yelped when they stuck the needle in but like I told you, that was the last time it was ever going to hurt. We all knew it was your time to go but that doesn't mean that I won't miss you. Love you, baby.

Backpedal

Practice kicked my ass today. It wasn't even that hard of a practice but I didn't eat anything before so my blood sugar bottomed out and I just couldn't catch my breath. It's just another reminder that I have a long way to go. I hate not being able to keep going. I know that I could have pushed myself harder. That's what is killing me. I need to push myself harder. The only thing I can do now is not make the same mistake again.

They Have Llamas in Kansas City

It's been a while since I've posted anything. Since the last post, I've gone to Kansas and back and come one week closer to being done with my freshman year. It's amazing how fast the Taiwan trip is approaching. I came to the realization that I'm hosed when it comes to my passport. I just tried calling the NPIC again and couldn't get through. I am getting stressed out about this so much. I also have a test in Geography. I'm relatively confident. I've gone to all of the classes and have done well on the geography exams in the past. Hannah has gotten better after a visit to the vet. We had our first game of the season on Saturday. We won against Ferris 19-14 and got our asses kicked by the U-23 Select Side team. That was no big surprise. I did get a good scrape and bruise. It felt good to go all out on the pitch. That's about it. Now, I close with an awkward haiku.

My glass of water
Is no longer in the glass
My pants are now moist

Fifty Nifty United Posts!

I'm going to Kansas!!! I'm crazy excited although I am a bit sad that I won't get to spend much time at home. I got a 95 on my Chinese oral midterm. I had a test in Tai Chi that I feel pretty good about but last time I felt good about a test in Tai Chi, I got a C. I pay attention and I come to every class so I don't know why I didn't ace it. Right now, I'm going to try and not let that get me down. I can't wait to not have to worry about classes for a whole week. It will be lovely. Rugby practice was alright last night. I was able to finish the whole thing through although the sprints at the end just about killed me. I was wheezing and such and it felt like I was going to fall over but I finished. I also kept up with everybody in our warmup jog. It was a good 4 minutes and normally I fall behind doing just one lap around the pitch. Abe even noticed that I was putting my whole self into practice. I'm still far below average but at least he is recognizing the amount of effort I am putting in. I think I might go work out tonight at the fieldhouse. Just jog and such. It's not a whole lot but I am recovering from practice and it's better than nothing. Also, I plan on jogging during break. I know I've said it already but I am so hyped!

Jelly Legs

Tonight was the first practice of the spring season. I forgot how bad that it kicks my ass. However, I will lose a lot of weight with the massive amount of running that we do. We have to do a mile and a quarter before we even get to doing drills. It felt really good to get back with the team. I just found out that yet another vet is off the team. Just Kelly is pregnant. So that makes two baby showers for the rugby team. We lost Grace, Crotch, Bose, and Nikki to injuries. It already feels like a totally different team. I'm not sure if I like it. We still have Terra, Sarah B, Erin and Miki so we still have a good core but all of the really loud girls (with the exception of Terra) are gone. It feels weird to be one of the girls that knows what is going on. I hope this season goes well. I know that I'll lose weight and hopefully improve my stiff arm but I won't be on A side any time soon but at least I'm taking steps toward making A side a reality.

Sell Out

The Vagina Monologues are amazing. The audience on Wednesday was the best it could possibly be. They were perfect. I got way more laughs than I expected. Last night, the crowd was a little off. They laughed at parts that weren't meant to be funny. We did, however, nail our skit. It was really satisfying. Afterwards, all 5 of us went out to Eastown to get food. I got hot and sour soup from Szechuan Gardens and falafel from the Pita House. It was so good. We ate it back at the green room. Everybody got jealous because our food smelled so fantastic. I'm sort of sad that tomorrow is our last performance. I've had so much fun being a part of the cast and I am really glad that I did this. Both of the performances were completely sold out including the 10 ghost seats that we were supposed to hold in reserve. I think tomorrow will sell out too. I like the feeling of being in a successful production and raising money for a very worthy cause at the same time.

Good Things Happen To Bad People

In my usual studiousness or lack thereof, I have put off my papers for my Asia class. Normally, this would result in a great deal of caffeine and no social life while I hammer away at the keyboard. However, this blast of winter weather has changed the circumstance. We don't have class today so the paper that was supposed to be due obviously can't be handed in. I also had a research paper due this coming Wednesday. Again, Professor Benjamin is awesome and was more than happy to give an extension because the library is closed. This brush with deadlines will most likely motivate me to at least get the response paper done and the research paper started. I make no guarantees about having it done at least one day in advance but I will definitely not be writing the entire thing the night before. Kaity is a little miffed about it because she had it done a week ago and now I am being rewarded for my procrastination. C'est la vie! The Housing Lottery was cancelled but I am fine with that. They said that more information would be posted tomorrow on what the assignment process will be now. I only have a 3 day school week. My boy situation seems to be on the up and up. Snowball is this weekend. Pretty much, nothing can ruin my positivity.

Silly Boys

I've been hit on by three different guys today. It was kind of weird. I don't know why they are suddenly noticing me but I don't mind one bit. It's not that anything will happen of any of it but it's really nice to feel pretty and desireable. I pretty much aced my dictation today. I did fudge the character for night a little bit but the rest of it, I think I nailed spot on. Chiu Laoshi, my professor, said that I had very good pronunciation today and that I sounded like I was actually Chinese. I took that as a very high compliment. She is so sweet and bubbly. I adore her! I'm really excited because she is also the professor for 200-level Chinese. I also asked her today what my name means. Qiao means articulate and crafty. Xi means white but it also means clearheaded. I like it. She said that now that she has had me in class for a few weeks that she knows it is a very good name. I have a week and a half to do my Asia papers. I know that I can't procrastinate too much but it is nice to have that cushion.

Vida Diario

I haven't blogged in a good long while so I thought I might post something while I have a few extra minutes. Things are going well. I've been trying to get into the gym everyday. I don't always but I'm able to run longer now. I did 5 minute intervals of running then 5 of rest. I got a few of those in. I'm still no where near A-side fitness but I'm doing what I can to get there. I'm going home this weekend. I need to write my geography paper that's due on Thursday and get working on my research paper for Asia about the Xia Dynasty. I'm working on these things long in advance. I need to get ready for class now. Just thought I'd post an update.

Loose Ends

I'm finally done with my scarf. I'm happy with my new history prof. I'm leader of my Chinese class. I think things are falling into place. I still am getting back into the groove but I know after this past semester that I can not only survive but I can thrive in the college environment, especially here at Grand Valley.

Insomnia...In A Good Way

I can't sleep right now. I've had this happen several times but right now, it's because I'm just really happy. Partly because Kaity got me the advanced copy of "You Suck," the sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends. Partly because I'm back on campus and I get to start classes (finally!) today. And partly because boys, although frustrating and confusing, are adorable. I don't know if anything will be happening on that front but I hope it will. I'm going to try and go to sleep now. Wish me luck.