Christmas is sort a meaningless time for me. In the United States I typically worked at a busy hotel during Christmas week. I remember the drill. Work about 80 hours over the span of 7 days, vomit in the parking lot, and start all over again for New Years week. Well, I guess it did have some meaning after all because I am still close to a handful of coworkers.
First, I slept 12 hours a day or more every day this week. I felt guilt because I intended on doing some task such as studying or completing my FEA blog. My new acquaintance told me not be feel guilty; the sleep is the result of 16 weeks of fatigue. Ah yes, my new friend is a Korean man who moves around with the assistance of a wheel chair. He told me that I have unlimited possibility. You know that when your parents or a professor says that those words usually it goes in one ear and out the other. However, when a man that is unable to walk says those words it makes oneself think. I was born with a gift, I can use my legs. If I do not make the best of my life, I would be letting that gift go to waste.
Second, after successfully fighting the university’s wifi, I video chatted with some dear people. I chatted with a woman that I used to live with last year. For the first time that I can recall, she smiled when she saw me. I really wish I was a stronger, smarter, more mature, more masculine man. As a result, maybe she would be interested in dating me. I also chatted with my parents. Their smiles also made me feel well. In the past, I thought things such as sex or delicious food brought happiness. Today, I know that making mom and dad happy brings greater happiness.
Finally, it is time to study. For fun, I will buy and complete book that teaches some basic Chinese words and characters. Many Korean words have Chinese origins. Learning the Sino roots of the words helps me remember them, rather than just memorization. I will also complete the workbook of my Korean class’s text. I am really disappointed in my beginners’ Korean class. Out of 15 chapters, we only did 8 chapters. When I open the book I feel as if I wasted 4 months of time. This may be selfish but I curse the teacher of that class every time I study. The teacher did not teach my class because many of my classmates were just plain lazy. Sometimes I feel so angry about that class that I can not think, eat, or sleep. I will take intermediate Korean in the spring. I refuse to waste any more of my precious time and scholarship sitting bored in lazy children’s classes. I will study every day, meet my tutor, and take a supplemental class. That will propel me to the level that I think I should be at. 