Sometimes I start to dislike the casual environment in American university classes. Not to talk about the "plausible" excuse for coming late to a class that it is a 9:00 class, or high heels walking into the classroom ten minutes into the hour, those are supposed to be normal now. Sometimes I just don't get it, students keep on walking out of the classroom during lecture times. Is it too easy for them? Or do they have to pee? Or do they not care? I can't picture myself in the position of the professor. I would be furious. But again, maybe everything is fine after five years of teaching. I mean, the professor probably spends hours preparing the lecture, and people keep walking out in intervals of two to five minutes, college students are at least supposed to know how to respect other people's work, right? Maybe I am just being picky here, not that i haven't done stuff like that. Just feel there should be something done to make it better.

  Oh I hate these French rules about usage of articles. I never seem to get them right. Really can't wait till two years later, I can picture myself being able to speak French so-so in couple of years, but now, there all the expectation and frustration to deal with. What was it like when I started learning English? Am I too old to learn a new language? Le Francais ...

"And I don't think that's the right proof, so I'll leave it as a homework for you to prove. That's it for this time." And so ends another typical Topology class, with everyone sitting on his/her own seat and smiling to each other in accordance to the professor's special kind of "humor": that he didn't prove what he started out to prove and left it for us as a homework. So many times has it happened that it's like another theorem for the class.

After two weeks of miths and riddles from the mumbles of the professor, the stuff finally starts to make some sense. Although everyone is just about as lost in the subject as we were during the summer break. All we are hoping is that he doesn't have tough tests before we can  get a grip on the material. It's funny to think about the fact that this class was initially designed to be a mixed freshman-seminar and 200-level math course. Never can imagine how they can pull it  through like that. I'm not being sarcastic about this, but hopefully I can do just a little better.

 

IT's so hard, and I finally gathered myself and thought about renewing my space. IT seems like days and it's already three weeks into the new semester. Maybe because I am living it by the week.

We just had a new student reception two weeks ago. IT's so amazing, seems like all the high school graduates are coming here for college. Five out of nine from our school was present, 6 or so from WPI, and then 14 from WSC, even a silly kid from UMASS Amhurst. Suddenly church is having a tough time dealing with all the students and accomodating them. Not to talk about all the graduates. It seems like the Lord is putting a little more burden on me to involve Clark, since Quan, Liching, Amy are all leaving in a year. Please take me through what I need to do, that what you give me is what is best for me.

Finally, after two years of practice and one year of waiting, I am able to be a Calculus tutor. The first couple of experiences are pretty interesting, I am sensing the possibility of the freshness running out and the boredom of routine kicking in after couple of months. At least it's getting to know more people. And I keep on thinking about the first ever "victim" of my tutoring, she dropped her Calculus class one month before the finals, that's two months after I started helping her. And she even ended up leaving Clark. I still feel guilty about it. Sometimes, expecting too much wouldn't help.