4- vier

I’m a terrible procrastinator. Got caught up watching “Letters from Iwo Jima” last night

But still

11/3/2011

2^nd session of APPG class, as well as IS. My dad told me about his summer school experience when he was in university many years ago, and I’m afraid whatever he told me is exactly happening now. I’m following his advice (like many times before) and just focusing on the modules instead of letting my mind wander to things like shopping, spending and all the deemed normal things to do on vacation.

I’m not normal to begin with.  

This isn’t a vacation. This is life as a foreign student. I don’t mind leading this kind of lifestyle. I guess this is the price you would have to pay if you would want to attain an education overseas. Not that I mind paying it. I would gladly do it. I still like the boundary push.

APPG class. I need more practice. And more practice. It’s like learning a new language to me. I took 4 weeks before understanding the basic COMPRO. I better start at APPG. I only have 3 weeks to learn everything.

Didn’t bring my camera out to class today, there was an art demonstration lesson. The school had an experience master to come into class to demonstrate to us Chinese knot tying and “word painting”(representing each individual Chinese character with drawings of fish, flowers and etc.) I have heard of the master before, but I didn’t expect the university would actually invite him to give us an art lesson. I had learnt some really basic Chinese art before, and it felt like a refresher to me. 

I respect the master a lot. For him to stay dedicated to his craft to such a long period of time require not just patience, it also involves facing rejection and sometimes passion to stay on for so long. Compared to me, where I give up a bit too easily at times, he has certainly mastered the art of dedication. Kudos to people who can do what they want and like for a very long time. 

And then, we were told to head back to classroom after dinner at about 730.

730 came and we were walking through the campus in the dusk. The campus certainly looks different then what it is in the day. The well worn corridors look like straight off a horror movie set, and some of the corridor lights were not even switched on. For the record, I don’t even like horror movies-.- Amazingly some of the classroom lights were still on. Sirs explained to us that there were night classes or study sessions going on, and could we keep our volume down while walking out?

No we can’t. Sorry. 

Night lessons in Singapore are usually linked to evening classes, tuition, but an extension of regular day lessons are unheard of. Not in Tianjin. This shows a lot about their culture, how they pride hard work, education, and they are willing to sacrifice their free time in the evening to do extra study sessions, compared to us Singaporean students, where such things would only occur during the exam preparation period. I am somebody who does that.

My Buddy was texting me all afternoon. I think she’s going to have a hard night study session