Still, the week has demanded as much of me as teaching full time usually does. Yesterday morning, my bones felt heavy with fatigue as I reluctantly left the refuge of bed and headed to the immediate comfort of coffee and morning reading. Two hours later, I was doing kung fu maneuvers with the Canuck and our eager instructor, The Orphan (see 'orphan' tag for backstory).
After a lunch of homemade hamburgers - my punishment for losing a friendly bet - I felt my body beginning to wage silent protest against any ambitions I had for staying awake. The Orphan told me story after story, and being a quiet audience of one soon forced me to confess how tired I was. We agreed to rest for a while. It pleased me to know that he felt at home enough to stretch out on my sofa and make complete use of it and its pillows. I returned to the bed that I had been forced to abandon earlier in the day. I fell asleep to the gentle motor of an oscilating fan.
Sleep brought a temporary halt to a schedule that, while rich in company, has been meager in reprieve. One of my friends once said of her self-imposed breakneck days, "I can sleep when I'm dead." I will never ever understand that.
PHOTOS FROM THE PAST WEEK:
Above and below: learning how to make jaozi (Chinese dumplings) at a friend's house
Below: friends + chun bing (Chinese style burrito in which a flat pancake is stuffed at the table with whatever filling has been ordered -- one of my favorite things to eat in THE WHOLE WORLD)
Below: Japan rockin' the mic at ktv.
