Even in a city of seven million, 3 a.m. is a quiet time. So quiet, in fact, that I can hear crickets from 16 stories below. They have no idea that their serenades are broken only by intermittent crunches of Crispix mix coming from apartment 1604. My sleep has been dictated by circadian rhythm; after going to bed around 7 pm, I woke up and soon found that I was thinking and planning – a sign that my body is ready to expel some energy. I'll likely be up a few hours and will assimilate to a regular sleeping cycle before the sun comes up. Not bad.
Most of the students have returned. Classes resume on Monday, August 22, with only the freshmen being exempt because of mandatory military training that will last for at least two weeks. Since all of my classes are first-year students, that means I don't start teaching until after most of my colleagues do. I also finish later, but with international flights and an apartment yearning for some overdue dusting, I prefer to have the shifted semester. Plus, freshmen crack me up, and I gladly teach them despite the different schedule and the commute across town to get to their campus.
My arrival at the airport on Saturday night was celebrated by two friends, one being a local taxi driver and the other being a former student whose English name has been affectionately altered by my team to always begin with “Terrific.” Within minutes of stepping into my familiar little dorm apartment, I had to decide if I wanted to go to bed with or without a shower. With my water heater being unplugged for the summer, it was an easy choice. No hot water = no shower. I washed my face, brushed my teeth and unfolded some mismatched sheets.
Within the few minutes of settling down for some needed sleep, I received two messages. One was from Foster. He was already in the dorm of my lobby. I explained to him that I looked and felt like an extra off of “Tales from the Crypt,” and asked for a 24 hour delay. He understood. The second message was from a friend whom we met through our fellowship. He said that he had reserved a karaoke room for us after the service on Sunday, if I was up for it. I laughed out loud. Who else in their right mind would be ready for karaoke less than a day after being awake for 30 hours? I graciously declined, and he was as gracious in accepting my reply. But soon, very very soon....
