I wrote, in Yangzhou, about how annoying my online class is, but I don’t think I wrote about actually doing the work. One evening in Yangzhou, I was trying to finish my homework so I could go out with my friends. Everyone was meeting at a bar by the water, in fact, most of the crew was already there, and I was hoping to finish my work in time to join them. I remember sitting my room, and texting updates to my friend Rob, who lived upstairs from me, so we could share a cab downtown to meet our friends.
Finishing my homework so I could go out with my friends is not exactly how I expected to spend my thirties, and I’m not sure I expected to do it in China, either, but I plowed through my math problems and met up with Rob. We had a great chat, and an easy ride over, and met up with friends for drinks and laughs by the gorgeous canal. Some parts of Yangzhou are how I imagine ancient China, the hanging willows and curved bridges and arched roofs, and everything now is all outlined in colored neon lights, reflecting in the water. I think about that a lot back in the US.
Anyway, I’m finishing up this class at home now, and every time I open my math lab account, I think of that evening.
