That's what I go to school for!

From a pink gorilla on Monday to wine from my drinking bottle on Friday. 

This was a very normal week. I got a LOT of work done but nothing exciting happened, really. So let me take you through a typical day of studying and uni:

I usually start my day at around 8:30 am. I have breakfast, consisting of four slices of bread (in Germany we call it toast, because it doesn't deserve to be called bread), and then I make my way to uni after having a quick shower. It's about a 20-minute-walk to the Michigan Union, where I usually study in one of the community halls. On my way to the Union I listen to music to start the day on a positive note - see what I did there? - and pick up my spirits. Depending on how I feel that morning I either dip into my "Have a Great Day"- or my "Chill Out"-playlist. If I feel really crazy in the morning, I might even start the day with my "Sing Along In The Shower"-playlist. In the community hall I sit down at one of the many long tables, which are already occupied by busy students for the most part.

At 11 am I have to leave the Union for my anthropology lecture. That's a good thing. The lecture is fun and my brain usually isn't up to speed in the morning, making one hour of studying more than enough!

After one hour of listening to my professor talk about human diversity (very fun, I can only recommend it), I usually walk back to the Union - listening to music, of course - grab a snack at the food court and reclaim my seat in the community hall which is even more filled up by now. That is fantastic, because the more people I think might be watching me study, the more focused I have to be on not letting them down in believing that I am a good student. I never waste a thought on why anybody would want to watch me study, but as long as I am productive, that's fine. Now I really have to get into Chinese. I've only got 2 hours and there is usually a lot to review, preview or prepare for Chinese class. From 2 to 3 pm we have our class.

Afterwards I usually have one hour until my next class, which is either my anthropology discussion, communication and advertisement lecture or communication and advertisement discussion. All of those are fun, but I tend to have to do a reading in the one hour I have before they start. Most of the time it's 5:30 pm when that class is over. Afterwards, I return to the Union to review the day's material.

At night I either have to work, write a blog entry for Arts at Michigan or go to a meeting of some sort (usually for WCBN). On average, I return home at around 8 or 9 pm. If I muster the motivation and self-discipline to go to the gym, which I usually don't, I do so. Not going is a shame, since the gym is super well-equipped.

If I actually made it to the gym, I just fall into bed at around 11:30 pm, after having a quick dinner and doing some laundry or writing for this Blog or doing some necessary paperwork for the German government. I then have a little time to extend my Chinese skills in a fun way. At the moment, I am watching a Chinese TV-show, I can only describe as an action-telenovela. It is quite interesting and it's a great way to learn the language and culture in a more or less fun manner. They have English and Chinese subtitles for it, so I can follow.

An episode is 40 minutes long, so when I'm done I go to sleep to get enough rest in order to kick ass the next day. And that's about it!
That is pretty much every weekday during the semester. On weekends I have time to go grocery shopping and sometimes even to maintain a social life. This weekend is a long one, too. It's Martin Luther King Day, so no class and no work on Monday. After missing out on Epiphany it's only fair that I get a freebie! In this spirit I wish America a happy Martin Luther King weekend and everybody else... a nice Monday. Hope you enjoy it!