I have a few minutes! Yay.

So I'm heading into the home stretch of my first semester here in Shanghai and things are busier than ever. I have a feeling things are about to get even busier in fact. It is also extremely cold here, freezing, sometimes I can't handle it. Most of the time I'm shivering and when I'm not shivering, I'm thawing. The weirdest part is that the practice rooms are not heated (at least not on the weekends) and even when they are heated, they aren't that warm. 

At least it's better than when my teacher was studying here. In my lesson today he told me that they had to practice in the old building where it was all cement with no windows. Basically they were freezing. Professor He said when they were practicing for exams he would stand on a wooden chair just so that he wouldn't have to stand on the cement floor. They played really fast...apparently. So that made me feel better. 

I am working hard, and I think I might be getting somewhere...hopefully. I have a feeling that the next month or 33 days to be exact will fly by. I have exams on the 19, 25, and 31 of December and then the final solo technical exam on January 5th. Throw a few extra performances in there (orchestra and the string quartet) and some Chinese classes, and there is a lot to do. Most of the time, I feel like I barely have enough time to breathe, much less time to eat or sleep. Although, I always seem to find time on the weekend to make a pilgrimage to the fabric market with Joanna. That place is like some kind of fly trap for me, and I'm the fly. Once you're there, there's no leaving without being measured and handing over some cash for a delightful custom made piece! 

And now I should get on to some Chinese homework or more practicing...or any number of other things...maybe some pomelo...delicious!