I'm waiting for my laundry to finish drying before I go to bed, so I'll make the most of the spare time by posting a new entry, which I haven't done in quite a while. The power went out in the boathouse today and apparently it'd only be restored by nightfall, so we didn't go down for practice at the lake. Instead, we played Ultimate Soccer (exactly like Ultimate Frisbee, just that you use a soccer ball, which you don't kick, but throw) at Burns Park, which doesn't sound like much of a training session, but it was a tremendous cardio workout (just think of it as really fun but intense intervals). It was a blast and something I appreciated quite a bit! I haven't had the chance to play any ball games since coming to UMich, there simply hasn't been enough time. How I miss the basketball games! Especially those back in NYGH.

Rowing practice has been improving- we're finally getting the hang of the motion which started off as being rather alien, but there're so many things to think about all at once, like blade depth, hand spacing, getting into the catch position, the drive and sweep of the blade... but perhaps what's the most important and also the hardest to get is the coordination between all 8 of the rowers. So far we haven't rowed all 8 yet, we typically rotate through pairs, fours, or sixes. When you watch people row it always looks like it's a breeze matching the other 7 rowers stroke-for-stroke, but in reality it's no easy task. Especially when the boat isn't set (balanced) and it's tilting down to the side your oar is extended towards, you tend to get your blade stuck in the water when you don't drive through with enough force or speed. And it's really quite funny when it happens because your oar will be stuck fast in the water, in front of you, and so you will open your mouth to unleash a string of profanities, and thereafter promptly be rendered speechless by the oar handle thwacking you in the stomach with a dull thud followed by an induced expelling of the air in your belly. We rowed with only 7 rowers once, and so the boat was perpetually displaced towards starboard (the side with more rowers) and I kept getting stuck which was entirely awful. It caused me to swear unceasingly (some people can testify to my colorful vocabulary when faced with situations of extreme peevishness, right, Lihui? Haha!).

We've got our first 6km trial on the ergometer next Friday morning, just before the start of Fall Study Break (which lasts till Tuesday). I quake in fear just thinking about the prospect of a 6km trial. It's kind of daunting- the idea of rowing my heart and lungs out at max speed for about 25-30 minutes on the erg doesn't sound like a way that I'd want to spend my Friday morning (especially since I get to sleep a little longer on Friday mornings, since I don't have classes on Fridays). Crap. We did a 3km followed by a short rest and a 2km at Tues morning practice a few days back- and it wasn't all that nice. Argh. Argh. Okay I'll just take everything one step at a time! Or, more literally, one pull at a time.

This previous week has really been a busy one for me- I had my 2nd German test on Wed, followed by our first Cultural Anthropology exam on Thurs. Thankfully, everything went smoothly- I must say I was pretty encouraged by my German test results. Phew. Two papers due next week, one Political Science paper on democracy and a Great Books essay on the Odyssey. And of course, invariably, practice everyday. It's a busy life but I enjoy it tons. I guess I'm getting the opportunity to really experience college life in an overseas environment to its fullest. Before I reached Ann Arbor, I told myself that I'd never want to miss out on getting to know people from all sorts of backgrounds and places, because people had warned me that Singaporeans tend to form cliques (especially in schools like UMich where there's a sizable Singaporean population) and hardly get to know anyone else really well. But the girls on the Michigan Crew team have been fantastic- they're people I can get along so well with, and the fact that we're on a team together helps to reinforce and strengthen the friendships. They're great people. Sehr fantastisch (to put ein bisschen (a little) Deutsch into practice). Haha! Das ist gut.

Okay I think my laundry should be done by now. Will blog sometime soon (maybe the next time I wash my clothes! Lol.)