FRIDAY THE 13TH CAME LATE FOR ME

Do you ever hear that pregnant women start to get kinda airheaded about the simplest things? Don't worry mom, I'm not pregnant - but I am an airhead this week.

I took on a small side job to edit ten pages for an art catalog. I knew it was gonna be tight and that I'd probably have to pull a late night but the chaos that has transpired from the situation has proved to be much more stressful than was ever expected.

I received the text on Tuesday night. I worked on it, in between classes and all Wednesday night, and was only able to finish five pages. So I continued on through Thursday. I was in the computer lab at school, working on the last page when the gentleman who is in charge of locking and unlocking the school comes in and gives me the look (he only speaks Polish) that it's time to close up. I freak. I have one more page to do (which takes me about an hour) and no access to the internet aside from the dungeon that is referred to as the teacher's room.

So I pack up my stuff (the computer was also shut down so I had to boot it up just to send the pages I did have), walk the half hour home and freak. I call my friend that hooked me up with the job and explain that I have no idea what to do. I finally finish the last page and attempt (after much freaking) to find an internet cafe that my Polish (but English speaking) friend has given me directions to. My housemate and I walk a half hour to this supposed cafe and after walking around aimlessly (and attempting to get information from drunk people with the use of our more than elementary Polish), end up finding that it no longer exists. In its place is a skeezy bar with only two Thursday-drinkin' patrons.

All this time, the main coordinator is sending me texts telling me how important it is to have it and not understanding that I am trying but just have no means to send it. I write him back and tell him I can't send it that night but that he'll have it by 6:55 in the morning.

I of course get no sleep.

I wake up at 4:45, shower, freak some more (I have also not planned my lesson that I have to teach at 7am) and then start walking to school. I finally make it, send the email with the attachment, and then of course realize that I sent the wrong file. So I quickly send it again and go to class (after ten minutes of preparation). I'm a few minutes late for class and then realize that I left the tape recorder and listening exercise in the teacher's room, 3 floors down in the basement. So I give my students an exercise, haul ass down to the room, get the recorder and then hike back up to the classroom.

I make it up there and begin going over the "fun" exercise I had planned for them. It's a true false questionairre where you bet on whether you know the right answer. Well, one of the questions was, "You keep a dustbin in the kitchen." Well, my understanding of a dustbin seems to be different than that of the Brits (I'm finding that a lot lately) and so after my explanation, I was adamantly told by one of my students that I was wrong. Insert the fact that in the meantime, my phone has rung about 3 times with a number I think belongs to the gentleman I sent the file to. So not only does the student claim that I'm wrong but he pulls out his laptop, boots it up, and begins looking on the internet for the right answer. Unreal! I was so frazzled and annoyed. I just wanted to run out of there and cry.

So finally my class ends and I head down to the teacher's room. I check my phone and see that the coordinator has texted me asking for the file. He says I sent him the one from last night (which I did accidentally send first but quickly thought I sent him the correct one). So I jump online and pull up the second email and see that I sent it to my friend back home with the same first name. What a mess! I just gave up there.

So I'm hoping that the rest of my day will be better because as you know, it's Kluczbork! I'm planning fun Halloween activities with the class and am super excited. Just keep your fingers crossed that everything goes well-it's my first time driving there alone and with the day I've been having...