The wee hours of the night.

So here it is, 1:56 AM, and I have yet to go to sleep. I'm eating an apple and watching a movie about Moses in the hopes that learning about the exile of the Jews will tire my body out and lull me to sleep. Fat chance. I've never felt more awake. I feel like this is my body preparing myself for the jet lag I will experience next Wednesday.

I finished grading all 96 final exams today. Whew. Each section took about 4 - 5 hours to grade. In one of my classes, I predict that a good half the class will fail the course. No, I'm not kidding, although I wish I was. The class is constructed in such a way that students can easily cheat, copy, or coast with little effort. However, with the final exam, the truth comes out. I have mixed feelings about this: I hate to fail hardworking students who just aren't at the level they need to be, but in reality, some of my students deserve to fail.

This is not an uncommon occurence. I received a sheet in my mailbox informing me that last semester, over 600 first-year students failed ENG 103. It makes me feel a little better that this is not a reflection of me as a teacher; I have some students who were motivated, questioning and hard-working; those students are getting A's and B's.

I have one more final to proctor on Monday. Hopefully I'll be finished calculating most of the final grades tomorrow. And then, time to watch A LOT of in-flight movies.

I can't really believe that I'm going home in five days. It seems strange to think of being in the US after more than four months in Thailand. I've forgotten what it is like. My mom asked me what I wanted to eat while home and I couldn't even remember what American people eat in their everyday lives. All I know is that I'll be eating nothing but cereal for the first week. I can't afford cereal here on my salary as a box of Lucky Charms costs about $9 USD, quite expensive.

Moses is still wandering in the desert. Another 39 years of exile to go. Sleep, come soon!