考试 → Kǎo Shì → Test (exam)

The dreaded test. At least this isn’t that final test where you slave upon sleepless nights to prepare (#IB), but it still shows how good you are already compared to other classmates. Looking around the room, it seems as though I’m the only one not hitting 20 yet, and I don’t seem to be the brightest, as most actually seem quite fluent speaking Chinese, surprisingly enough. Classes begin tomorrow, so I’ll know the people I hang out with for the next several weeks as I learn more of the language.

In some ways, me being here is a sort of test. I try to live alone, do everything alone, with minimal outside support. The prospects seem bleary, but I guess I’ll have to see how it goes.