Battle of the Voices

The difference between Beijing heat and Michigan heat are like night and day. In Michigan, there's dry heat. It's rarely sticky and humid. You're more likely to get a sunburn with that heat. In Beijing, it's sticky, and humid, and you can't survive without air conditioning. In Michigan, there are nights where you don't need it and can open the window. Beijing, the idea of opening the window is kind of hilarious.

So what does this little bit of information have to do with with the title? Simple. When the heat is to the point you need to turn on the air conditioner, it smells like dirt, and you find yourself coughing, a stuffy nose, and a sore throat. In Michigan, this would never be happening. You'd never be sick trying to keep cool.

Well, this past weekend I had a cold so bad, that by the end of Saturday night I had no voice. I couldn't get any louder than a whisper. The worst part. This past weekend was a weekend that the parents would come into class so they could play with the children and could see what they learned in the past three months.

So how to fight through lacking a voice? Simple! The first step was making sure the kids spoke more than me. The more the kids spoke, the less I had to talk. Eventually, at the times I was forced to speak, I grabbed a microphone and tried speaking in that. By the end of Sunday, I had to have someone else speak for me cause I couldn't do it anymore. I'd never seen so many scrunched up/worried faces  in my life, no had I sucked down so much hot water in my life either.

After work that Sunday, I went to dinner with co-workers. I couldn't speak, so I had to sign everything and even had a friend order for me. I was so frustrated I gave up and started writing everything I wanted to say. Do you know how difficult it is to write down thoughts? By the time you're finished writing what you wanted to say the conversation changes to a new topic. And then if people can't read your writing, like the usual case with mine, then it becomes even more difficult.

Moral of the story: Appreciate your ability to speak. Cause it sucks when you go a weekend without talking. And it gets super awkward. XD