And then there are the teachers. The semester so far has renewed my belief that teachers are some of the strangest people on earth. (And I hang out with theater geeks!) My chemistry professor is my best example so far. She's an older woman, mid 40s. Russian. She likes to run her hand through her hair, and it gives the impression that the whites in her salt-and-peppery mix are in fact just coated with chalk, indelible after all these years spent at the blackboard. Her accent is stereotypically Russian, complete with "wegetables", but her Os are decidedly British. This makes listening to her read chemical reactions a real treat, because most of them contain oxygen. She has this cadence when she speaks; it's initially calm and collected, but when she arrives at the point she considers most important she will turn from the chalkboard and finish her thought in a manner that approaches violence. As if knowing where to put the coefficient is a matter of LIFE and DEATH. It's strangely effective.
The biology professor is less... emotionally volatile. Which is good, beacause there's a lot more to cover in that class. And we only meet once a week. I found out last Saturday that the one week of class I have to miss is a test week. I also found out that she drops the lowest of our five test scores. So I have my work cut out for me there. The classroom is nicer - it's very new media, with three projectors and computers at every table. The lighting is softer and warmer. It feels safe. The class is going to be a significant amount of work, but I'm a biology geek, so I can handle it. We started on Saturday by reviewing the scientific method and experimental design. Which stands in stark contrast to my psychology class. That's another post entirely.
