8 AM: The struggle continues. After three hours of sleep in my normal clothes, my PC buzzing next to me, the German portfolio temporarily obscured by the screensaver, I got back up, back to work.
11 AM: Two more hours before the deadline. I stopped writing in German some time ago. Instead I first got everything I wanted to say down (up?) the screen in a mixture of English and Dutch, hoping that translating it later would work faster than writing it in German right away. I don't really speak German, see, so I have to look up every other word in my Oxford-Duden. But now it dawns on me: I won't make it, Resistance is Futile, this time I pushed my luck too far. That's it, I just give up. It's only two steps to my bed, only to heartbeats before I'm fast asleep.
2 PM: I wake up. My class started 1 hour ago and I wasn't there to hand in my portfolio. For a short moment I seriously consider the possibility of emailing my professor that I'm ill, or can't make it because of "personal problems". I know it would work, but I decide to be brave. And bravely I walk to the classroom, bravely I tell my professor that my portfolio is not finished, that I could send it to him tonight, but that I prefer to send it on Friday, so I have some time to pay more attention to details (having those minor things, such as grammar, spelling, umlauts, et cetera, in mind).
He is so friendly. I have time to hand things in and correct mistakes till Tuesday. What a perfect teacher: he makes me feel guilty for being the slacker I am.
Then, bravely I tell him I have to get back to my room, back to work. I leave the classroom behind. I can ignore German for now and focus on my 3500 word final essay for Ethnic Relations (deadline: May 17, 2001, 4 PM).
7 PM: Browsed some books I had on racism in British schools and searched the internet for useful articles. Slept for another two hours, drank coffee with my Gruszka (this is_NOT_a nodevertisement, I just feel this link is justified here, do_NOT_ follow it if you object (alternative = do follow it and vote me down)!)
Now I have to start. A writeup first. I can take my time.
I am alive!