Judy has decided Ikea deserves another visit.  There are a few items she still needs to make us comfortable in the apartment, and Ikea seems to have the answers.  She gets away in plenty of time to beat the crowds.

I’m headed to BHSFIC today for the government-designated makeup for the holiday a week ago.  It’s also the first day I’ll meet the “orchestra/band” class.  I’ve got some copying to finish to be ready, so I leave early to allow time to find the copier, and figure out how to work it.  Subway is smooth, and I arrive with no problems.  The copier is working, and with a few tries I’m able to maneuver through the buttons (in Chinese), and get some copies going.

Class goes well, and when the dismissal bell rings, I head for the auditorium for “orchestra”.  The orchestra president, Jason, seems to have dropped the ball on the announcements (the students are supposed to be in charge of these organizational activities, since it’s a club and I’m just the sponsor).  We have 13 students at the beginning of class, but a few more wander in as they figure out that we’re meeting.  Not everyone has their instrument, so our sparse instrumentation is even more sparse than normal.

With 2 violins, 1 flute, 1 clarinet, 3 saxes (one is a soprano), 2 trumpets, and 3 piano players, we are finally underway.  We warm-up a little bit on some very simple things, checking the students’ music reading skills.  About the time I think we’re ready for an easy tune, just for fun, visitors start wandering in.  It seems there is a parent meeting today, so we pack up hurriedly and get out of their way.  It’s not exactly how I would like to finish up our first rehearsal.  I didn’t even get a good assessment of their skills.  I know the violinists do a pretty good job, and the flute and one of the trumpets seem to have it figured out.  This is going to be interesting.

I get home in time to join Judy and a faculty friend, Shannon, and her husband Dom, for dinner.  We’re going to a nice Chinese restaurant tonight.  We really haven’t been to too many like this since we’ve arrived.  As I walk into the apartment, I realize that in my hurry to clear the auditorium for the meeting, I left my iPad back at BHSFIC.  It’s still showing up on “Find my iPad” on my computer, so it’s going to be an early morning return to BHSFIC for me.  Our dinner is really good, and we head home, learning a new shorter route through an apartment gate I wasn’t aware of.

At home, I head to bed, knowing I’ve got to get to school early before my iPad wanders off.  Judy is still decorating the apartment with the loot from her Ikea run.  I don’t see the finished product until the morning.  I’m asleep very quickly.