It just keeps me hangin on II

What an awesome day. Our teachers are really happy with us because we did so well on our last exam. I think that we really surprised them; I know that I was surprised with my results. It was a pretty difficult exam, but our class average was a B- I think. Although I did well, my scores dropped in Reading, but at this level, it means I missed as little as one question. They don’t make it easy on us.
Now we get to the awesome part. Every Friday, our class presents a brief lecture on a current event that we research in the target language, such as an article or excerpt from a radio broadcast / podcast, and present it to our class and teachers, and sometimes, to the chairman. Today I presented mine in front of everyone, including the chair, and a distinguished panel from MIT, who is in town doing research on translation and upgrading existing translation software to obtain better accuracy in translation, with the ultimate goal of such software assisting a person with little or no target language experience to translate professional materials with minimal to no errors. As you would expect, this is an intensive labor.
After my presentation, I was asked by the chair to escort members of the panel to another classroom to view other students’ presentations and provide direct translation from AD to Engrish. It was amazing that I was able to perform this duty, and it was an honor to get selected for the task. I know that the chair thinks highly of me, and I enjoy meeting and exceeding those expectations. I hope that, in this way, I am providing good leadership via example, and that I am encouraging my teammates to do their very best in class. I fear that I come across as a know-it-all, so I make sure that, even though I know the answer 95% of the time, I give the other students a chance and try to never blurt out the answer. It goes against my instincts, though, because in my line of work, waiting for an answer is unacceptable.
I had a couple of conversations today with 2 men at different times of the day, about career paths. I respect both men, and I think that they have both made wise decisions with their lives. I don’t think, however, that any of us is settled in our careers. I think that we are in good places presently, but that there are many more wonderful and exciting opportunities for us. I guess that’s one of the many advantages of living in the States: opportunities abound.
I enjoy what I do now. I enjoy the challenges, and the benefits. It can be really frustrating at times, but what job isn’t? The best part of it is that my education is paid for, bills are paid for, food’s always on the table. Our basic needs are met, and I get to look at the ocean everyday.