The Calculus Class I
It was a Tuesday morning, summer in late August. I walked around the school campus. As a freshman, everything was new, fresh, and interesting. North California’s sunny weather only made this walking experience even more wonderful.
After passing the school cafeteria, which almost had been the most chaotic place; the air smelled like the orange chicken from Panda Express, I purposely stopped by under a tree. Out of curiosity, I reached my right hand out of the shade so that my hand was under the sun, but my upper forearm was still in the shade. I just wanted to feel the profound temperature difference.
In my Calculus class, the teacher was an energetic Indian lady. She looked like she was in her 50s. I picked a seat in the middle row, right-most against the wall. For some reason, sitting next to the wall gives me a sense of security. Then I quickly looked around at my classmates, hoping to find someone I could instantly establish a friendship by just eye contact. That’s what the cool kids do — a quick nod or eye contact, then a mutual understanding can be built. At least that’s what I heard.
Based on my experience, the first row was mostly for those who wanted to get an A. Usually, they were very studious, perhaps a little bit over-competitive. They desperately wanted to be acknowledged by the teacher. The last row was for those who wanted to leave right after the class was over. They had very little interest in engaging in the class. So I naturally searched for the “cool kids“ who sat in the middle rows.
Then, this guy with a man’s bun just walked up and sat down, taking over the empty seat next to me on the left.
“Hey, my name is Omar. What’s yours?“ He reached his hand out.
“Bruce. Nice to meet you.“ I shook his hand while still examining how cool he was.
“Sorry to ask you this so quickly, but do you speak Chinese? I’m asking because I’ve been learning Chinese as my second language.“ He looked beyond excited. I knew he would be very disappointed if I said no.
“Yes, I do. I’m from Taiwan, by the way.“
After he heard what I said, his eyes were full of stars. I noticed his eyelashes were long, dark, and thick.
“We’ll be good friends. You’re going to teach me Chinese.“ Omar smiled like he just won the lottery.