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Dad, what time is it?

Four.

Who knows what time that is for me.

Boy, I have terrible jet lag. I can't keep my eyes open.

Well, I'm not going to let you sleep in the middle of the afternoon. Let's take a walk and you can tell me about your trip.

I'm sorry Daddy, but I'm too wiped out. I think I'll stretch out and take a little nap.

Uh, no naps. You know if you go to sleep now, you're going to wake up in the middle of the night.

Come on, let's take a little walk around the block. Maybe you'll get a second wind.

I sure hope so. I missed you and Mom a lot. A year is a long time.

We missed you too, honey. But we knew that studying in another country was good for you.

Well, I sure had my ups and downs. Sometimes I even thought about coming home early. But I was determined to stick it out.

And I'm glad you did. But you didn't tell us you were having problems. What was so hard for you over there?

Oh, I don't think I can scratch the surface. There were times, especially in the winter, when I got really homesick. You know, it's hard to be away during holidays. But my friends were absolutely great, especially my roommate. Remember, she took me home to her family. That really helped.

If we'd known how homesick you were, we would have hopped on a plane. Why didn't you let us know?

Oh, I didn't want you to worry. And it would have been too expensive. Anyway, in the spring, I got much better. It finally hit home that I was lucky to be living in another culture. I stopped thinking so much about my problems and got out of my rut. I started going to more parties and concerts and things like that.

And listen to this, after a while, I didn't realize it, but my fluency improved. Can you imagine that? There were times when I forgot I wasn't speaking English.

Well, that's music to my ears. I knew you'd do it if you lived over there. And to top that off, people started to compliment my pronunciation. I want to lose all that, honey. Are there any conversation classes you can take here?

Uh, dad, I wasn't going to broach the subject to later, but there's a chance that I can get a scholarship and go back next year.

Go back? But you just got home. I know. Do you really want to go back?

The truth is, I'm not sure. I need to sleep on it. Speaking of sleep, now can I take a little nap? I'm so sleepy.

Mmm, this coffee is really strong. I like it that way. So do I. All during my last class, I was thinking about coming here and could almost taste the coffee.

Sounds like it wasn't too exciting. I was bored to death. I'm in that class only because it's a requirement. So I have to stick it out. The problem is, the professor doesn't know how to spark our interest. She just walks in and lectures. There's no discussion.

What a drag. Don't people ask questions?

Oh, yeah. Once in a blue moon. But I always see an awful lot of people doodling. And I can tell their minds are wandering. Do you have any classes like that?

I have only one big lecture class, world history. And the professor's the best. It's so interesting. I'm always on the edge of my seat. And when we have discussions, the room is filled with electricity.

I'm jealous. Too bad I already took history. You know, one day it dawned on me that I was lucky to be in her class because I found myself thinking a lot about what she said. Did you ever have a teacher like that?

I'd have to think about it. I don't know. You should come with me to class sometime, just to see what I mean.

Sounds like you're in love with her, Steve.

Very funny. She could be my grandmother. Anyway, I guess what it really comes down to is her enthusiasm for the subject. She just loves history. I remember at the beginning of the semester, I was fooling around a lot and not taking anything in school very seriously. I bombed the first history test. But then I buckled down because I started really enjoying school, especially her class.

You've got me really curious about this teacher. I think I'll take you up on your idea to visit your class. When does it meet?

Guess who?

Oh, I can't believe it. I know it's you, Peter. I haven't seen you in ages. How are you?

Pretty good. How about you?

Fine, busy as always. You know me, I'm such a workaholic.

Wow, it's really great to see you. I'd love to catch up on your news. Do you have time to sit down or were you on your way out?

I was leaving, but I can join you for a few minutes.

Great. So tell me, how's your family?

Well, it keeps getting bigger. We have four kids now, all boys.

Four boys? I bet they keep you busy.

They sure do. The baby's only a month old, so Jenny's not working right now.

And what's new with you and Jim?

Believe it or not, he's home with the kids.

You're kidding.