Show Me Your War Face

We recently had to take our end-level tests at the EPFC, and as usual we had to pair up for the oral tests (heh heh). A lot of the time, if the teacher has a stick up their ass -- and a lot of them do -- they choose who will pair with who, or at the very least they'll veto your request and tell you to choose a different person. For example, I met a Canadian a few courses ago and since then we've been taking the classes together, sitting next to each other so if we're totally stumped we can try to help each other out, etc. But since we're both anglophones, we've had the profs try to split us up. I don't really know why, because listening to some of the eastern Europeans or Spanish speak French is grating and difficult to endure let alone understand. Not that my friend's accent is any better, but at least we can practice speaking to each other and feel prepared. The tests are also really stressful, in that it's you in a room with a professor, speaking in front of him or her while they sit there staring at you fumbling along. It's a little more comforting doing it with a friend -- I mean, it can be embarrassing and of course you hit the mental blocks because you get nervous, everyone does. Some more than others, like me. I have to actually be sedated for them.

Anyway, a few weeks back we had to decide who we were pairing up with and for whatever reason I was absent and the Canadian was off doing Canadian things like skiing in the alps, so neither of us signed up. Now, there's only one black girl in the class and she's Rwandan. My professor knows I live in the African district so I suppose she just assumed we'd be happy to do it together or something. I have no idea. But when she asked the girl, she refused, saying that she was scared of me and that I looked mean. Apparently, the other people in the class agreed. They told me so after we had some drinks and they realized I wasn't going to murder them or something. We all laughed about it, or at least they did -- I was just surprised. How often do you get feedback like that from people you barely know, let alone an international jury?

I just don't believe in false advertising.And so what if I don't come into class and greet all 18 people individually, or smile like a vacant jack ass all day long? I'm not going to kill you and rape your corpse during the oral examination. Well, I wasn't going to...