Most of the time, when you're studying latin in modern times, a student does not expect horror, does not expect fear, and does not expect their laptop to do an impression of a bird, as it flies across the room and onto the floor, aided by a nefarious person who most likely does not know what nefarious means, much less now to spell it.

it started out as a normal night, with the normal study group of Olivia and myself sitting at our chosen table, declining nouns and conjugating verbs with smiles on our faces and songs in our hearts. but then comes the storm, and a person with large feet and a tiny brain hits the cord to my laptop, sitting quietly in the corner, charging as a polite computer does. Her foot hits the cord, and my face is pulled into a grimace as my computer flies from the table, seeking freedom and the lovely hardness of the floor. A pall falls over the room and she giggles out an apology:

"Uhhh, sorry!"

Her voice grates on my last nerve, and she scurries away.

Olivia looks at me, faced filled with horror and shock. “It all happened so FAST!”

I hurry over, cradle my computer. Slowly, surely, it awakens from its forced sleep, and I breathe a sigh of relief that has not been heard in ages. I do not have to replace my beloved computer!

Although this has nothing directly to to with latin, it does show one thing in sharp relief.

Studying for latin= SERIOUS BUSINESS.

Mia Tignor