Where the coffee kicked in:
It was a Saturday night. Our orchestra group just watched the University of Washington symphony (in which half the Orchestra fell asleep). But not me.
The hour before, during dinner, I prepared vigorously for the symphony. I was VERY determined not to fall asleep (“How could I bear to miss this? This is what I came on this trip for,” I told myself). So I did the only logical thing ordered myself a cup of coffee. The only problem is: I’ve never had a full cup of coffee before.
Before the concert, I was very happy with my purchase. I felt like I came super prepared. I was ready. Whenever I got sleepy, the caffeine will kick in, and I will get to actually consciously get to hear the symphony! It’s perfect!
But that’s not exactly how caffeine works. It kicks in when it wants to and is a lot stronger than I thought. It is not merely the “Drink it so you can’t fall asleep” type drink that I’ve been told it was. Well, I didn’t fall asleep, but I was WAY more energetic than “not asleep.”
So, right after the concert, everyone was tired and exhausted from a long day of traveling, while I was ready to run a couple miles. I tried to stand on the light rail ride hands free to burn off some energy and did a workout in the hotel room, but that did not work. By the time I finished showering, I still had energy. In fact, I was so energetic my hands shook. According to my roommates, I was “a completely different person”, “like sonic the hedgehog”. It was so bad I’m pretty sure I’m banned from drinking non-decaf coffee for a long time. So, I learned my lesson. Coffee will make me VERY hyper and should not be taken at such large doses.
By Yulia Cai
