Here’s a secret: I’m not really human–right now, at least. I’m currently half-girl, half-caffeine. After having downed my essential two cups of java this morning, I’m superhumanly aware, alert, and revving to go, something that would be utterly impossible otherwise. For each of the five nights I’ve been here, I’ve been coasting on a maximum of seven hours of sleep–total deprivation for a person used to 11 hours of straight REM and frequent naps. What’s worth me sacrificing my precious sleep? That would be staying up until 12 every night after a high-energy game of cards or an exhilarating scavenger hunt win with friends, then going back to our dorms and talking and Facebook-ing until we’re told to finally go to our rooms. Then it’s waking up early in the morning to go running with the group, fueling up on coffee to get me to my seat in citizenship class, and then through the intense debate over global policy and politics. But how could I miss a moment of that? For the next three weeks, I predict that I’ll continue progressing towards becoming a fully caffeinated entity as I get everything I possibly can out of this wonderful experience.