January 14, 2:37 p.m.: I call up my Chinese friend to do his best search for a PDF of the textbook on all of the best Chinese piracy sites (e.g. doc88.com) where copyright laws are more lax. It’s not very legal.
January 14, 2:40pm: A quote drifts into my head from Joe Biden’s 2014 commencement speech: “[The Chinese] lack what we have...[America] has a legal system that is open and fair.” Ironically, I’m finding out the opposite.
January 14, 8:00pm: Chinese friend tells me the textbook is MIA. “But I can give you the 8th edition.” I give him a flat–out no. This isn’t a freshman's dream, like getting a 4.0 or finding a spouse at Penn. You can’t just give up at the beginning.
January 15, 11:56am: Open up Facebook. The “Textbook Exchange” group is already buzzing with overeagerness like an early–morning flea market. “Clicker $30"; "Is anyone selling ECON001?”; “If anyone is looking for a summer or fall sublet, I am renting a room for $450 a month!”
January 15, 11:58am: I get a few hits for my textbook and immediately message the merchants.
January 15, 2:00am: A couple turn out to be duds. Finally a hit. “Hey man! selling for $60.” Metaphorical tears of joy.
January 15, 2:06am: “It’s the 8th edition is that okay?” That’s when the magnitude of the reissue problem dawns on me.
January 15, 2:09pm: Pennbookbazaar only leads to more sadness. More metaphorical tears, but this time, of sadness.
January 15, 2:10pm: Sulk in my bed.
January 15, 7:00pm: Finally leave my bed to try to get to VP.
January 15, 7:15 p.m.: There is sadness. Then there is this:
January 15, 7:30 p.m.: Finally, I find a copy “on reserve.”
January 15, 7:31 p.m.: After Googling what “on reserve” means, briefly wonder if it’s possible to loan a textbook out every day.
January 15, 7:45 p.m.: Eventually, I find out that I can request it for free at Interlibrary Loan. Should take about a week #discoveries.
January 15, 8:00 p.m.: Freedom. Leave VP feeling happy that I managed to get my textbook for free. Wish I could sell organs, blood or sperm to pay for this fucking school.
