So tonight was pretty eventful. We went to this opening thrown by some French socialites that epitomized why I think a lot of art is bullshit, but at the same time I embraced it, understanding it's function as a means for people to get together and mingle. The former French president's illegitimate daughter was to paint on a high-fashion designer dress, live. She started, the bongo player and pianist were way out of time, and she just kind of drew a couple strokes and was done in no more than a minute. Everyone stood in an awkward silence that said, "is that it?" and then someone close to her asked about the meaning, to which she sheepishly replies, "no meaning". After some more awkward silence one of the event organizers came up to her, patted her on the shoulder, and complimented her work.
Later, we were on a bus uptown and I was with my girlfriend and two of our friends, also foreigners. My girlfriend and I were talking, huddled together, and some fat Chinese guy next to me starts calling me a "dumb pussy" in Chinese. I turn and look him in the eye and he asks me if I understand, in Chinese. I tell him I understand and we get off at the same stop. I'm walking away and he smugly stares at me as if he's won, so I flick the fat schmuck off, and he gets all riled up and comes to start fighting me. He grapples me and punches me in the head, and it's weak so I don't feel it, and I rip off his glasses and chuck them into the pavement. His parents end up pulling him off me and I walk away with them yelling at me. The fat ass was yelling at me as I walked away, asking if I was really Chinese. He was implying I should be ashamed for being with a white girl and having foreign friends. It was ridiculous. It was fun.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
World Cup
Being here for the World Cup is incredible. All the games are broadcasted live and without commercials, which I didn't really even notice until someone mentioned it today. Everyone here is so full of spirit. Sometimes seeing people that happy and united makes me want to cry. I am a baby.
I am going to the Australia vs. Ghana game this coming Saturday. It was kind of a last minute decision, but luckily things fell into place really quickly. We are getting transported there for free by the Indian grocery store man's friends! Woo Australia sucks but I'm excited to root for an African team. Yeah Ghana! The tickets were $160, and at first I was a bit hesitant.. but then I went gambling (again) and made back the money, so I felt okay about it. And free transport! WHOooooo!
Okay, it's like almost 10-- way past my bedtime. GOODNIGHT.
I am going to the Australia vs. Ghana game this coming Saturday. It was kind of a last minute decision, but luckily things fell into place really quickly. We are getting transported there for free by the Indian grocery store man's friends! Woo Australia sucks but I'm excited to root for an African team. Yeah Ghana! The tickets were $160, and at first I was a bit hesitant.. but then I went gambling (again) and made back the money, so I felt okay about it. And free transport! WHOooooo!
Okay, it's like almost 10-- way past my bedtime. GOODNIGHT.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Adventures with Anthony
Ch.1 The Adventure of the NYC Subway
Despite having communicated very vague details, we decided to meet in the massive 42 st subway station. Two trains had come and go while I waited and despaired. It wasn't until the crowd dispersed that I turned and we spotted each other: amazingly, we had managed to find each other on the platform in under 20 min. Awww.
We then transfered onto a series of trains on our way to Bleeker St to meet up with Maddie & Co. We caught up on our lives quickly, me talking about my new devotion to marketing and him talking about cattle.
Ch. 2 The Adventure of K-Town
With Maddie & Co, we whiled away time drinking fruitpunchvodkas and playing Taboo to the sweet sounds of 90s pop. Of course, Anthony quickly became "very committed" to the game (shouting "FUCKYOU" to his teammate upon very word not guessed correctly). Then strangers appeared and we went to K-Town for a 3am snack. Of course, food was not up to certain standards and we had bill drama (damn strangers). But we left intact and full, if not satisfied.
Ch.3 The Adventure of the Night Over
Here we went our separate ways to get home. Anthony was staying a few blocks from me so we took the train toward our destination of 103 st from 34 st. This took about 30 min and in my late night stupor, I led us onto the wrong train into East Harlem. Luckily another good-looking college-aged white male (APPROACHABLE!) did too, and we took a cab together back to my place. We then went up to my apartment and sadly by we, I mean me and Anthony. He wanted to shower at my place, for he had never used a public shower in the US (NEVER?! Never.) He had planned to leave and walk to where he was staying but ended up crashing on my couch. Score.
Ch. 4 The RUSH Adventure
RUSH: An 18+ gay club, where girls pay more cover than guys. While Anthony entertained his UNICEF friends, me and Crystal stood at the bar and stared, facsinated with the 18yr.old boys table dancing (one of which was dressed as a True Blood vampire), the adorableeee bartender, and a built dancer who, in Anthony's words (and we agree) "oozed sex." Also, sometime during the night Anthony became inexplicably very drunk.
Ch.5 The Adventure of the Night Over, No. 2
While waiting for the subway train, Anthony decided his feet hurt and took off his shoes and rolled up his jeans. Again: Anthony was in socks in the NYC subway station. Crystal was embarassed. Then Anthony performed his banana song. Crystal was entertained. Anthony quote of the night: "Oh poo poo."
Afterward Anthony came to my apartment for another shower, before which he promptly fell asleep on my living room floor.
Ch. 6 The Adventure of our Last Time Together in NY
I thought we were going to have dinner but instead I got a phone call. I'll miss you Anthony.
Despite having communicated very vague details, we decided to meet in the massive 42 st subway station. Two trains had come and go while I waited and despaired. It wasn't until the crowd dispersed that I turned and we spotted each other: amazingly, we had managed to find each other on the platform in under 20 min. Awww.
We then transfered onto a series of trains on our way to Bleeker St to meet up with Maddie & Co. We caught up on our lives quickly, me talking about my new devotion to marketing and him talking about cattle.
Ch. 2 The Adventure of K-Town
With Maddie & Co, we whiled away time drinking fruitpunchvodkas and playing Taboo to the sweet sounds of 90s pop. Of course, Anthony quickly became "very committed" to the game (shouting "FUCKYOU" to his teammate upon very word not guessed correctly). Then strangers appeared and we went to K-Town for a 3am snack. Of course, food was not up to certain standards and we had bill drama (damn strangers). But we left intact and full, if not satisfied.
Ch.3 The Adventure of the Night Over
Here we went our separate ways to get home. Anthony was staying a few blocks from me so we took the train toward our destination of 103 st from 34 st. This took about 30 min and in my late night stupor, I led us onto the wrong train into East Harlem. Luckily another good-looking college-aged white male (APPROACHABLE!) did too, and we took a cab together back to my place. We then went up to my apartment and sadly by we, I mean me and Anthony. He wanted to shower at my place, for he had never used a public shower in the US (NEVER?! Never.) He had planned to leave and walk to where he was staying but ended up crashing on my couch. Score.
Ch. 4 The RUSH Adventure
RUSH: An 18+ gay club, where girls pay more cover than guys. While Anthony entertained his UNICEF friends, me and Crystal stood at the bar and stared, facsinated with the 18yr.old boys table dancing (one of which was dressed as a True Blood vampire), the adorableeee bartender, and a built dancer who, in Anthony's words (and we agree) "oozed sex." Also, sometime during the night Anthony became inexplicably very drunk.
Ch.5 The Adventure of the Night Over, No. 2
While waiting for the subway train, Anthony decided his feet hurt and took off his shoes and rolled up his jeans. Again: Anthony was in socks in the NYC subway station. Crystal was embarassed. Then Anthony performed his banana song. Crystal was entertained. Anthony quote of the night: "Oh poo poo."
Afterward Anthony came to my apartment for another shower, before which he promptly fell asleep on my living room floor.
Ch. 6 The Adventure of our Last Time Together in NY
I thought we were going to have dinner but instead I got a phone call. I'll miss you Anthony.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
yeah usa!
So I found out that the boy who had been using my laptop actually spilled wine on the keyboard. GAH. After a day of rest, my computer finally turned on, but the keyboard connection is all messed up (i.e. when you type "s," it comes out "sw"). I spent Saturday running around town trying to get someone to fix (or at least clean the inside of) my laptop, but no one will even touch it because it's a Sony, a brand people aren't really familiar with here. THUS I must wait until I return home to get it fixed... I did end up buying a screwdriver and taking apart my laptop to see if I could clean it myself, but that did nothing. There was a pretty substantial amount of wine in it, though. GR. That was the drama of the weekend.
In other news, this weekend I felt so well connected, haha. On Saturday, a man who basically founded one of the biggest grocery chains in southern Africa invited us all over for dinner because his son is going to Penn in the fall. The house was incredible-- it was like an Indian palace, and they stuffed us with tons of roasted meat--lamb, chicken, pork-- as just the appetizer. We stayed and watched the USA vs. England game over some wine and scotch. Wooo USA! The next day, a few of us went hiking (see picture) and befriended a (white) family from South Africa. The father is a group manager or something for a diamond company in Botswana, so again, very well off. They gave us a free lift home and their contact info, insisting that they must show us around the area another weekend. They also invited us to stay at any of their houses (they have one in Jo-burg, another in Mozambique--ON THE BEACH, and more in other cool places but I'm blanking on where they are) if we ever need housing in those areas. Cooool.
Friday, June 11, 2010
I get that it's an old house, but....
This morning I woke up to the sound of pieces of my ceiling falling on my desk. I've been hearing something scrambling and digging around up there, probably on the roof of the part of my room that has the bay windows and sticks out from the building, but I didn't really worry. At home there are mice in the attic during the winter that make the same kinds of sounds, annoying, but harmless -- there's nothing in the attic but a fan and insulation. There's someone that lives above me here (Geoff, actually, from Gregory) but then there's also roof above the part of my room where my bed is because the third floor, where his room is, is smaller than the second. The section of roof that's above the bay windows, and consequently my bed and desk, is apparently some animal's habitat (mouse, squirrel, I don't know -- a friend at work said it was probably either raccoons or possums if they're nesting in my roof...) and this morning I woke up to the sound of it digging in the ceiling, and I could actually see pieces of ceiling and plaster dust and little twigs fall out of this tiny hole as I listened to it dig.
So I came home from work, and my landlord still hasn't sent anyone to fix this. But they said there will be someone here tomorrow, so that's good. I was afraid that I would come home from work and the hole would be like 2-feet wide and a raccoon would be living in my apartment. Luckily there's been no change, really. I'm leaving the detritus on my desk and floor as proof. And off to Ireland in two days!
So I came home from work, and my landlord still hasn't sent anyone to fix this. But they said there will be someone here tomorrow, so that's good. I was afraid that I would come home from work and the hole would be like 2-feet wide and a raccoon would be living in my apartment. Luckily there's been no change, really. I'm leaving the detritus on my desk and floor as proof. And off to Ireland in two days!
well.
Sorry I complain so much on here!
I hung out with Knight again last night, this time with 3 other interns. We got drinks at some fancy country club near his apartment, and then we went to a pub nearby where we thought there'd be karaoke but instead turned out to be a lot of expats watching the World Cup concert. It was chilllll.
Today one of the girls mentioned that we hung out with Knight to a program supervisor, and APPARENTLY he is no good, too! The girl just emailed me and wrote: "ALSO Knight is a stalker. gill and nicky said he has caused so much trouble in the past and they had to call the police. i think she'll tell you about him. so be careful! ahhhhhhhhhhh"
Ergh. Everyone is so sketch! Trust no one!
ALSO I CAME HOME LAST NIGHT TO FIND MY LAPTOP DEAD. I let people use it to check emails and facebook while I was gone (since no one else's computer connects to the internet here-- no one can figure out why), and now it absolutely won't turn on! I don't know what happened to it. I'm most upset about the fact that all my med school application stuff is on there. GRRFCK.
I hung out with Knight again last night, this time with 3 other interns. We got drinks at some fancy country club near his apartment, and then we went to a pub nearby where we thought there'd be karaoke but instead turned out to be a lot of expats watching the World Cup concert. It was chilllll.
Today one of the girls mentioned that we hung out with Knight to a program supervisor, and APPARENTLY he is no good, too! The girl just emailed me and wrote: "ALSO Knight is a stalker. gill and nicky said he has caused so much trouble in the past and they had to call the police. i think she'll tell you about him. so be careful! ahhhhhhhhhhh"
Ergh. Everyone is so sketch! Trust no one!
ALSO I CAME HOME LAST NIGHT TO FIND MY LAPTOP DEAD. I let people use it to check emails and facebook while I was gone (since no one else's computer connects to the internet here-- no one can figure out why), and now it absolutely won't turn on! I don't know what happened to it. I'm most upset about the fact that all my med school application stuff is on there. GRRFCK.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Baby Pictures
My mother charged me with the task of organizing our baby pictures. I thought I'd scan a few and show you. I could only find a couple of my crazy-hair pictures...my memory faltered; I didn't really start the crazy-hair phase until I was 8 or 9, so yea...if I find a good one I'll be sure to post it :P
Sunday, June 6, 2010
good news
I have not seen my stalker in like 4 days!
Also, I never ended up going to my supervisors about him, but I DID tell our student helper (the Univ of Botswana student who is basically our babysitter). She had actually seen him talking to me once, and she was like "Ohh that guy you were talking to? Kgosi? I was wondering why he was talking to you! I had a class with him last year... Oh Kgosi, everyone would just stare at him. He is a catch-- you should give him a chance." Not. Helpful. She told me that he's probably just not used to having girls say no to him, and she assured me that he is (probably) harmless. So that's good.
The interns here are planning lots and lots of trips. I wish I had money to go on all of them... There is a trip to Victoria Falls (world wonder!), but it's $700 (!) which is way more than I was expecting, especially since it's IN Botswana. I feel pressured to travel because it's a great opportunity to do so, but I also feel bad spending all this money, especially since this summer I'll be draining the funds with med school apps.
Also, today is my birthday! I'm not a big birthday person, so I refuse to really celebrate it here. Also, after my disastrous night last weekend (what the other interns have dubbed "Linda's big night out"), I don't think I can handle the taste of alcohol for at least another month. Knight, the guy I met a few days ago, did ask me if my friends and I wanted to check out an Indian restaurant with him tonight, though. So we might do that. Who knows. I'm going to say that I'm not 21 until I use my new, horizontal drivers license at the 40th & market store and buy a shit ton of alcohol for all of us to consume.
Also, I never ended up going to my supervisors about him, but I DID tell our student helper (the Univ of Botswana student who is basically our babysitter). She had actually seen him talking to me once, and she was like "Ohh that guy you were talking to? Kgosi? I was wondering why he was talking to you! I had a class with him last year... Oh Kgosi, everyone would just stare at him. He is a catch-- you should give him a chance." Not. Helpful. She told me that he's probably just not used to having girls say no to him, and she assured me that he is (probably) harmless. So that's good.
The interns here are planning lots and lots of trips. I wish I had money to go on all of them... There is a trip to Victoria Falls (world wonder!), but it's $700 (!) which is way more than I was expecting, especially since it's IN Botswana. I feel pressured to travel because it's a great opportunity to do so, but I also feel bad spending all this money, especially since this summer I'll be draining the funds with med school apps.
Also, today is my birthday! I'm not a big birthday person, so I refuse to really celebrate it here. Also, after my disastrous night last weekend (what the other interns have dubbed "Linda's big night out"), I don't think I can handle the taste of alcohol for at least another month. Knight, the guy I met a few days ago, did ask me if my friends and I wanted to check out an Indian restaurant with him tonight, though. So we might do that. Who knows. I'm going to say that I'm not 21 until I use my new, horizontal drivers license at the 40th & market store and buy a shit ton of alcohol for all of us to consume.
HBO.NYC.MTA
my new schedule: leave the apartment at 8:15, walk 3 blocks, catch a train, transfer, leave the station, walk another three blocks, and get to the HBO office (times square) by 8:50. I take the elevator to the 5th floor, buy coffee, swipe in, then sit down at my cubicle surrounded by true blood posters and log on to my outlook account (lisa.zheng@hbo.com). i'm in advertising & promotions, so i'm watching shows, reading scripts, helping out with the planning and executing of marketing plans, and will start my real projects tomorrow.
my observations: HBO so far is the most organized and structured intern program i've been in. compared to NBCU, it also seems a bit restricting. for example, the HR evp gave an introduction in which he emphasized that interns should be curious, but also respectful. he then went on for about 5 minutes about this respect, aka KNOW YOUR PLACE. NYC itself is so different from LA, in that it seems a lot more focused on appearances (and not just the people), from the swanky building decor to the fancy bathrooms to the intern welcome gifts (true blood, season 1). also, many of the interns themselves come from prep school backgrounds with this whole eastcoast, hampton summers, do you know this person, omg yes we went to etc together culture. it's beyond just money, whereas LA was more like, who do you know in the industry, and yeah i have money. interesting, and a little off putting. my new plan: so i think i've decided to go with marketing. and with NYC. for now (with the eventual moving to LA to live. hopefully). and HBO. there are employee benefits, a nice building (with a gym), they pay for your mba, and the people are incredibly nice. and looking at my resume, which basically reads marketing, why not? i enjoy it, and HBO's marketing is all the best parts of it (brainstorming, planning, then making decisions- overall more business oriented with creative elements). and this just seems the most logical. and my mom's happy.
my first weekend: asian club with maddie and her frat. called "hiro". sketch old dudes and young drunk asian girls. but nice decor. anthony would be disgusted.
my diet: restaurant variety is amazing here. and relatively cheap. also, i still don't like korean food. i can eat it, but it just doesn't taste good to me anymore. sad day.
how's that for concise?
ps. notice my awesome business card.
my observations: HBO so far is the most organized and structured intern program i've been in. compared to NBCU, it also seems a bit restricting. for example, the HR evp gave an introduction in which he emphasized that interns should be curious, but also respectful. he then went on for about 5 minutes about this respect, aka KNOW YOUR PLACE. NYC itself is so different from LA, in that it seems a lot more focused on appearances (and not just the people), from the swanky building decor to the fancy bathrooms to the intern welcome gifts (true blood, season 1). also, many of the interns themselves come from prep school backgrounds with this whole eastcoast, hampton summers, do you know this person, omg yes we went to etc together culture. it's beyond just money, whereas LA was more like, who do you know in the industry, and yeah i have money. interesting, and a little off putting. my new plan: so i think i've decided to go with marketing. and with NYC. for now (with the eventual moving to LA to live. hopefully). and HBO. there are employee benefits, a nice building (with a gym), they pay for your mba, and the people are incredibly nice. and looking at my resume, which basically reads marketing, why not? i enjoy it, and HBO's marketing is all the best parts of it (brainstorming, planning, then making decisions- overall more business oriented with creative elements). and this just seems the most logical. and my mom's happy.
my first weekend: asian club with maddie and her frat. called "hiro". sketch old dudes and young drunk asian girls. but nice decor. anthony would be disgusted.
my diet: restaurant variety is amazing here. and relatively cheap. also, i still don't like korean food. i can eat it, but it just doesn't taste good to me anymore. sad day.
how's that for concise?
ps. notice my awesome business card. Fashionably late?
First of all, I apologize for my late arrival to this wonderful blog, both in concept and in realization. The glimpse into your lives has proved fascinating, moving, and even frightening.
Francis: that day, when you bought and gave up your puppy, was both eventful and ultimately inconsequential. What a queer experience, but how moving!
Valeria: how I long to venture into the wild, and witness the enigmatic beauty of outer space, as you did in Delaware...
Lisa: your words are concise and infrequent. I'm disappointed. :P
Linda: you should really reach out to a bigger guy-friend you can trust; ask him to have a little talk with your stalker and to threaten his life if he says even one more word to you. Both Francis and I are genuinely concerned about your well-being. But how fascinating are your photos and your stories about life in Africa! All the small accounts like the bathroom sign and having to iron your underwear for fear of being devoured by infant pests...I envy your bravery!
What have I been up to?
I have been stuck in Colorado since my departure from Philadelphia.
Some of you know this already, but I missed the rent deadline so was forced to postpone my internship start-date by a month. Instead of ending my internship in late July and traveling around South America for a few weeks before returning to Penn, I shall end my trip in late August without the thrills of trekking through the Amazon or the Andes...
Oh well, we all know that exerting much physical energy is not very Anthony Leem.
This Friday I shall be in New York City for a Social Impact Business conference, to which I am being sent by my microfinance firm in Buenos Aires. I do hope to spend some time with Lisa during my brief sojourn back on the East Coast. I also discovered that the UNICEF Summit will be held on the same weekend just a few blocks away, so I hope to stop by and say hello to my colleagues from across the nation's campus initiatives.
I promise you all wonderful photos and exotic stories in a couple weeks' time, when I join Linda in the Southern Hemisphere, where toilets flush in the opposite direction (though I wonder if she could possibly corroborate the truth of this phenomenon, since it seems she is living without civilization...lol).
Francis: that day, when you bought and gave up your puppy, was both eventful and ultimately inconsequential. What a queer experience, but how moving!
Valeria: how I long to venture into the wild, and witness the enigmatic beauty of outer space, as you did in Delaware...
Lisa: your words are concise and infrequent. I'm disappointed. :P
Linda: you should really reach out to a bigger guy-friend you can trust; ask him to have a little talk with your stalker and to threaten his life if he says even one more word to you. Both Francis and I are genuinely concerned about your well-being. But how fascinating are your photos and your stories about life in Africa! All the small accounts like the bathroom sign and having to iron your underwear for fear of being devoured by infant pests...I envy your bravery!
What have I been up to?
I have been stuck in Colorado since my departure from Philadelphia.
Some of you know this already, but I missed the rent deadline so was forced to postpone my internship start-date by a month. Instead of ending my internship in late July and traveling around South America for a few weeks before returning to Penn, I shall end my trip in late August without the thrills of trekking through the Amazon or the Andes...
Oh well, we all know that exerting much physical energy is not very Anthony Leem.
This Friday I shall be in New York City for a Social Impact Business conference, to which I am being sent by my microfinance firm in Buenos Aires. I do hope to spend some time with Lisa during my brief sojourn back on the East Coast. I also discovered that the UNICEF Summit will be held on the same weekend just a few blocks away, so I hope to stop by and say hello to my colleagues from across the nation's campus initiatives.
I promise you all wonderful photos and exotic stories in a couple weeks' time, when I join Linda in the Southern Hemisphere, where toilets flush in the opposite direction (though I wonder if she could possibly corroborate the truth of this phenomenon, since it seems she is living without civilization...lol).
Faith restored
My friend Rachel came to Botswana 3 years ago through this program and made a few local friends. She put me in touch with one guy named Knight, who has been trying to meet up with me over coffee for the past two weeks. I was initially sketched out by the idea of meeting this random guy one on one, but after running into him a few times last week (at the very few places there are to hang out around here), I got a good "I'm not a sketchy stalker or creep!" vibe from him. He would always greet me and introduce himself to the other interns without intruding on our business/ harassing us/etc., so when I ran into him this past Friday, I finally agreed to have coffee with him.
So yeah, we had coffee yesterday. He really does seem like a genuinely nice guy, and he carries himself really well. He’s fairly quiet but likes to talk, and everything he says is in a polite, respectful, chill and non-threatening or suggestive tone. It turns out his mother is the speaker of parliament here, and she used to be minister of local gov't and minister of presidential affairs and public administration. He does microfinance and travels a shit ton with his job, but it’s also very clear that because he’s from a political family, he’s just plain loaded and goes all over the place. It was really refreshing to talk to this guy about Botswana without having him be aggressively forward (or forward at all!).
Maybe it’s just an elaborate scheme to lure me into a false sense of security, but he seems really legit and not interested in anything other than helping me have a good 2 months in Botswana. I’m not sure how many risks I want to take in hanging out with him, though. For example, he said that if the other interns have trouble figuring out travel arrangements to be in S. Africa, I'm welcome to drive down with his group of friends since they're going to go to a lot of World Cup stuff. I have a feeling that it wouldn't be smart for just me to go with them, but I'm pretty tempted by the offer because figuring out travel/accommodations is a PAIN.
Crossing my fingers and hoping that he turns out to be as legit as he seems.
So yeah, we had coffee yesterday. He really does seem like a genuinely nice guy, and he carries himself really well. He’s fairly quiet but likes to talk, and everything he says is in a polite, respectful, chill and non-threatening or suggestive tone. It turns out his mother is the speaker of parliament here, and she used to be minister of local gov't and minister of presidential affairs and public administration. He does microfinance and travels a shit ton with his job, but it’s also very clear that because he’s from a political family, he’s just plain loaded and goes all over the place. It was really refreshing to talk to this guy about Botswana without having him be aggressively forward (or forward at all!).
Maybe it’s just an elaborate scheme to lure me into a false sense of security, but he seems really legit and not interested in anything other than helping me have a good 2 months in Botswana. I’m not sure how many risks I want to take in hanging out with him, though. For example, he said that if the other interns have trouble figuring out travel arrangements to be in S. Africa, I'm welcome to drive down with his group of friends since they're going to go to a lot of World Cup stuff. I have a feeling that it wouldn't be smart for just me to go with them, but I'm pretty tempted by the offer because figuring out travel/accommodations is a PAIN.
Crossing my fingers and hoping that he turns out to be as legit as he seems.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
the perfect campsite
Location: Delaware water gap
Last week my friend Chloe and I decided to go camping, so we drove out a few hours north of the city along the Delaware river and into New Jersey to this area we had been to before called the Delaware water gap. It's mostly a very civilized recreational area for families to have "outdoor" types of fun, but there is also a more wild part where the Appalachian trail comes through, where you're allowed to camp if you're through-hiking, which we weren't. Still, after walking uphill for a bit carrying sleeping bags, food and a case of beer, we found this amazing grassy open space with a rocky outcrop that looked out over the valley and this long lake that had a camp at one end. It was the perfect place for a campsite, but there were no signs of anyone having used it really in a while - no fire circles or marks from tents or anything. We sort of improvised a clear area for a fire and surrounded it with rocks, then made a fire and whittled sticks with our pocketknives like true old men and cooked hotdogs on them and then toasted marshmallows. It was a really warm night, and we fell asleep soon after the sun finished setting (this took a few hours, with the shadow of the ridge we were sitting on slowly moving east over the valley). The whole time we kept hearing voices from down in the valley, as though kids were running around and playing down there around the camp, but we could barely ever pick out anyone walking by the boat house on the shore. Around 3 AM, I woke up almost sober and looking at the stars over my head saw the band of the milky way. I've only seen the stars like that a handfull of times before, and it's always astounding to see the sky so full like that, far away from light pollution and in the darkest part of the night. In the morning we woke up around 7 because the sun was beaming down on our cliff and made another fire for a second round of hotdogs. Then it got unbearably sunny and hot with the fire there, so we packed up, hopped in a lake, dried off and drove home.
What we saw:
Last week my friend Chloe and I decided to go camping, so we drove out a few hours north of the city along the Delaware river and into New Jersey to this area we had been to before called the Delaware water gap. It's mostly a very civilized recreational area for families to have "outdoor" types of fun, but there is also a more wild part where the Appalachian trail comes through, where you're allowed to camp if you're through-hiking, which we weren't. Still, after walking uphill for a bit carrying sleeping bags, food and a case of beer, we found this amazing grassy open space with a rocky outcrop that looked out over the valley and this long lake that had a camp at one end. It was the perfect place for a campsite, but there were no signs of anyone having used it really in a while - no fire circles or marks from tents or anything. We sort of improvised a clear area for a fire and surrounded it with rocks, then made a fire and whittled sticks with our pocketknives like true old men and cooked hotdogs on them and then toasted marshmallows. It was a really warm night, and we fell asleep soon after the sun finished setting (this took a few hours, with the shadow of the ridge we were sitting on slowly moving east over the valley). The whole time we kept hearing voices from down in the valley, as though kids were running around and playing down there around the camp, but we could barely ever pick out anyone walking by the boat house on the shore. Around 3 AM, I woke up almost sober and looking at the stars over my head saw the band of the milky way. I've only seen the stars like that a handfull of times before, and it's always astounding to see the sky so full like that, far away from light pollution and in the darkest part of the night. In the morning we woke up around 7 because the sun was beaming down on our cliff and made another fire for a second round of hotdogs. Then it got unbearably sunny and hot with the fire there, so we packed up, hopped in a lake, dried off and drove home.
What we saw:
Friday, June 4, 2010
I'm so happy I live here again
Before
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After
Yesterday I moved back to the city into the place that I have to myself for the next year. It's a 2nd-floor apartment in a converted townhouse on Spruce, and it's so big that I fit a full bed, arm chair, desk, two book shelves, two small tables, one kitchen table with two chairs and a kitchen shelf into it with room to spare. It's only one room, too. The ceilings are extremely high and there are six windows. The view looks out on a big tree in the backyard and the houses across the way. All the fixtures are probably 90 years old, but that gives it some kind of charm, as do the patches of loose floorboards. Needless to say, I love it very much.
.jpg)
After
Yesterday I moved back to the city into the place that I have to myself for the next year. It's a 2nd-floor apartment in a converted townhouse on Spruce, and it's so big that I fit a full bed, arm chair, desk, two book shelves, two small tables, one kitchen table with two chairs and a kitchen shelf into it with room to spare. It's only one room, too. The ceilings are extremely high and there are six windows. The view looks out on a big tree in the backyard and the houses across the way. All the fixtures are probably 90 years old, but that gives it some kind of charm, as do the patches of loose floorboards. Needless to say, I love it very much.
I regret to say that
I would not mind jumping on a plane right now and going back to the States. I wish I were spending my summer in Cali or Boston or NYC or Philly or even Michigan. Being here makes me miss Philly so much, and each day I'm getting more excited about going back to school...
Everything seems to move slower here: service, people, days, etc. Work is not exciting, and I would probably be more useful if I just volunteered at some soup kitchen in Detroit. I guess it's disappointing so far--especially work, and things probably won't pick up anytime in the next two months. It's also frustrating because in any city in the US, you can use the internet to find out about cool opportunities or events to check out, or I could find some side project to get involved in, but here, they don't really use the internet. :( You can't find anything about anything! The city is also really inaccessible if you don't have a car; the only places within walking distance are my job and the shopping center that I already go to (at least) every other day. More than ever, I want to make some rash decision like go off and hang out with the locals.. Find out what there is to do in this city...
I'm also just disappointed in myself for being disappointed in this experience, for even being able to say that I really want to be in Philly right now. Many of the other interns are somewhat frustrated with their job placements, too, and how useless they feel, so I think it's mostly just this program-- I'm completely unneeded as an intern here. They have nothing for me to do (except for maybe data entry, which I do NOT want to do). If I could, I'd abandon this internship and go volunteer at some orphanage or go to an outside villages and take pictures all day. If I could, I'd stop being so scared and just be rash and immerse myself in this country, adventure with locals and such. I think that would help alleviate this problem.. but also probably cause some other problems. Sigh.
Everything seems to move slower here: service, people, days, etc. Work is not exciting, and I would probably be more useful if I just volunteered at some soup kitchen in Detroit. I guess it's disappointing so far--especially work, and things probably won't pick up anytime in the next two months. It's also frustrating because in any city in the US, you can use the internet to find out about cool opportunities or events to check out, or I could find some side project to get involved in, but here, they don't really use the internet. :( You can't find anything about anything! The city is also really inaccessible if you don't have a car; the only places within walking distance are my job and the shopping center that I already go to (at least) every other day. More than ever, I want to make some rash decision like go off and hang out with the locals.. Find out what there is to do in this city...
I'm also just disappointed in myself for being disappointed in this experience, for even being able to say that I really want to be in Philly right now. Many of the other interns are somewhat frustrated with their job placements, too, and how useless they feel, so I think it's mostly just this program-- I'm completely unneeded as an intern here. They have nothing for me to do (except for maybe data entry, which I do NOT want to do). If I could, I'd abandon this internship and go volunteer at some orphanage or go to an outside villages and take pictures all day. If I could, I'd stop being so scared and just be rash and immerse myself in this country, adventure with locals and such. I think that would help alleviate this problem.. but also probably cause some other problems. Sigh.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
i had a puppy
I only have two pairs of pants here in Beijing, and I've only been wearing one pair for about the past week, so yesterday I grabbed some cash and went over to the Uniqlo across the street from my apartment. On the way I have to cross a skybridge, and that night on that skybridge was a man selling puppies out of a box. I have been in the process of getting my mom a dog for awhile now, and I considered getting one here. I first went to the mall across the street, but I decided that a puppy would be a better option.
I went back and asked how much they were, and he told me 230kuai (which is how much a pair of pants would have cost me). After not much careful consideration I bought one and took it back to my apartment. The one I picked looked like Simba with much darker fur.
In my apartment it took some time getting adjusted, and spent a lot of time tugging on and untying my shoelaces. As I watched it the weight of the situation set in. I realized I didn't have any food in the apartment, I don't have enough money to feed us both, I'd have to take it to the vet and get it vaccinated, I'd have to deal with customs bringing it back into the US, and in general I had no idea how to take care of a puppy. My grandparents would also not be cool with me having a puppy in their extra apartment, but I figured it be safe since they never came up to the apartment I lived in. As I was contemplating the rashness of my decision, I looked up and saw that my laundry had been done. So now I knew that the caretaker of their apartment also came up to this one, and would probably tell them about the unwanted guest.
So I was faced with a tough decision. I have "disposed" of unwanted animals in the past, but I got and still get a lot of shit for it, so I wasn't going to do that again. Instead I took the puppy right back to the man who sold it to me, and after a lot of convincing I got him to take it back, but he wouldn't give me back my money. I was fine with that, though. I deserved that.
I went back and asked how much they were, and he told me 230kuai (which is how much a pair of pants would have cost me). After not much careful consideration I bought one and took it back to my apartment. The one I picked looked like Simba with much darker fur.
In my apartment it took some time getting adjusted, and spent a lot of time tugging on and untying my shoelaces. As I watched it the weight of the situation set in. I realized I didn't have any food in the apartment, I don't have enough money to feed us both, I'd have to take it to the vet and get it vaccinated, I'd have to deal with customs bringing it back into the US, and in general I had no idea how to take care of a puppy. My grandparents would also not be cool with me having a puppy in their extra apartment, but I figured it be safe since they never came up to the apartment I lived in. As I was contemplating the rashness of my decision, I looked up and saw that my laundry had been done. So now I knew that the caretaker of their apartment also came up to this one, and would probably tell them about the unwanted guest.
So I was faced with a tough decision. I have "disposed" of unwanted animals in the past, but I got and still get a lot of shit for it, so I wasn't going to do that again. Instead I took the puppy right back to the man who sold it to me, and after a lot of convincing I got him to take it back, but he wouldn't give me back my money. I was fine with that, though. I deserved that.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
stalker out of control
THIS IS GOING TO BE A HUGE RAMBLE. SORRY.
This guy is really creeping me out and absolutely won't leave me alone. sent me a text this weekend that said "hey btfl plis return my calls cuz im so in luv w u," then fucking showed up at my door yesterday 2 minutes after i returned from work (even checked to see if he was around the building when i entered and didn't see him. where he followed me from i have no idea). told him to leave me alone, told him that i didn't feel comfortable around him and that he shouldn't be at my dorm and that i was absolutely not interested in hanging out with him and that i was seeing someone at home.
Today I was walking back from work, not even near my building, and he fucking popped out of nowhere. "Don't you think all these coincidences are signaling like fate?" NO you fucking weirdo. He told me he liked that I was hard to get, a challenge, and that he respects that I have a boyfriend but that my boyfriend is probably fucking some girl right now and that we should just get together for these two months. NO. He kept asking what our plan was, and I said there is no plan, you need to leave me alone, stop following me, etc. He just replied by saying that he likes that I'm careful because he's careful, too, at which point he pulled out his HIV test results (negative). At one point I was so desperate to get rid of him that I was like how do you know I like guys, to which he said, "Ah, that's a fast way to try and get rid of me, but then I'd want you even more." AFDlk;jfne.
There are so many other parts of this conversation that enraged me that I'm not going to ramble about because there are actually too many. He actually had the nerve to ask if we could chat in my room afterwards. We even had this conversation in front of security guards, but they did nothing, and after I left I saw that they were joking around with him about something. I am going to talk to my program supervisors tomorrow because I am scared to go home from work every day, and I have like 7 more weeks here. Sadly I don't know if talking to security will do anything because he is also a student on the campus and has a right to be on it, and I'm also terrified that anything I do will just drive him to try harder and be more aggressive. I just need like a 24/7 body guard or something. Or to get a buzz cut and wear shades all the time.
ARGHhhhhhhhhh.
This guy is really creeping me out and absolutely won't leave me alone. sent me a text this weekend that said "hey btfl plis return my calls cuz im so in luv w u," then fucking showed up at my door yesterday 2 minutes after i returned from work (even checked to see if he was around the building when i entered and didn't see him. where he followed me from i have no idea). told him to leave me alone, told him that i didn't feel comfortable around him and that he shouldn't be at my dorm and that i was absolutely not interested in hanging out with him and that i was seeing someone at home.
Today I was walking back from work, not even near my building, and he fucking popped out of nowhere. "Don't you think all these coincidences are signaling like fate?" NO you fucking weirdo. He told me he liked that I was hard to get, a challenge, and that he respects that I have a boyfriend but that my boyfriend is probably fucking some girl right now and that we should just get together for these two months. NO. He kept asking what our plan was, and I said there is no plan, you need to leave me alone, stop following me, etc. He just replied by saying that he likes that I'm careful because he's careful, too, at which point he pulled out his HIV test results (negative). At one point I was so desperate to get rid of him that I was like how do you know I like guys, to which he said, "Ah, that's a fast way to try and get rid of me, but then I'd want you even more." AFDlk;jfne.
There are so many other parts of this conversation that enraged me that I'm not going to ramble about because there are actually too many. He actually had the nerve to ask if we could chat in my room afterwards. We even had this conversation in front of security guards, but they did nothing, and after I left I saw that they were joking around with him about something. I am going to talk to my program supervisors tomorrow because I am scared to go home from work every day, and I have like 7 more weeks here. Sadly I don't know if talking to security will do anything because he is also a student on the campus and has a right to be on it, and I'm also terrified that anything I do will just drive him to try harder and be more aggressive. I just need like a 24/7 body guard or something. Or to get a buzz cut and wear shades all the time.
ARGHhhhhhhhhh.
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