3M and the J Word

3Ms = Movies, Music, Moleskins

The benefit to having younger sisters is I can watch an obnoxious number of Disney and other animated movies with them and not feel too immature. My favorites include:

• The Lion King
• Tangled
• Beauty and the Beast
• Aladdin
• Mulan
• Finding Nemo
• The Incredibles
• Monsters, Inc
• Rataouille

I love to shop. When I'm in West Africa, I will miss shopping. Well, shopping the way they do it here. I know it's materialistic and such. But sometimes it is just fun to shop. Therapeutic really.

I don't usually think I'm a very jealous person. But recently that may not be so much the case. Long distance makes me a little nutty. I mean, in the end, how do you really know how much you can trust someone? You can trust them, but long distance sucks. And there is more than 1 example in my life of long distance plus cheating.  So in the end, how do you avoid it? Do you become a hermit and never socialize with other people? What if you meet someone that you click with, even when you didn't want to? Then do you tell your significant other about everyone you met? "I met this really cool guy/girl today. He/she was super adorable and worldy or whatever. Etc etc etc." OR "I knew this really cool guy/girl from before and he/she's nice, awesome, cute, what have you."

New like: Bossa nova music- I like it.

Moleskin notebooks, day planners are great. All Moleskin products are great.

Quick Trip

I moved back to Wisconsin less than 2 weeks ago. But now I'm heading back to Boston for a quick trip. My boyfriend is getting surgery. Let's not get into the details or else I may have a nervous breakdown. But let's just say it's not just appendicitis. I'm stressed out, scared, worried... you could list just about any other adjective with those same ideas. But anyway that's a slight update. Just send a prayer or a thought tomorrow that everything goes smoothly for him. And my sanity.

Some other thoughts-

I finally got a Kindle. Gift from the boyfriend- he's too sweet. I DO still love the feel of a book. Holding it in my hands. Turning the pages. However, I do understand the logic to the electronic version of a book. I've bought a few books so far and downloaded tons of free books. Let's see how fast I can fill up my Kindle. Tehehe

Moving to Africa again is rather stressful. I wish I had put all my Uganda stuff all together when I got home... turns out I'm not that smart. I have to hunt down my Africa pants again, etc etc etc.

My computer has been getting excessively hot recently. It's kind of annoying. I think there's something wrong with it but I don't really want to take it into Geek Squad. I will have to soon... sigh...

Job Searching

It's like beating a dead horse. Or actually it's what I called beating a dead cat. Why I say cat, you ask? I have no idea. I DID see a dead bird on the street today. Which is probably why I thought of a cat, since cats like to attack birds... yes, don't worry, I haven't totally lost my mind yet. I don't think.

This is what I do:
Over and over. Look up jobs. Tweek cover letter. Submit resume. Rinse. Repeat. Until you want to commit suicide. Then rinse and repeat again.

... I need a job...

In other news, I have a boyfriend. He's great. I'll spare you the morbid, gross details, but he's way too sweet for me. I'm all scary and messed up. He's all happy with hugs or at least when it comes to dealing with me. I have problems... 

Also, here's the thing. If you're going to cheat on your boyfriend (not saying I AM, just general advice), HAVE SEX. If you're going to cheat emotionally, that's just boring and stupid. If you're GOING to cheat, just go all out. It's easier for everyone. You don't have do the whole talk about how you didn't do anything but yet you had feelings for some other boy. Blah blah blah.

But if you're going to cheat, always remember: karma has a nasty way of sneaking back up and biting you in the rear end. Really really hard.

That's all.

Happy Valentine's Day

Alright people. It's Valentine's Day. I just spent the night celebrating/bonding with my roommate and the dog. I have a few things to share with you. (Please be warned: I've shared 1.5 bottles of red vino. I may be a little... whatever.)

• Pageants seem kinda fun! At least watching them is. Training for them is probably a whole other story...
• Roommates are awesome. End of story.
• The Midwest is still the frickin' best.
• Lady Gaga is a tad crazy but we still love her. Her in the egg = Kinder Surprise. Though you cannot eat the egg (it was not made of choco) and you cannot play with Gaga... at least I don't think so...
• My boyfriend is sweet and wonderful and way too good to me. He needs to find a new girlfriend. Or another one. Maybe I'll try the polygamous relationship thing... HELLO MORMONISM
• School is overrated. FML. I do school all the time. I have no friends. This is freakishly depressing.
• Valentine's Day is a tad overrated but please do remember to tell those you love that you love them.

Happy Hallmark Day of Love! 

A New Year

Hellooooooo out there. I know I've been MIA for a while. Blame the adjustment back to the US. Currently it's blizzarding in the good ol' New England area and all I want is to fly back to Uganda. Immediately. Snow is not cool. I'm rocking the hot pink winter boots, but I'm still freezing. What I really want is one of those huge black full body sleeping bag jackets, but something tells me if I got one, I'd be disowned by several people.

This new year brings a new place to live, new roommate with her dog, and new boyfriend. Will write more soon. :)

Indian food makes me want to roll around on the floor like a happy puppy dog

This past weekend was great. I spent way too much money and ate way too much Indian food, but living the occasional life of excess is actually rather fun. Good thing I spend like 20 cents a day, if that, in Sembabule. Thursday night, Indian food at Haandi's. Friday night, Indian food at Nawab. Saturday afternoon, Indian food at Masala Chaat. I may have a serious addiction problem and will need to find good Indian restaurants in the Midwest and New England when I get back to the USA. Garlic naan paired with a delicious Indian dish make me want to run around squealing with happiness. Yes, I mean squealing like a little child on Christmas day.

Shopping in Uganda is not the same as shopping in the States. Obviously. But I have come to enjoy it just as much except for the negotiating prices part. Sometimes it's just nice to have everything at a fixed price and you know exactly how much you need to pay. Arguing with shop owners is not my forte (it's my dad's) and it just gets old after a while. BUT I have managed to finagle some cool stuff to bring back. Including one really sweet silver ring. I probably paid way too much for it, but I love it so that's my justification. Oh and also cuz I'm probably not going to make it to Kenya or on another trip before I leave, SO rather than spending money on hotels, bus tickets, etc... why not just shop?

30 days left in Uganda! Wicked crazy, I know! I'm going to really miss this place. Miss being around the other intern 24/7, attached at the hip. Miss my supervisor who I love and wish I could bring her back to the US with me. And miss everything about Uganda. At the same time, I'm pumped to drive a car by myself on the RIGHT side of the road. Take a hot shower. Not have to worry about frogs jumping out randomly at me, the cow mooing at the crack of dawn, dodging pigs/chickens as I cross the street. I am also rather excited for the male species. I miss the smell of boy, the boy sense of humor, boy everything. Being here has been like being on a man fast again and I have to say it's not exactly the most fun. Though it has helped me find myself and learn more about myself. Blah blah blah cliche I know, but rather true.

I have nothing of real importance to report. So for all you readers in the Midwest who I know personally, see you in a month!!!!!!!!!!!! I want beer, cranberry/vodkas, pizza, Sour Patch Kids, Wheat Thins, and a bread bowl with soup. Thank you very much.

Here's the DL

So our office in Mubende is on a hill. Going up and down the hill is a workout in and of itself. And since I'm completely out of shape... oiy... Going down to buy more bread is a chorse. And then other intern had the unfortunate incident of eating it as we walked up the hill while it was raining. Part of me thought: I'm glad it wasn't me. And the other part said: Jess, that WILL be you next time.

Here's the DL on survival in the middle of Uganda:

• Pop music helps any and all situations. And any mood.
• Peanut butter is essential along with granola bars.
• Head lamps always save the day. Carry one with you. Always.
• Crystal Lite masks any weirdly colored or tasting water.
• Running out of airtime on your cellphone is never a smart situation.
• British guys are hot. The accent...
• British med students... even hotter.
• Finding the best coffee shop in Kampala is essential for maintaining sanity.
• Books. You need books. I would die without them. They are as important as oxygen.
• The ability to find your sense of humor and inner small child. Yes, the jumping around my room and playing with the settings on my head lamp are included.
• Finding the most delicious kind of crackers at the grocery store. Very important when you run out of American supplies.
• Addictions are easy to pick up. Mine currently include: Haribo gummies, games of Freecell on my laptop, and not having self-control.

I miss boys. The male gender. Abs. Boy hair. Boy deodorant. Boy sense of humor. sigh... This is why I will never become a lesbian.

Rwanda and My Bum

Rwanda rocked. It was a bit like Spring Break in Rwanda. I would have loved to spend time exploring the city and doing more touristy stuff BUT it was so much fun to hang out with a big group of people and essentially get wasted. Friday night was awesome. We started drinking at home and played King’s Cup/Circle of Death. HILARIOUS! I made a party foul (spilled Ugandan Waragi everywhere) and had to drink Waragi out of a ladle. Oof, a touch painful. And can I say that though this was not one of our smarter moves, I learned that boda riding with a buzz is GREAT fun. I wouldn’t recommend doing it again, but it was a great experience, nonetheless. We went to this bar and had a great time dancing. The only ridiculous time was when a Rwandan came up behind me, grinding, and all I could feel was his hard-on. NOT OKAY. Saturday night was a lot better; no hard-ons. We brought the Limbo to the dance floor that night and it was hilarious to watch. (I did not participate.)


There was a really cute British guy in our group. Can you imagine anything sexier than a British accent when talking about placentas, episiotomies, and childbirth? I can’t. Unfortunately he has a girlfriend. Oh well, I just enjoyed the view while I could.

The trip back… I feel like my bus ran me over this morning. I am in so much pain. Sitting on a bus, not moving for over 12 hours, can do that. I’m surprised I didn’t get a blood clot and die of an embolism. It was brutal. My nerves are a bit shot from the blow outs and our completely insane bus driver. He was such an idiot. Something should intuitively tell you that flying over speed humps and potholes will not be kind to your wheels. So if you already had problems with your wheels today, MAYBE, just maybe, you should be a little more careful in your driving. HAHAHAHA NOPE. He drove like a complete psycho and the whole time all I could think was: please don’t kill me. You cannot begin to imagine how happy I was to get off that bus. Only to get onto another bus… I am so stiff and sore today.

Relationship Questions?

So being a bit bored, I decide to read about “questions couples should ask each other.” There’s really no reason for this except I have nothing better to do and I am always open to new conversation starters, whether or not it’s with a significant other. I’m reading… pretty standard stuff: what’s your favorite color, what’s the worst book you’ve ever read, if your life was to be a movie then what actor would play you… etc. I come across one that has me literally LOL in the office. It says: if I don’t say so, how do you know I want to make love? Uhhhhh really? Am I REALLY supposed to ask this of my significant other when we’ve been in a serious relationship. “Hey honey, when I don’t demand for sex, how do you know I want it?” Is this something you really have to ask your bf/gf?


Here’s another one: How did you learn what it meant to be a man/woman?... HUH???? As opposed to knowing what it meant to be a gorilla or a dog? Or would it be: how did you learn that a woman’s place doesn’t necessarily have to be in a kitchen with an apron, cooking her husband dinner with 3 kids running around the 2 story house with a white picket fence and a pet dog?... just saying…

Inappropriateness

Since I cannot express every incredibly insane thought of mine on the other blog, I figured I'd update this one on any and all things random and inappropriate. All for your reading pleasure.

If God loved women, He would have made it easier for us to go to the bathroom. I mean, seriously. Why do guys have it so easy? Every night when I walk into the pit latrine, I think about this. At night, all the bugs are attracted to the light bulbs in the latrines (when there is power), so going to the bathroom is an episode of listening to bugs buzz incessantly around your head. It'd be so much easier to pee standing up and be done with it. Nope, instead I have to worry about things crawling out of the hole and up my leg; if a mosquito is going to bite me in an inappropriate place... you get what I mean. I KNOW I said I was going to stop blogging about bathrooms, but really, it's just such a fun experience out here that I can't not talk about it.

To go months without sex... I'm just going to say, it's very depressing.

So I'm out in a remote area. I never wear pants while I'm out here. I'm always in a skirt and can I just say, when it's hot, the chaffing that goes on is out of this world. I never have this issue in the USA but here, it seems to happen every once in a while. Grr. But when I'm alone in my room, I strip down to shorts and a sports bra, throw on my iPod (with broken headphones, by the way), and jump around. It's my one way of relieving stress and frustration without having to choke, stab, punch, or murder someone. It's also a way of working out.

The traditional food here is matoke, plantains boiled and then mushed together. Usually it's coupled with beans or a meat. I eat it every day for lunch. Honestly, when I get back to the US, I'm not eating bananas again for at least 6 months. It gets a little... old? But my Africa diet rocks. I'm pretty sure I can lose the weight I gained in Boston (which I did cuz I didn't work out and ate like crap).

Every night, I hide in my mosquito net like a freakshow because I hate mosquitoes and they annoy me. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, paranoid there is a mosquito in my net, eating me alive. I know, I'm nuts. It's the mefloquine.
And why oh why was that military guy married?!?!?!?!?! Girls, if I could have taken a picture of him to show you, I would have. Fantaaaaaastic bod, great tattoos... anyway...

My little sister is adorable. I love her. This is the song she wrote for me and sent me in an email, with directions and everything:
WHEN THERE IS A DASH BETWEEN A WORD THEN U SPELL IT OUT!! XAMPLE: c-a-t

I HAVE A J,
A ..........J-E-,
I HAVE A J-E-S-S-I-C-A,
THAT LIVES IN MY F-A-M-I-L-Y
AND I AM VERY S-A-D
THAT SHE IS IN...U-G-A-N-D-A
FOR THE S-U-M-M-E-R!! :(
JESSICA IS IN UGANDA FOR THE SUMMER!!
(IM STILL VERY SAD)
:(

I enjoy Crystal Light

The title of this post has nothing to do with anything else that's written, but it is a new observation I have. Crystal light is yummy.

Getting a tan by the pool (along with several Nile Special beers) at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala was outstanding. But afterwards, I saw the effects of my crappy sunscreen application. Oops! The army guys we met at the pool were really fun and nice to hang out with. One was rather good-looking aka extremely and had awesome tattoos, but I was disappointed to discover later that he is married.

In the US, we're taught that time is money. In Uganda, more people means more money. So taxi rides are inevitably always late and cramped. Plus, it's one thing to stuff average sized people together. When you have individuals who are larger than normal, you'd think people would consider that in the "stuffing people into vehicles" situation. They don't.

I have this fascinating itchy rash/ a bunch of small bumps on the bottom of both of my feet, in the exact same spot. Medical people- help? I've eliminated athlete's foot; definitely isn't that. I'm kind of hoping it will go away on its own since it would be rather difficult to locate a doctor out here and I don't want to make a trip into Kampala to solely find a doctor. FML.

Day 4

Senseless death has caused great turmoil for the organization i came to work for in Uganda. So here I sit, waiting for the next move. My heart goes out to the family and his coworkers who are all grieving.

I am learning to squat like the best of them, aka squatting in a tub in order to use a bucket to bathe. It's pretty funny. I can only imagine what I really look like when I do this. My hair has been cut short so it's way easier to wash now. I'm getting more used to having short hair, but I do miss it and thank god hair grows. The house I'm staying at has a flushable toilet, which is pretty awesome, considering I hadn't had one for a while.

Here I sit, just finished the first Charlaine Harris novel that True Blood is based on and  now I'm watching True Blood in Africa. It's kind of bizarre. There is such a split between those with money and those who don't. I guess I should try to appreciate the comforts I have for now since once I move out into the field, it won't be so much like this. Definitely no toilet that flushes.

Making friends in Africa- rather difficult since I'm a little secluded right now. But I did meet a rather cute Scottish med student on at the Ugandan airport. He got picked up by the same driver as I did. We chatted in the matatu and he seemed really cool. We talked about traveling around Uganda together and such... problem was that there is no way for either of us to communicate. No phone, no internet. But can I just say... Scottish accent? Hoooooot.

I will Always be a Midwest Girl at heart

Favorites:

TV Show: Glee. It's amazing.
Song: Need You Now- Lady Antebellum
Food: Watermelon
Thing to Buy: Shoes. Two pairs of heels since I've been home. I have a problem, but I'm okay with it.

Here's a story, friends, about when a guy pursues a girl... it went something like this:
His thoughts: "She's so cute. She's so nice. I want to ask her out. I just got her number. This means she's interested. What should I do? I know I walked her home... so do I lean in for a kiss? Crap, I'm so drunk. I can't think that clearly... Should I give her a good-bye hug? What should I do? Sh*t sh*t sh*t and NOW..."
ACTUAL ACTION: Gives her a High Five and leaves to go home... only to be so drunk he wakes up to find himself passed out on the hardwood floor and his wallet in the fridge.

Dear friend this actually happened to,
This is one of my favorite drunken, guy-pursuing-girl stories ever. Don't worry, I still like you.

I had the honor of seeing a wonderful friend this afternoon. I love her! Anyway, we were in VS. This is where I lost my sunglasses (SOB). But also where one of my favorite memories from the summer happened. It went something like this...
I'm trying on bras. My friend is trying on swimsuits. (PS she has uhhh-mazing abs.) We're talking about what bra I should get. I'm wearing one, we had been talking about my chest and boobs in general... then she proceeds to ask me about how it feels. Unsure of what she's talking about, I respond with: they feel fine, I never get back pain, Why? She goes: um... I was talking about the bra. And we proceed to LOL in the dressing room. It was way funnier had you been there with us... me shirtless, her just staring at me like I'm insane (which sometimes I might be). It kind of brought me back to the memories of us living together... when being shirtless was commonplace. The only thing we were missing today was S. I miss both of them so much; maybe someday we'll live together again! 

I love the Midwest. 

• Driving in a car in the suburbs
• I did get pulled over by a cop last night for being a complete idiot. Good thing I didn't get a ticket!
• My silly cat
• She's so cute! And rather demanding. I may also be slightly allergic... doesn't matter. I will pet her and love her anyway.
• Sleeping in a bunk bed 
• Or as my dad calls it: a bunker bed. The same bed I've been sleeping in for years... or for most of my life.
• Hanging out at the kitchen table in my pajamas
• I do it often when I'm home now. Including right now.
• Suburban malls
• I love them! Such a different feeling here... I have spent way too much money.
• Suburban Target
• I don't think this needs further details... self-explanatory 
• Wisconsin
• I love the Home of Beer and Cheese. Though I strongly dislike cheese. It's so strange and doesn't taste very good to me.  
• I swung by my high school today. Remodeled... it's just not the same. Those blue and yellow panels you used to have? Now that they're gone, I feel betrayed.
• Badgerland...
• LOVE!

 Home Saweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet Home.

Two heads are NOT better than one

My experiences from this weekend has led me to lose most of my barely existent hope in the fundamental normalness of the opposite sex...

Dear Shortie aka Hipster aka I've written about you before,
1) Red handkerchief thing makes you look like a cowboy. A hipster cowboy. You look ridiculous
2) Asking me to tell you 3 interesting things about myself is not a pick up line.
3) Nor is "I recently saw a movie that was really deep and meaningful. It was called Toy Story."
4) Sticking your tongue down my throat is completely uncalled for, disgusting, and not a way to win my heart. Ever.
5) Please never speak to me again.

Dear Grabber,
1) Hanging onto my elbow as I take a break from the dance floor is not a good way to get my attention.
2) Not letting go when I deliberately refuse to turn and look at you and start making conversation with my friends is really not okay.
3) The fact that I walked away without ever looking at you and grabbing the first guy friend I see to dance with is an indication that I'm not interested. Stop staring.

There has to be a rule for texting. I'm sure of it. A school people need to be sent to where they learn how to text new friends appropriately. Where they learn what is okay and not okay to say to people they are interested in. If we're friends and we text crazy things, that's one thing. Texting me if you barely know me at all should be kept to appropriate, friendly, neutral, normal things.

And again, may I reiterate, grabbing a girl, sticking your tongue down her throat, and telling her you may never get this chance again when she has not flirted with you is NOT OKAY.

My theme song is Telephone.

PS Saw the singer JoJo on Saturday night. Who knew she was still singing? Not I.
PPS There may have been pole dancing on Friday night- I did not partake in that one. BUT I may have been ridiculous enough to have danced on a runway Saturday night.

Drums, a Guy & a Pair of Shoes

I haven't had anything good to write about in a while, but I do now.

Yesterday I saw an Asian drum show. The one main drummer dude... amazing. He was intensely ripped. Like whoa. He was Asian so I say this in the most platonic, observant way possible. At the end, the guys wore loin clothes and drummed. His a$$ was great. His entire body... whoa... I haven't seen someone that built in real life in a while. Aside from that, the show itself was sweet. Phenomenal. Fantastic. Any more words to describe it? Oh: powerful, intense, passionate, and super meditative. It was WOW! Loved!

Then I went to a club with my Asians. Just a few that I'm better friends with. And I clubbed... well let's just say I was there, had been sick with the stomach flu all week, and consumed nothing but the ambiance, guys' cologne, girls' perfume, sweaty air, and horribly mixed club music. While I was at said club, a guy who is friends with the Asian posse (who is also Asians- your red flags should already be going up) arrived. Greeted me with a little squeeze on the side and a nice hello with the eyes, along with a verbal hello. Mentally, I said oh no. Outwardly I said hi and ran away. (background about him, we'll call him... Shortie, cuz he was shorter than me when I was wearing 5 inch heels: at a friend's bday outing last month, he asked me if I was single as I walked by him. I said yes and kept walking, not thinking much of it. For the rest of the night, he just watched me from afar. Then as he left, he told me how nice I looked. I didn't think much of it but that's the background) Last night, the squeeze and the hello... I ran away. Then the night carried on. I didn't see him. I danced. My friend starting dancing with these other Asian guys we didn't know... I. did. not. The night wore on. All of a sudden, Shortie materialized by my side and was saying good-bye to all my friends. Then my dialogue with him went like this:

• Shortie: I'm leaving now.
• Me: Ok
• Shortie: If you ask me to stay, I'll stay
  
• Me: You should stay if you want to
• Shortie: Give me a reason to stay. I have to leave but I can stay 5 more minutes if you ask me to stay
• Me: You should stay if you want to...
• Shortie: You're breaking my heart
• Me: What? (pretending I didn't hear him over the music and people)
• Him: I'm going to go now
• Me: Okay, BYE!!

Yup. That's how it went. "You're breaking my heart"?!?!?! What does that mean? I mean, boy, I don't know you. We've never had a real conversation. I haven't done anything to you. I DON'T want you to stay but I'm too nice to tell you that. Who are you? I mean overall, I. am. not. interested. @(*@!&#^#&*^

But on a happier note, I got a free pair of Fergalicious by Fergie shoes at the bar. They were giving 15 pairs away at the bar and I got one! They're black gladiator heels, zipper down the middle, very cute! So much fun and FREE!! Then on our way home from the bar, we managed to squeeze 4 people in the back seat and 2 people in the passenger seat of a little Honda. No worries, no drunk driving, just an illegal number of passengers.

Recap of the night:

• Drums are awesome.
• Shortie = that was weird. I don't like you if you're weird. I don't like uncomfortable situations. I run away. Plus, I don't want to date right now, but that's a whole other discussion. And another thought, if you're Asian, I'm sorry but you better be able to knock my socks off, shoot stars out of your behind, and be able to outshine the sun before I consider dating you. AAAAND I will only reconsider if you look like a particular C-pop star I think is hot. Sorry... it's a slight problem I have. Let's just call it baggage and leave it at that. Soooooo the recap kind of went on a tangent. But was only supposed to say: Shortie, my answer is no no.
  
• I got a new pair of shoes for free.

See? Much better Jess post, wouldn't you say? Did you giggle a little? I did as I wrote it.

Stomach flu

Turns out, my sickness lasted until yesterday. And it wasn't just from being hungover. Nope, I had the stomach flu. Ohhhh yummy gastroenteritis. Most miserable thing I've experienced in a while. I haven't eaten real food in 5 days... I miss it so much. I've eaten toast, saltines, Gatorade, and water. Yes, super healthy diet. Makes me light-headed and slightly crankier than the average me. And my body is exhausted.

Which leads to my next thought. Boys are jerks. Most are at least. I'm sorry if you're reading this and you're male. But sometimes, oftentimes, most of the time, the whole lot of you are jerks and denser than a black hole.

That's all I have for now, give me a break, I'm a recovering sick person

Some Weirdness and A Touch of Home

Yesterday, at one point, I managed to find myself in the presence of about 10 Asians. I was in shock, to say the least. I went out to the bars with a few friends (they're Asian) and they saw some of their Asian friends. It turned out that it was one of their birthdays, so it was a BIG Asian mixer in our area of the bar. And when I say mixer, I mean... 2 other girls and me with a whole bunch of Asian guys with more product in their hair than I had in my hair. CRAZY!!! I immediately thought of all my wonderful Caucasian friends back at home (or wherever in the world they might be) and missed them terribly. Guys, I'm totally white-washed. I don't know how I feel about being in the presence of so many Asians who I'm not related to. When I'm related to them, it's just a family reunion. Last night? That was just weird. There were just so many of them! I bet they're nice (sober or not) but... not for me!! I'm the Midwest-grown, dairy product-fed (no cheese) girl who usually turns out to be the token Asian in a group of friends, not that I mind at all. But I learned a few things (that I already knew but would like to re-emphasize):

- They need LESS hair product, LESS! If your hair doesn't budge at all, no matter what you're doing, how much head shaking there is, how hard you jump on the dance floor, how much you run around, how horribly you're puking on the street, you need to seriously reassess the amount of hair product you're using.
- They need to not try to hit on me. It's never going to work; I'm not attracted to you. No matter how much alcohol you try to give me... which, by the way, if I ask for WATER, don't bring me more alcohol. Doesn't make me want to take off my clothes for you, dance up on you, or go home with you any more than I wanted to 10 minutes ago. No means NO.
- There is no need to be vain. Yes I can see the veins popping out of your buff arms, but hey, white guys have that too... actually lots of guys in general have that.

Movie shooting seems to happen throughout Boston recently. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were shooting a few blocks from my place during the week. The movie will be called Wichita, I think. Let me tell you, at some point when Cameron Diaz is in a yellow dress and boots, that's close to my place. And I believe they filmed a car crash scene there too. Today I happened upon the set of the new Ben Affleck movie, something about bank robbers? I was told the film is called The Town. There were cops, FBI, and some gun fire. A girl I talked to said she saw Ben Affleck smoking somewhere and was starstruck. I guess Boston is the place to be to try to get a glimpse of a few new movie shoots.

Today was also a very nice day for a taste of home. I went to watch the Badger game at a bar with the UW alumni association- Boston people. It was fun!! All of us in our Badger get-up in the middle of Boston. But I sure did miss Madison and being in Camp Randall. Pretty cool! I ended up running into a guy who took Biocore with me on the T. Turns out he was also headed toward the bar... crazy small world we live in! I guess he moved to Boston and is working and applying to med schools. I was just so amazed that I ran into him... on the T!

Pretty solid weekend! But tomorrow will have to be a day of studying. I need to be productive BECAUSE my weekend in Madison is coming up!!! I don't want to have work to do that weekend! 19 Days before my feet return to Midwestern soil!!!

Leaving... not on a jet plane...

It is finally hitting me that I am leaving Madison officially with no idea if I'll ever be back. Tomorrow is my very last day. This is really hard to deal with. I love this place, this city, this school, the streets, even the construction, the bars, the people... all the memories that have been created here. I am really going to miss it. A lot. Nostalgia has set in. It's also very difficult saying good-bye to all the friends that I have made here. The people here are why I love Madison the most. I have met some of the most wonderful friends here, and I will miss them constantly.

Highlights:

Freshman Year

• Drinking for the first time
• Running across campus drunk
• Knowing I had new friends who would take care of me, no matter what mess I got myself into (There were a lot of them)
• Meeting the girls, the boys, the people who would touch my life for the next 4 years
• Going to my first Badger football and hockey game

Sophomore Year

• Having an awesome roommate with our weekend hangover mornings on the futon, watching One Tree Hill... promising never to drink again. Only to repeat the same thing the following weekend
• Hosting a few crazy parties
• Watching friends get themselves in trouble
• My awesome light-up heels
• The car accident

Junior Year

• First official apartment: complete with accidentally breaking a window with a newspaper when trying to kill a bee, squirrels in the walls and floorboards, fun roommates, no TV
• Making Thanksgiving dinner for friends
• Beer pong
• Being the most hungover I had ever been in my entire life
• Turning 21
• Figuring myself and what I wanted to do next in life

Senior Year

• My Own Room
• Going out with a bang, bloopers and all
• Finding out way more about close friends than I ever wanted to know
• Learning even more about myself than I ever though possible and finding that inner confidence that is necessary to stand on my own 2 feet
• Enjoying my last year in Madison
• GRADUATION

Madison, it has been amazing. I thank you for everything I have learned and experienced here. I have more stories than I ever thought necessary thus far in my life, but I enjoy every one of them. I will miss it all!!!