Last day of MC

Today was my last day at the Municipal Court. It's sad because the women I work with are so wonderful. I'll probably visit them on Friday to get their contact info and to see them one last time.

This afternoon I had lunch at the Grand Buffet, a Chinese restaurant. I impressed Aimer with my chopstick skills while he ate with a fork (hahahaha...sucker). We started talking about the Peace Corps, and he asked me the usual questions about when I was leaving, how long I'd be staying, blah, blah. He commented that 2 years was a long time and when I mentioned that I'd probably do grad school after I got back, he said, "man, in 4-5 years, I hope to be married."

Then we got on the topic of marriage and relationships. I was telling him how everyone is always surprised at the fact that I'm not married and that I don't have a boyfriend. He completely agreed because, he said, by this time folks have been a relationship for a few years, and marriage is the next step in life. He told me I was outside "the norm." I was thinking, yeah, outside the norm of Huntsville standards, and that's why I need to get out.

So, I posed the question, "Why do you think I don't have a boyfriend?"
His response: "I think because you like yourself too much."
"Mmmmm...not completely untrue, but how does that prevent me from getting a boyfriend?"
"I don't know. I think you think too much about it, instead of just letting it happen.

I do think about it too much, but I also think I might be kind of picky not to mention that timing and distance have played a factor, and I think that maybe some of the guys I've been interested just haven't been interested back.

Aimer bet me $20 that I'd get married while I'm in Guyana. I should have bet more. I'll need all the money I can get when I return.

Groups of 4

4 jobs I've had:
1. Data Entry Clerk- I get to be nosy and see what class c misdemeanors people commit because I enter their tickets in the computer
2. Membership Recruiter/Fundraiser- A fancy title for soliciting folks for their money
3. Communication Specialist- Updating the Health and Wellness website and sending out educational e-newsletters
4. Program Assistant- Creating itinerary booklets for International Visitors

4 movies I'd see over and over:
1. Miss Congeniality- so cute and funny
2. A League of Their Own- makes me cry every time
3. A Beautiful Mind- now there's a woman who knows how to stand by her man
4. Nuovo Cinema Paradiso- I wrote an Italian paper on this movie, so I've seen it 50 billion times

4 places I've lived:
1. Huntsville, TX- home town
2. St. Louis, MO- college town
3. Washington, DC- internship town
4. Padova, Italy- study abroad town

4 places I've been on vacation:
1. London, England- dad's side of the family
2. Cincinnati, OH- mom's side of the family
3. Chicago, IL- my bestest friends
4. New Jersey- a wedding

4 television shows I like to watch
1. Supernatural- I want Dean to be my lover
2. Beauty and the Geek- it's the only reality show that I don't find absolutely ludicrous
3. CSI: Las Vegas- who doesn't love watching them solve unsolvable crimes?
4. The TV Guide channel- it's like watching all the shows on one

4 websites I visit daily:
1. TXDot- I have to look up TX license plates in order to cite parking tickets
2. thefacebook.com- ps. I can't stand those people who update every single day
3. blogger.com- to stay in touch
4. google.com- it's my favorite search engine

4 places I'd rather be:
1. Guyana- uhhh...I've only been waiting for 10 months
2. the Library- it has super fast internet connection
3. In a car or plane - so I can play my new travel Scrabble
4. On a beach - so I can be in my bathing suit enjoying the sun

That was fun :)

Shopping

I did something this weekend that I hardly ever do...I went shopping! Ezinne and I went to Ross where I bought a lot of stuff at very cheap prices. I got a lot of cute skirts to bulk up my business casual wardrobe. After looking at the suggested packing list for Guyana, I decided I need more "work" clothes. I bought 4 skirts, 4 blouses, and khaki capris for work, and I got a calf length beige skirt and another pair of khaki capris for casual wear. I'm super proud of my purchases not to mention it was good bounding time for me and Ezinne. (We recently got in a fight and were kinda not talking to each other.)

You know, apparently, no matter where you are, there is no inappropriate place for a guy to hit on a girl. While we were at Ross, this dude asked Ezinne how old I was. Then he attempted to hit on me.
"Hey, how are you? Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Uhhh...I'm just really trying to do some shopping with my sister."
"Hey, I just want to talk. We can talk while you shop."
"[Sigh] Ok."
"What's your name?"
"Adannaa. And yours?"
"Niko. Are you from around here [The Woodlands]?"
"Actually, I'm from Huntsville. Are you from here?"
"No, I'm from Dallas."
"Oh, are you going to school here?"
"No. You know, I'm here training dogs."
"Oh, okay."
"Say, do you think I could get your number."
"Uhh...I'm actually going to be going overseas soon."
"That's okay, maybe we could catch a movie or something before you go."
"Uhhh...no...I don't think so."
"No? Okay. It was nice meeting you."
"Nice meeting you too, Niko."

I guess that's what I get for wanting to look cute that day. Oh, oh, wait...no I don't have to look cute for random guys to hit on me. On Thursday, at the gym, these two guys were trying to talk to me even though I had on my huge work shirt that is 3 sizes too big. I couldn't really understand what they were saying most of the time, and I was just wishing they would go away. They obviously had no chance in hell; not to mention, they reeked of stale smoke. BLAH!

Guyana: Am I really going?

So, my departure for Guyana has been postponed until March 1st. Of course, I was disappointed because I've been waiting for so long, but it turns out to be a good thing. I realized that I was no where ready to go as far as getting stuff together for packing, and then I got sick this past weekend.

The folks at the Municipal Court are letting me stay, but I can only work 20 hours a week as opposed to 30 hours. I'm still working at the gym, but I kinda wish I wasn't doing that now because it takes up my nights and Saturday.

I met this woman who works for the city who went to Guyana twice in the last few years as part of a city project. I met with her last Friday to hear about her experience, and she gave me some pictures to look through. At the end of our chat, she referred me to this other guy who went on the trip, so I have a meeting with him on Monday.

I'm proud to say that I have paid off my credit card and one of my student loans. (Not a huge deal. It was only $400 as compared to my other tens of thousands of dollars in loans.)

If I didn't mention before, Chinyere is playing basketball with the city league. The exciting news is she made the All-Star team in her age group!! She'll get to travel out of town for tournaments as opposed to playing the other teams in the city league. Also, after games I always hear the other parents talking about how well she played and how much she's improving :)