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 :)

Yummy dinners

Friday, my coworkers and I went to this Mexican restaurant called Rodeo for my so called going away party. I ate fajitas, which were delicious and had a jumbo margarita. The best thing about the dinner was that I didn't have to pay for it :)

However, I made up for the free dinner last night when Jr. and I went to this Brazilian restaurant called Fogo de Chao. We heard wonderful things about it, and they were all true. The special thing about it is the way they cook their meat; all of it is roasted. [Lei Lei, you would love this place.] First, they have this huge salad bar that has lots more things than just salad. Next, you have these round things that look like coasters. One side is red and the other is green. When it's green waiters come by with meat on skewers. If it's red they skip you; however, a couple of times ours were red, but they came by anyway. Finally, they bring mashed potatoes, fried bananas, these small biscuits with cheese, fried polenta, and some kind of mango salsa to your table, which they replenish continuously. All the food was excellent. I ordered a half bottle of merlot. And, for dessert we had turtle cheesecake and coffee. This place is pretty pricey; our bill was $155 including tip. PS- they charge for the water. I guess because it comes in bottles imported from Italy.

Oh yeah, the service is great, but a little overwhelming. When your coaster is green, the meat people all of a sudden appear out of nowhere; you have 50 different waiters come up to the table to make sure you're satisfied; and your wine/water glass is never empty. They always make sure to replenish it before you do.

This place must be authentic because they have several restaurants in Brazil. And, even better news is that there is one in Chicago and DC!
Check it out: http://www.fogodechao.com/

Busy, busy, busy

Man, have I been busy, particularly last weekend.

Saturday, I worked at the gym for the city's basketball league. I greeted folks, directed them to the proper place, and made sure folks didn't mess up the gym. Although I was working, I watched Chinyere's team play. They got beat bad. 40-2, ouch! Apparently, the other team had all the good players. Oh well, I think she's still really enjoying herself. I was there from 9am-3pm. And, I had a wedding to get ready for because David was picking me up around 5pm. I was a little rushed because I got distracted with midnight blue, but no worries, I straightened my hair and shaved my legs the night before.

The wedding was beautiful but bland. The bride and bridesmaids looked too cute; however, at the reception there was no dancing, no champagne, and not enough tables. The food was good and I saw several random people from high school. David and I finished the night off at Chili's with a couple of margaritas.

Sunday, I drove to Houston for APAP interviews. That was pretty tiring because I interviewed from 1pm-4:30pm. Btw, if you're ever asked "what do you like best about yourself" think of another answer besides "my determination."

This past week, I've been busy with work and getting my Peace Corps stuff together. Luckily, Monday is Martin Luther King Day.

Things to talk in more depth about

1. The Peace Corps of course!! I'm reading up on Guyana and what I'll be doing, so that y'all will be informed about where I'll be and what I'll be doing. 2. My current boy issue.3. Ask me about Jr.'s girlfriend's graduation.

What's been going on lately:
On Saturday the City Parks and Rec Dept hosted "Holiday in the Park." At the rec center where I work, they had bingo, arts and crafts, and snacks. When the kids first got there they each received 2 tickets. If they got bingo they turned in a ticket and received a prize; therefore, the kids had a chance at winning 2 prizes. And, they played until everyone got at least one prize. Chinyere won a CD player, and my little cousins won a plug in video game, a twister game, and an electronic game of "Simon says." Also, the community dance team, which CC is a part of, performed between bingo games. They were super cute and did really well. My mom came and video taped the dances.

I've started to hang out with Aimer again. We went to dinner (tex-mex) on Tuesday. By the time our food came out we were pretty stuffed from eating all the chips and salsa. Saturday night we hung out with his friends at Jose's and then Zach's. Later we stopped by his place. Their dog (a pit bull) recently had puppies and they're adorable. One of the pups has a heart shaped patch on its rear, and so they named it Valentine.

Today, I saw an old friend from high school named Annette. She went to college at Reed which is in Oregon. It was really nice to see her especially because she went far away to college and has a similar mindset about wanting to venture outside her little circle.