My lucky streak since I've been back to the U.S.:
- Car accident
- Appendectomy
- Lost a UPS package
- Package from Moldova stolen
- PC screwed up my insurance
- Dead hard drive
It just took me two hours to pick up and drop off my nephew and niece from school. 2 hours! I have driven to San Diego in less time. Some gang bangers decided to shoot up a local bar and now all the streets are closed off. The driving-with-a-car honeymoon period has definitely worn off.
...pics are up.
Last week my packages finally arrived from Moldova. I had shipped back home a bunch of my clothes and some electronics in 3 boxes. One arrived opened with my things taken out and random books, cheap clothes, and a plastic thingy put back in. Needless to say, I'm pretty peeved.
I am also missing a package from UPS now, getting my T-mobile bill reduced, worked on an insurance claim, got my car fixed up, and who knows what else. Ugh, the curse of having too many things. Because of that, I've spent more time here on the phone with CSRs than I ever have in Moldova. In fact, I think I spent 0 minutes on the phone with a CSR in Moldova.
Two weeks ago, I participated in the 9/11 volunteering day at a LA garden. I met up with a bunch of previous and potential PCV's to try and network and see if I can find some work. I left covered in sweat and dirt and my future still looking like a fog of war.
Last week I went to my first Rotary meeting to try and get sponsored for the Ambassador scholarship. It was a dud. The person helping me couldn't even remember my name or where I was stationed. Romania? Timmy Geo? He's a doctor though so I'm not too surprised. He also told me that the scholarship has actually been canceled but considering my experience with him that day, I need to find a second opinion.
After that I went down to drop my niece off at UCSD. They have a horrible moving in situation. You have a set time that you're allowed to come in. Of course you think, "Oh I have an appointment, this should be easy." It was about as easy as trying to get rid of Giardia. They make you wait in one line and then another line and then another. We waited almost two hours inching along with almost a hundred other cars and when I left, there was still a line. There was a about 5 bajillion volunteers/workers who kept telling us the same things (stay to your right, please move up 2 inches) and yet nothing was actually getting done. I hope my nieces education won't be anything like that.
Ready to leave that place with earnest, I headed over to see a friend who I haven't seen in over eight years from my Vietnam program. She was just as beautiful as when I first met her, works at UCSD, has a newborn and a house. I only envied that she had a job, the rest I could do without. But it works for her and I'm glad she has found what she needs.
Surprisingly, she was the only person who has really been interested in my PC experience. Yeah, not my family who has known me my whole life (some who think I was in New Zealand studying), not my friends who I've known for more than eight years, not even my bff. No, a girl that I met for four months, had a crush on, living in a different place, at a different time.
In keeping with the EAP reunion theme I then went to see another friend from my Australia program. She did have her own house as well but luckily no children. I was surprised considering everyone and their moms are getting engaged or married. I made Canh Cua for the first time and it turned out not that bad considering there were ZERO Asian supermarkets around.
As I was driving home on the 5, the gas light went on. Thinking my sisters' car was like all my other ones, I felt pretty confident I could make it home even if the needle went below zero. I was wrong and paid for it by waiting on the 5 fwy for 1 1/2 hours as cars and trucks were happily enjoying their day constantly zooming by inches away. I almost didn't even make it over to the meridian as my car was choking on fumes and I was on the far left lane.
That was my adventure for the week. Now it's back to chauffeuring, volunteering, studying and looking for work.
Finally got a new car. Now I'm free to do nothing. I got buyers remorse of course. Wrong color, too expensive, wrong type, too expensive. Good thing I'm not Catholic or else the excess guilt would drown me.
I'm volunteering now as a way to get out of the house and procrastinate on getting a job. The other day two little kids were out of control. Like throwing things and shouting and yelling out of control. And then I wonder if people realize how lucky they are to have the right to bear children. And then take advantage of it and ruin it for everyone else. There should be a system like what we have for credit scores. Earn it. Someone needs to make that happen. Ok, I'm sure Obama could articulate that more coherently (like he just did for Health Care [my first Obama speech btw])
I'm also blogging to procrastinate. I've still yet to find a job but heck I'm an American. I live outside my means! But I do have Amsterdam and Belgium pics up.
- Attend a White Wedding - Bifa (check in Romanian)
- Go through a drive-thru - Bifa
- Drive and eat on the freeway - Bifa
- Flush a toilet - Bifa
- Talking on the phone while driving a new car - Bifa
- Honk at stupid drivers - Bifa
- Throw styrofoam away - Bifa
- Attend a kids b-day with face painting - Bifa
- Pay bills online - Bifa
- Watch TV while eating and checking email - Bifa
- Dump everything down the sink drain - Bifa
- Paying someone to mow the lawn - Bifa
- Marketing phone calls - Bifa
- Customer service
...and yet still feeling like Moldova
- Not taking daily showers - Bifa
- Mom telling me to find a wife - Bifa
- Mom asking me where I'm going - Bifa
- Mom scolding me for going out without a hat - Bifa
To my audience of two out there, I'm finally back home. The ghetto bird above has driven me into action. Actually I came home last Sunday but I didn't have Internet or phone or transportation or motivation or write.
Yesterday I went to Target and was giddy. Not only were 50 bajillion flavors of chips and salsa at my fingertips, nobody was staring at me, I was scanning barcodes on my new Google phone, and I could speak English. America of course doesn't come without it's aggravations. Asian women counting out her change at the checkout, kids playing in the aisles, people moving your cart, and not getting the customer service that is a god-given right to any American.
In some ways things are actually even worse here while other things are practically the same. In Moldova at least I had a job, transportation, internet and a phone. I've got the latter two down now but getting a car will be tricky since you need a car to go shopping for one. And a job? I would rather not get depressed talking about it. At least in Moldova my host Mom never nagged me about anything. It took about 2 hours for my mom to ask me when I'm getting a job and getting married.
But the problem of language with my mom still exists here. I still don't take daily showers. I'm still poor. I still have giardia.
Looking at the situation, I'm glad I never came back to visit during my two years. It would've been a huge waste of money. I would probably be doing what I'm doing right now which is nothing. People have their own lives. Now I gotta go find mine.
I'm in London now. It really is expensive here. I mean I spent half the money I spent in Turkey in 5 days in 1 day here. Finished my Turkey trip. Drove around a lunar landscape in a scooter. Yes, I can drive around in a scooter now because I'm not a volunteer anymore.
Going to Scotland tonight for four days. It's going to be freezing compared to the 100 something degrees in Ephesus. Then I'll be back in London for 3 days and then home. Pictures later.
