So I've graduated, and although everyone keeps reassuring me that I'm not supposed to know what I want to do, I just have this sense that I should have a better idea than I do. I find lots of things interesting, but the only thing I really want to do is travel. It's frustrating to me to not be able to do that and to also listen to other people talk about their travel experiences and plans for the future and not have any of my own.

I hate to be jealous, but I suppose I am a jealous person sometimes. As much as I try to avoid it. It's not that I want to take away what someone else has, it's just I wish that all of my plans would carry through as smoothly and flawlessly. It's especially frustrating to see someone else with something that I want, and for them not to want it a fraction of how much I want it. But they have it and I don't. And even if they don't want it at all, I can't change it and make it mine.

My trip to NYC with Chelsea.

Day 1:
-Couldn't find a cab in New York, looked everywhere, none to be seen.
-Saw man peeing in subway
-Got lost in subway, very lost. Eventually left subway and took a cab.
-Watched the sun set at the top of the Empire State Building.
-Saw a man propose to his girlfriend at the top of the Empire State Building.
-Watched Down With Love (EW is wrong, it is a hilarious movie).

Day 2:
-Successfully manuevered through the subway.
-Took ferry to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
-Shopping, shopping, shopping.
-Made friends with our waitress at lunch and she told us all the neat places to go on 9th Ave.
-Saw "Zanna, Don't" Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful off-Broadway show. Only dissappointed that they don't have a soundtrack out yet.

Day 3:
-Took double decker bus tour, but couldn't understand our tour guide, whatever she was speaking was not English.
-Coffee in the Village, lunch in Soho, more shopping.
-First day of Fleet Week (and let me tell you how much I like Fleet Week- A LOT!)
-Went to the most amazing Toys'R'Us store in the world. They have candy land, they have a huge barbie house you can go inside and they have a carousel inside the store. I could have moved into that store.
-Watched 42nd Street; one guy in the show (who I swear was 60) kept winking and smiling at my sister. There was a cute (younger) dancer that kept smiling at me. We in the front row, so we could see them very well.
-Ate at John's

Day 4:
-Complained about non-English speaking tour guide.
-Shopping at Macy's, H&M, and some other fun stores around the area
-Got lost in the Financial District in the Rain; it is true that when it starts raining you can't find a cab to save your life. So I walked blocks and blocks with my bags in the rain in heels. When I finally found a taxi driver he didn't know where we were going, so we just wandered around Chinatown for awhile.
-After messing up the bus schedule a million times (giving me more time to wander around Chinatown) I finally made it on.
-Met Irishmen on the bus and we all sat in the back drinking. The bus ride back was much more fun than the bus ride up.

What a terrible interview. I had an interview today to work at a BIO Convention in June. It was only going to be for 3 days and they said you needed to be conversational in Japanese. Well they were joking. First they videotaped me holding a sign with my name on it and made me give an introduction in Japanese. That was fine. Then they took pictures of me. That was also fine. But then the rest of the interview proceeded in Japanese. And they talked very fast. And they were men. And while this sounds strange, all of my Japanese teachers have been women, so I always have an easier time understanding women. Men are impossible for me to understand. So of course, as I'm sure you guessed by now, I didn't understand everything he was saying. In fact I didn't understand a lot. It was bad. very very bad. But on the positive side, all interviews in English will seem so much better by comparison, because I will actually understand what they are saying.

I don't really love Texas, but I have to say I find this amusing.....TEXAS!

Today I feel:
-Pain in my head.
-That Gina is wonderful!
-Excited about graduation.
-Sad that I forgot an umbrella.
-Proud that I learned how to be the receptionist at work (with only a few dropped calls).
-Bored of cnn.com.
-Content with my life.
-Amused by Dave Barry's blogger.
-Tired.

oh, imagine me doing a little graduation dance right now. Because I am going to be doing one for the next week and a half. Maybe longer, but we will see.

I AM DONE!

I took my last exam this morning for European History after pulling an (almost, not quite) all nighter with Denise and Lindsay. It was kindof fun actually, and I went into the test mostly prepared. I say mostly because Sachar pulled several IDs out of left field and nothing I could have done would have prepared me.

BUT I AM DONE!

It is such a high. I know that I have been a little sad about the approaching end, but I was on cloud nine after finishing that exam. Or it could have been the champagne, After the exam Francoise brought out a bottle of Champagne, which gina popped into the fountain and we sat around drinking out of a paper sack in the middle of Kogan Plaza at 10:30am. There's a good tradition to keep! I'm tired, but very very happy right now. I survived college.

I have digressed to a point in my studying that is unbelievable. I just found myself thinking, "If only I knew ancient arabic script...." Something is seriously wrong with me, I think I need more sleep.

Schedule:
May 6 Tues. Indian Art History Exam (no more caves, please!)
May 8 Thur. Sachar's Exam! Evil!
May 10 Sat. Possibly Six Flags, if Aaron talks me into it.
May.11 Sun. Spy Musuem with Danielle.
May 12 Mon. Lulu's Senior Night?
May 13 Tues. Atlantic City!!!!!!!!
May 14 Wed. My parents and sister arrive.
May 15 Thur. Senior Toast
May 16 Fri. Elliot School Graduation (2pm), Party at the Mayflower!
May 17 Sat. Monumental Celebration
May 18 Sun. University Graduation
May 19 Mon. Chelsea and I leave for NYC
May 22 Thur. I come back from NYC.

I finished my 30 page paper on Casino Gaming in DC! I wasn't expecting to finish it so early. I thought I would be up until 2 am, so when I looked over at Aaron and said "I'm finished" I was a little surprised myself. But it has an executive summary and a table of contents, 30 pages of my ramblings and a 2 page bibliography. Aaron is right that the whole thing seemed a little anti-climatic. I was expected fireworks to go off when I finished the paper, I've been working on it for so long. But no fireworks for me.

Professor Kim-Renaud had a party at her house last night for all of her Korean and Korean Lit students. It was a lot of fun. Very rarely do I get to know a professor well and get to know all the people in my class well. And while it wasn't the same bond as in Japanese class, it was nice to get to know people outside of class. We sat around outside next to the pool eating Korean food and drinking soju that Chun-jee provided. I actually developed a taste for Kim-chi and was able to hold my soju as well as everyone else. It felt a little bit like the parties that Grandpa and Grandma Young use to have at their house. Everyone sitting around very relaxed, talking on a warm summer night. It was nice. Probably the last bit of relaxation I will be getting for awhile though.

Oh, does anyone want to go to Atlantic City with me?

Today was my last Japanese class ever. Most classes I don't feel this sad about ending. But I have been taking Japanese for 3 years, so it is almost like debate ending. It's another signal that something that has been constant is about to no longer be a constant in my life. I will probably take Japanese classes in the future, but it won't be the same. After 3 years of being with the same people studying Japanese we have built a bond. Most of those people I wouldn't have a lot in common with outside of Japanese, so once that common bond disappears, so will my friendships with those people. =(