SO, TODAY WAS A ROUGH ONE. PERHAPS THE ROUGHEST I’VE HAD HERE SO FAR. BEING BY MYSELF IS FINALLY STARTING TO WEAR ME DOWN, AND TO TOP IT OFF I GOT OUT OF BED THIS MORNING 2 HRS. LATER THAN I’D PLANNED. (I STILL MADE IT TO WORK ON TIME – I AM A PROFESSIONAL! HOWEVER, I DIDN’T GET TO LET MY HAIR DRY FULLY, AND I CHOKED DOWN TWO PIECES OF TOAST IN ABOUT 30 SECONDS.)
UNFORTUNATLY THE FUN DIDN'T STOP WHEN I GOT TO WORK. ALTHOUGH I AM WORKING ON A BIG PROJECT, THERE ARE 4 PEOPLE ON THE PROJECT AND I FEEL THAT I AM UNDER-UTILIZED. (I.E. I OFTEN HAVE NOTHING TO DO – I JUST TRY TO LOOK BUSY WHILE WAITING FOR INSTRUCTION.) I FINALLY GOT A BREAK FROM THAT CHARADE AROUND 1:30 – LUNCHTIME. HOWEVER, TODAY LUNCH WAS REALLY A BIT AWKWARD. THERE ARE A GROUP OF WOMEN MY AGE, 4 OR 5 THAT ARE ALL CLEARLY FRIENDS, AND WHILE THEY ARE REALLY VERY NICE TO ME, THEY SPEAK TO EACH OTHER IN HINDI, SO I COULDN’T INTERJECT INTO THE CONVERSATION EVEN IF I WANTED TO. THEY ONLY SPEAK ENGLISH WHEN (1) MAKING A POINT TO INCLUDE ME IN A CONVERSATION FOR SOME REASON, OR (2) SPEAKING ABOUT WORK THINGS THAT I NEED TO KNOW. ANYWAY, AFTER ABOUT 15 AWKWARD MINUTES OF PRETENDING TO READ THE PAPER ON THE COFFEE TABLE, WHILE THEY TALKED AMONGST THEMSELVES, I POLITELY EXCUSED MYSELF TO TAKE MY PLATE THE KITCHEN AND REFILL MY WATER – AND I JUST NEVER CAME BACK. INSTEAD, I WENT BACK TO MY COMPUTER AND SURFED THE WEB FOR A BIT. AT LEAST I WOULDN’T HAVE TO SIT ON THE COUCH WITH THEM, STARING BLANKING (AT EITHER THEM OR THE WALL).
TO ADD TO TODAY’S “EXCITEMENT,” ABOUT AN HR. AFTER LUNCH I WAS INFORMED THAT I NEEDED TO GET UP AND MOVE MY THINGS BACK TO THE CONFERENCE ROOM. (YESTERDAY I HAD BEEN TOLD I COULD USE MR. SINGH’S DESK WHILE HE WAS OUT POST-SURGERY.) I SAID OK WITHOUT QUESTIONING AND I WAS INFORMED THAT MR. SINGH WAS BACK. SERIOUSLY?! ONE DAY AFTER CATARACT SURGERY? WHAT A WAR-HORSE! HE SEEMS LIKE A VERY NICE FELLOW – ELDERLY, SMART AS A WHIP, AND FRIENDLY. (TOO OLD TO BE CALLED BY HIS FIRST NAME, SO EVERYONE CALLS HIM “UNCLE”) HA! THAT REMINDS ME – AS SOON AS I MOVED MY THINGS, HE SHUT THE DOOR TO THAT ROOM AND I COULD HEAR HIM HAVING SHALINI REPEAT MY NAME OVER AND OVER – SO THAT HE COULD LEARN TO PRONOUNCE IT CORRECTLY. GOTTA LOVE SOMEONE THAT CARES THAT MUCH ABOUT GETTING YOUR NAME RIGHT!
AFTER TODAY I AM MORE EXCITED ABOUT THE OTHER UGA INTERNS GETTING HERE THAN EVER. IT WILL BE SO NICE TO HAVE SOME PEOPLE TO EXPLORE THINGS WITH (AND HECK, JUST TO TALK TO!). I KNOW THEM BEING HERE WILL MAKE IT HARDER FOR ME AT WORK THOUGH. I MEAN, I ALREADY DON'T LOVE STAYING PAST 7 EVERYDAY, AND SINCE THEIR OFFICE GUARANTEES THAT THEY GET OUT AT 5:30, I WILL BE STUCK AT WORK WHILE THEY ARE OUT SEEING THINGS. NOT COOL. I’M GLAD I GOT HERE FIRST THOUGH. I KNOW A FEW PLACES / THINGS I WANT TO SHOW THEM - THE MARKET I GO TO, CENTRAL PARK, ETC. AND BY SHOWING "NEWBIES" AROUND - I MAY ACTUALLY SOUND LIKE I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON (FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ABOUT A WEEK!). OH, I AM BEGINNING TO GET USED TO BEING STARED AT. HECK, BY THE TIME I GET BACK TO THE U.S. I’M GOING TO BE LIKE “WHY ISN’T ANYONE LOOKING AT ME – AM I NOT SPECIAL?!” OK, SO MAYBE NOT. TRUTHFULLY, I HAVE A FEELING I WILL SLIP BACK INTO THE ANONYMITY OF AMERICAN SOCIETY WITH GREAT EASE.
PLAN FOR TONIGHT: LEAVE WORK (WHATEVER TIME THAT MAY BE), ORDER A PIZZA TO BE DELIVERED TO THE APT., FIND A MOVIE ON ONE OF MY 4 ENGLISH TV CHANNELS, AND VEG.-OUT UNTIL MORNING (WHEN I GET TO START THIS WHOLE WONDERFUL SAGA OVER AGAIN.)
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