A Life Less Ordinary » Uncategorized

24 Hours, 3 Flights, 2 Layovers, & a Partridge in a Peartree

evandoran — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:55:14 +0000

Apologies for not having been more disciplined in writing to you all, whatever minuscule readership this blog does have I know that to some it is an important way of communication, so for my absence…my b. Prepare for some length.

Cambodia

My pictures from Cambodia are on my Google Pictures account, completing my set of pics from Vietnam and Cambodia. It’s honestly very hard to describe the scenes in Cambodia. Pictures can do magical things, and that often requires lots of time, patience, and an extraordinarily expense camera; none of which I posses. In a lot of ways though, the pictures from Cambodia are sort of irrelevent, if only because the temples that were carved between a millennium and nine centuries ago are never done justice by fancy editing software. Though Bekah and I often felt like we were the freak shows on a Japanese tour group bus, there was an extreme sense of calmness as well as humbling achievement standing and walking over stones cut by craftsmen whose tools were primitive at best. Pre Rup offered amazing views of the lush Cambodian countryside dotted with temple peaks. Ta Prohm and Ta Som held striking moments of beauty when the sunrays finally got through the dense trees and shone a dusty spotlight on some carved figure or deity completely entangled in the roots of a tree older than the United States. Angkor Thom was an extraordinary complex of open fields lined with monuments and hidden ponds reflecting nearby temple mounts. Angkor Wat was superb; as disappointed as I was that the curse of green renovation tarp had mischievously wrapped itself around this 900 year old relic, it felt so amazing to stand there: a Midwestern not-so-country-kid in Cambodia.

I couldn’t have asked for a better travel mate. Bekah and I are incredibly lucky to have parents with both the means and the attitude to encourage us to see the world in ways only really our generation has had the ability to do so easily. I also couldn’t have asked for better weather, clear 80 degree days mixed with cool nights in a thriving and fun city called Siem Reap, aka Angkor base camp. The succession of temples can be overwhelming but it also requires a certain amount of concentration; that of quiet reflection on the miracles of generations past, their deeds and what they’ve left behind. Surely there wasn’t a soul in 987 AD in the Khmer Empire who thought about the tourists who would visit their monuments to the Gods one thousand years down the road. The slow march of time has destroyed much, but it’s pretty awe-inspiring to be able to still climb on fallen stones. It didn’t take long on a tuk-tuk ride through the Angkor Visitor Complex to wonder what life was like here 1000 years ago, or 500 years ago London or 200 years ago Boston. In my short life I don’t know if I’ve enjoyed so many moments of travel in such a short period, but I’m pretty glad to have seen what I’ve seen.

Hong Kong

It’s hard to believe, but my time in Hong Kong is winding down. In about 36 hours I’ll board a plane to Tokyo, then a plan to LA, and then finally a plane destined for the snow covered suburbs of Minneapolis. I couldn’t be more excited. My excitement however, should not be misconstrued as a disdain for Hong Kong. Our study abroad advisors, before leaving, lectured us on the horrors of the “W Curve”, whereby each student experiences a honeymoon, a depression inducing crash, a short period of ecstatic jubilation, another anxiety filled period of homesickness and finally a joyous return to normalcy at home (or at least a less dramatic version of that sequence). I would say my abroad experience has been more like a steady swerving of ups and downs. My current plan is to wait until I’m home to write about what I miss most and least and what my general feelings about Hong Kong and the abroad experience are.

I will talk about my excitement for home. It goes without saying that seeing family and close friends is the most appealing part of going home. Beyond that, there are obvious culinary desires such as mom’s spaghetti, Jake’s meatloaf and the one and only Chipotle. I’m also just looking forward to everyday occurrences that I don’t have here. The sound of car doors closing…and if being in the driver’s seat. Target having literally everything I could want instead of bouncing from one under-stocked grocery store to another oddly stocked pharmacy. Calling friends and not having to make plans to meet up at any one of a hundred points in a city of six million. I’m excited to read a newspaper. See snow. Have currency that fits in my wallet. Sit on a couch. Watch any number of channels on TV without having to look up working links to shows or movies. I can proudly say I’m a global citizen, but I’ve also never been so happy to proudly say I’m an American.

Dispatch

evandoran — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:48:40 +0000

Hello all,

Just wanted to let you know two things A) My apologies for not posting anything since returning to HK, I’ve been busy paper writing and getting things in order for when I leave Dec 17…and B) Hanoi and the rest of the Vietnam pictures should be up. I’ll post the Cambodian pics when I get around to writing up on it.

Happy Thanksgiving and Street Wanderings

evandoran — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:35:35 +0000

Now that I’ve just arrived at my final destination (Siem Reap), I can safely say that Hoi An was my favorite part of Vietnam. Even though I was alone, the won and its compact 3×4 block core was the perfect to get lost for a few days and feel alone. There were often as many westerners on the streets as locals, which could be a bad thing but I chose to interpret it as Hoi An really being worth it. Hoi An is an ancient fishing village some 3 hours south of Hue, which was Vietnam’s capital during imperialist times. What makes Hoi An so unique, however, is its remarkably untouched old quarter, which hasn’t seen redevelopment (or any changes short of electricity, plumping) for a number of years. I spent the first day getting oriented, buying a rain poncho, and visiting some of the more noted historical sites.
The first site I visited, sort of by accident, as the Cantonese Assembly House, built in 1786 and almost completely unchanged since its construction by Chinese seafarers. I then found The House of Tan Ky, a unique 18th century Hoi An landmark known for its interesting combination of various Asian architectural styles. There are Chinese symbolic carvings, Japanese inscriptions and myths in the design of the courtyard, and typically Vietnamese changes to accommodate the shop-front that the house used to have. I then meandered through the shops and art galleries (a generous term) of Tran Phu St to the most famous of Hoi An’s landmarks, the Japanese Covered Bridge. This bridge was finished in 1593 to connect Japanese traders in the western city to the Old Quarter. It has suffered some damage and was renovated and is still a beautiful landmark, even if it doesn’t really serve its original purpose.
More than the sites, Hoi An is known as a mecca for tailoring all types of clothes, from women’s jackets to men’s ties and everything in between. Words cannot describe the oddity of a scene the main streets are in Hoi An, buildings with glittering Christmas lights and dangling Chinese lanterns in every color. There are bright silk dresses and gray and black suits on mannequins that nearly invade the street. Galleries selling jewelry, laquerware, and of course art are everywhere, catering to a fairly wide array of tastes. I bought a piece of art (My first ever) for my apartment in Washington and I’m pretty jazzed about it; it’s an abstract version of Hoi An reflected on water, but it looks as if Hoi An was magically turned into Times Square due to the mix of colors. It’s hard to explain. Nonetheless, I visited two tailors in Hoi An (wished I went to more), Yaly and Phuoc An. I had the same things made at both, a suit and shirt combo. Yaly was always crowded and my attendant, Cynthia was very nice, but always seemed rushed. The resulting suit was probably the better made, but it was also the most expensive. Phuoc An was much different, calmer and bigger and my personal guide, Cam, was incredibly sweet and helpful. We eventually got to be pretty comfortable, so she was asking about things totally unrelated to Hoi An, like how America is and if I have siblings. She was pretty nice. The suit I had made at Phuoc An was a little slimmer fitting, which is all about personal taste, but it was also cheaper and I absolutely preferred the atmosphere of Phuoc An to the frenzy at Yaly. In any case, ended up with more clothes than I came to Hoi An with, so mission: Success.
More than anything in Hoi An, the pure atmosphere of walking down the lantern lit streets was the most alluring. The numerous restaurants were also a big treat. I sampled everything from ginger chicken on a rooftop plaza overlooking the river and a sea of red lanterns as well as peanut pork rice paper cakes in a little household courtyard mentioned for that exact dish. My favorite meals for the first time in Asia, were actually those containing the local specialties, the “white rose” and crispy wantons. I had the white rose at the well known Mermaid Grille, and they were delicious; basically a series of small shrimp filled dumplings formed into the shape of a rose and it was the sauce that made it spectacular. My other favorite was a wanton meal I had at Mr. Dong’s, a stand in a series of stalls amongst picnic tables near the water. The wanton was almost Mexican inspired, with green onion, chili, chicken, carrot and spices on a crispy wafer. It was easily the best lunch I had, all for about US$2.50.
I think the most enduring part of Hoi An for me was the simplicity of it all. There weren’t thousands of motorbikes through whom you had to navigate just to cross the street. There wasn’t a constant movement of elderly ladies balancing fruit on two shoulders attempting to force them on me for a cheap photo op. I could wonder the streets without my iPod and still feel entirely in my element, without constant noise. The shops all held treasures, even if many of them were replicates of another shop down the street, you could talk to the shop keepers and meet their children and then feel good buying something at (God forbid) full price without feeling you just got yanked around. The nightlife was exactly what vacation nightlife should be, relaxing; with full dinners and a few cocktails or beer on a wicker chair on a stoop listening to fellow tourists laugh or watching the river boats glide by. The only thing that would have made Hoi An a little better was the right company, but that is for another time.

Also, I wrote this on the bus yesterday, but I wanted to add in a very big HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone back in the states and elsewhere. Enjoy the turkey and mashed potatoes, I legit just had vegetable fried rice, which I swear to God if the Cambodian celebrated their first meeting with the French, that would be the meal. It was good either way, though I’ve been warned that we’ll be celebrating t-giving again at GW in January. Already looking forward to it. What I’m most thankful for at this moment in time is technology, allowing me to keep in touch with the people who mean the most to me through calls, blogs and other forms of communication. I’m also extremely thankful to have such supporting parents, who not only allowed but encouraged me to run wild here in SE Asia and helped me with everything they could. So it’s cliche, but the simple things are the most important and what I’m most thankful for this year, family, communication, and the joy of being able to look forward to coming back to MSP and DC.

The Rest of Hanoi

evandoran — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:45:04 +0000

It’s been a smaller gap between posts than I sometimes have, but it feels like it’s been awhile so I’ll give a not so brief recap. Last time we met, I had just arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam and was thoroughly charmed by this former French colonial capital. I can say that after leaving, I am still charmed but in a different manner. Flashback to Monday where I met up with the largest traveling group from Syracuse Hong Kong, there were seven of them (Elan, Marshall, Tyler, Sarah, Vanessa, Molly, & Amanda) and we just meandered through the city looking for a late lunch at the ambiguously named “Food Street” placed on the less than detailed map given to them by their hostel. Once there, there were many groans of disappointment, mostly because of the grimy deserted street we came to, but nonetheless they ordered food and I had a Hanoi beer (Having already eaten lunch), which quickly became my favorite beer since coming to Asia. We spent the rest of the day just getting lost in the maze of streets and the cacophonous noises coming from every direction. Motorbike horns. Yells of street vendors. Clink of metal shops. It’s what makes Hanoi Hanoi, what makes it so special. Monday night we again used the bad hostel map (Thank God this isn’t the Amazing Race) to find “Bar Street,” which was really three hole-in-the-wall places that happened to serve beer. We proceeded to spend a few hours drinking beer, playing cards and connect four and eventually this game called Thumper which closely resembled a gathering of seizure-prone hyperactive 12 year olds on crack.

Tuesday we woke early for our 2d/1n boat ride through the world renowned Halong Bay. Halong Bay is famous for its thousands of limestone, tree covered karsts which rise out of the water hundreds of feet in the air, creating ideal beaches and craggy caverns. After the four hour boat ride from hell, we got to Halong City, which is simpy the boat launch a few stands selling every imaginable kind of Pringle. Once on board we realized exactly how cold it was and spent the next few hours braving the wind for a top deck experience before comprehending that the indoor dining cabin had this awesome invention called windows. At about 4 o’clock everyone went on a group kayak ride. All I could think about is how we looked like some ridiculous Spanish armada of bright orange and blue kayaks, being propelled by rather drunk Australians and Irishmen. Somehow we, the college kids, remained the most sober people on board at almost any point over the next few days. They’ve been drinking for centuries, so we’re ok with it. Also, we won’t have liver cancer in five years. Bonus! The kayak ride was amazing, warm water to dip our feet in while gliding over the emerald water surrounded by skyscrapers of rock and skies of mist. We battled an armada of old people on kayaks, but made it to the caves and the awesome views they afforded, perfectly framing the karsts that stretched for as long as you could see. After returning from the Kayak, we all took jumps from the top of the boat into the water and spent some time in the water in the dark, which was fun…until having to get out into the brisk November air. I can say that there were a lot of people shivering throughout dinner. The rest of the night was spent getting to know our Anglo-Saxon brethren and listening to rivaling sounds of retro American 90’s pop and 80’s English rocker bands.

The rest of our time on the boat on Wednesday was spent eating, relaxing, playing every card game we could think of (I taught them Golf!) and eventually migrating to the roof deck when the sun came out. This was an especially fun time because it was on our way back to shore and we’d all somehow bonded and the drunkard Ollie (Ireland) led a chorus of Roxanne and then Don’t Stand So Close to Me. The ten of us cunning Americans (Sarah K and Nicole had joined for the boat) and two German rando’s figured out that if we got on the first boat to shore we could get the best bus seats so we quietly darted off the Jolly Roger and headed ashore to get our own private bus back. Once back in Hanoi, we relaxed at the happy hour thrown by their hostel and then some of our group left for Sapa in northern Vietnam. The rest of us had a delicious Italian meal, with bruschetta and great lasagna all for about US$8. Somehow we eventually ended up at an Irish pub (There’s apparently a lot of Irish expats in Hanoi) where they were really excited for the upcoming Irish-France World Cup Qualifying Match (Ireland lost). This is the night that we had the fateful decision to rent motorbikes the next day. Bad call.

Thursday, after sleeping in a bit, we finally got our motorbikes from the hostel and practiced driving a little. The main two instigators, and therefore drivers, were Tyler and Marshall and I was left with Tyler. I later found out Tyler didn’t even have his drivers license. Whoops. After scraping the back of three other motorbikes just getting out of our ally, Tyler continued to be shaky while we were following the renter to the gas station to fill up. Precisely at the moment we entered the busiest and most confusing intersection probably in all of Hanoi, Tyler gunned it a bit much and we spun and nearly tipped over, while tipping he pulled the throttle instead the break and we spun out even more, in the middle of traffic almost taking out a motor biker and bicyclist in the spasm. I couldn’t get back on right away (After a Vietnamese man comes up and goes “You better end this or you’re going to get yourself killed”) and so I hopped on the bike with our renter while Tyler rode with his assistant. After getting to the gas station and cooling down a little, Tyler got some more practice, while I just chatted with the renter guy. We eventually met up with Sarah and Marshall (Who had gotten lost) at the Flag Monument and Military History Museum, both of which were pretty good. We got to Ho Chi Minh’s Masoleum, but it was closed due to “Embalming Maintenance” (WTF?). We tried to get back to the hostel before rush hour, but we failed and we eventually had to walk the damn bike back because we couldn’t maneuver through the hundreds of bikers in the Old Quarter. It was a mentally exhausting day and something I’ll try but never be able to forget.

I’ll continue with Hoi An in a later post, because this one is already a beast. But Hoi An rocks and may be my favorite place I’ve visited yet. I’ll also post pictures soon.

Lonesome Pine is Charmed

evandoran — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:32:11 +0000

So we’re all on the same page, I’ve given myself a military code name whilst in Vietnam: Lonesome Pine. First off, it’s the name of one of, if not the best Carbon Leaf song. Second, I like to think that I am pine-like, because if I had to choose a tree, I’d pick pines because they’re from the north, strong, and used for Christmas. My role as lone wolf started yesterday morning before the hung-over residents of Caritas Bianchi Lodge awoke. I arrived at the airport for my ensuing 10 hour journey to cover a distance that is equivalent to going from Minneapolis to Detriot. That’s Asia for you. My layover in Bangkok was actually not too bad, especially because they bathrooms in Suvarnabhumi Airport smell like…well how I imagine Pointsetta’s should smell: sweet and flowery, but with cinnamon and pine…like those potpourris your Grandma always had.

I arrived in Hanoi but it was dark by the time I got to my hotel around 10pm and I just meandered the surrounding blocks until finding a still open chic sidewalk cafe with delicious vegetable fried rice and a rum/coke for around US$13. The next morning I did the tourist circuit, visiting the famous Hoan Kiem Lake and accompanying The Huc Bridge and Den Ngoc Son (Jade Mountain Temple). After a baguette sandwhich lunch (This used to be Colonial France for God’s sake) I moved onto the Opera House (A direct model on the Opera Garnier in Paris) and visited the mediocre Vietnam National History Museum. I eventually made my way to Hoa Lo Prison, aka “Hanoi Hilton,” which was less eerie then I’d anticipated but also educational. It was less educational because of the exhibits, but because of the psychology of the exhibits. Virtually the entire museum (in the old cells) is dedicated to the inhumane treatment of Vietnamese during their resistance to French colonialism, including the guillotine used on prisoners and the rough living conditions. This was contrasted against the extreme lengths the Vietnamese went to show how nicely they treated the American pilots held there during the Vietnam (American) War; including pictures of pilots decorating Christmas trees, playing basketball and enjoying a seemingly extravagant Christmas meal. All in all a fascinating visit, even though I was saddened to see half of the prison had been torn down to make way for a new high rise. The last tourist site I visited was St. Joseph’s Cathedral, the heart of Catholicism in Indochina during French rule. It was an odd site, surrounded by bustling Vietnamese mopeds and people.

I have been charmed by Hanoi so far. It is a whimsical place, with narrow streets lined with alternating shabby rowhouses and bright, almost Dutch-French inspired colonialist architecture next door. Crossing the street is a thrill. I know I wouldn’t be hit, but it seems like you’re darting by virtually every scooter and car in existence on some of the busier roads. There are also lots of street food stalls on one corner and modern, cafe style restaurants on the other. I got a snack from a bakery that was delicious, but then had great garlic beef with jasmine rice, fresh limeade, pineapple-caramel cake and a baileys on the rock for $14 for dinner. If the people and atmosphere don’t make you smile, the prices surely should.

Many of my friends arrive tomorrow and I am hopefully going to meet up with them, most likely to repeat my day I had today. I would normally be against this, but Hanoi doesn’t seem like a city that gets old nor should anyone come here expecting a Rome or a Beijing, with countless cultural landmarks. Hanoi is a place to grab a chair, order a beer and watch the world speed by on moped.

Vietnam and Cambodia

evandoran — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:10:19 +0000

I’m pretty excited because in approximately 10 hours I will be leaving for the airport. I will be flying to Bangkok, Thailand for what I’m sure will be an excruciating 6 hour layover on my way to Hanoi, Vietnam. I will be in Hanoi for around 4 days, including a 2d/1n boat cruise through Halong Bay, which is top 5 things I wanted to see in Asia. I will be with a group of kids from my program for that trip. After Hanoi, I move onto Hoi An, a beachside town in the center of Vietnam, which is also known as the tailoring mecca of SE Asia so I may come back with a few new things.Then I’m moving onto Ho Chi Minh City and meeting up with kids from my program again. It’s only a quick stay in HCMC and then in Phnom Penh before I finally arrive in Siem Reap, Cambodia, home of Angkor. Angkor is the largest complex of religious sites in the world and was built over centuries beginning in the 11th. It’s the top 1 thing I wanted to see in Asia. I won’t elaborate too much on my plans because they may fluctuate, but there are some pictures from Google of the scenes I hope to see. Enjoy and I’ll blog if I can, otherwise I get back December 2 and will let you know how it went soon thereafter.

Zombies! Witches! And Asians Oh My!

evandoran — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:32:37 +0000

Yesterday I went to the club-ish area of Hong Kong called Lan Kwai Fong, which has a huge annual Halloween celebration. Arriving there, I was unable to tell if we had ventured into a sleazy Italian coastal town complete with mafia don and his greasy haired minions or if we had been put on one of those obnoxious Japanese game shows with screaming participants. The combination of the two was enough to realize getting hit by a taxi isn’t the worst thing in the world. We got a table at the creatively named Beer Bar and watched the crowds go by, which included

A gang of sparkly caped Asians taking hundreds of thousands of pictures of each other while we subtly threw peanuts at them to enjoy their looks of confusion.
Two over-zealous zombie types who literally walked around as if they were dead…for the whole night. It was ridiculous.
Two rather large women wearing rather small fuzzy neon colored dresses and giggling the entire way up the hill. That was disturbing.
A gang of frat guys all wearing the exact same thing: chinos and blue polos with some initials on them, straight out of Animal House.

I’m pretty sure that the 7-11 on the corner of LKF had the highest volume of any in the world last night. The place is tiny and they had 3 attendants constantly filling up the beer racks all night. It was a sight to behold, and I can only imagine what tonight will be like.

Claps for Landing

evandoran — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:29:06 +0000

This post may become hard to read at any moment because I just got back to my room in Hong Kong after a nine hour flight from Moscow full of that ubiquitous drunk Russian crowd. They clapped when the plan landed. Since when do we clap for that? Isn’t that expected? I don’t clap when the McDonalds guy gets my sandwich right for when the Metro shows up. WTF Russia?

Any who, I want to phrase this carefully: my trip to Vienna was incredible. Vienna is a great city, but it was the time spent with Bekah hanging out watching movies or just drinking delicious hot chocolate in the Hitler Cafe that made the whole thing worthwhile. I loved the old library in the Hapsburg Palace and Schonbrunn was glorious. I so much enjoyed just walking through the chilly streets with a jacket, scarf and girlfriend at my side, taking in the old architecture and generally cold Viennese people. We had great food and Bekah was kind enough to take me to the Wachau (“Va-cow”) which is Austria’s Napa Valley. It was a great experience, made all the better spending it with Bekah watching West Wing.

What I will say about my trip is that it has made me crazy. Being away from everyone you care about is a strange situation in and of itself, but then being with someone you care about so much and then taken away from then again is sort of like pleasureful punishment. I miss Christmastime and snow and cold things now more than ever, especially seeing the smog ridden Hong Kong hills outside my window. It’s good timing, I suppose, that the smog rolls in in October around here, I think that’s when attitudes start changing as well. Many of you will probably get bored with me saying that I miss DC Chili nights for getting dinner with family in Minneapolis, but even someone who is as lucky as I am, who gets to to travel and live abroad, nothing is more important than the time spent with people you care about.

Also, I’m going to learn how to make Wiener Schnitzel because we had the most banging meal of schnitzel, fries, and radler (1/2 beer, 1/2 lemonade). Bruschetta is another one I’m adding to my made up recipe book.

I’ll post Vienna and Mom/Jeff pictures later today probably.

Clash of Civilizations

evandoran — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:23:41 +0000

Well my friend Kate had a lot of her things stolen from her in Tanzania. I feel so bad for her, but in a way I also know that she is the kind of awesome person who will use the experience of losing trust in a culture only to be thoroughly exhilirated by the outpouring of support I know she’ll get. She has a lot of our support from the rest of us, even if we’re scattered around the world as if Michael J. Fox drew a scatter plot. (That was harsh, but I got it from Bo Burnham, classic YouTube.)

I’ve had a blast so far with Mom and Jeff (Big Beard and Squeaky, FYI) and they’ll have some really great stories to tell I’m sure. I know they will, but I also hope they weren’t to culture shocked or disappointed in Hong Kong. I’ve decided that HK really is a great place to live, if not to tour around all the time. We did visit the Big Buddha for the first time and I’ll have to post my pictures later, but it was amazing. It made me think of Kathmandu and what an awesome time Melanie must be having there. There was just large mountains, and temple pagodas sticking through forests, all viewed from the pinnacle of a large Buddha.

I leave for Austria on Wednesday. Random, you think? Who would’ve thought I’d be going to Hong Kong only to travel to Europe, but since I’ve been blessed with time to travel in November so I decided to spend my two year anniversary with beautiful Bekah in wonderful Vienna. Plus, I could do for some street cafes and mashed potatoes. I’m excited and also freakishly looking forward to the long flight if only to get some work and reading done and make up some sleep time.

Until I get back on the 21st and see my readership decline to zero, farewell.

PS: Caroline, I expect you to not let me drop to zero!

On The Wing

evandoran — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:58:45 +0000

I’m in that mood of a focused ADHD person. Oxymoronic, you say, but everyone has those moments where they are extremely focused on things they shouldn’t be working on and carefree about things they should be caring about. I’m collective a Hong Kong bucket list, thinking in Chinese, reading about bond prices, wishing I could fly, hoping for good weather, returning to Wikipedia, cursing our internet connection, watching Twins recaps, not studying history and singing along to that song of the moment I often find on iTunes, which happens to be “On the Wing” by Owl City at the moment.

This week is midterms for us and I don’t really care. That isn’t really an attitude I’m accustomed to, but when your Chinese professor gives you the exam ahead of time and the finance professor tells you the project at the end of the year is explicitly for you to gain points lost on the midterm, your caring-o-meter has a knock for nosediving. However, I am thrilled to say that my mom and Jeff are arriving tomorrow night. I know they’re both excited, as am I, and they both deserve it. I’m so grateful to be able to host them and I hope they both enjoy their time here. It also means that I wont’ be posting with a lot of regularity, so sucks for you Caroline.