first class meeting

Yesterday, (Tuesday Nov. 4) we had our first class meeting.  The main messages that I took away from the experience are that Chiang Mai and Hanoi are physically safer and healthier than Coe.  I cannot say how many times Drex emphasized these points today.  Also, you can't have sex in SE Asia because you will get AIDS. Basically.  And you need to be careful what malaria meds you take.  The cheepies the CDC recommends keep you from getting malaria, but give you a bad case of the crazies instead.  I think I'll take my chances with the dry season mosquitos... or take the less effective, no psychosis drugs.

One of the things I am most excited for at this moment in time is to not be responsible for anyone else.  Not be blamed when someone when someone else screws up.  Not need to fail at saying no, or you should do x or y, not f.  I can't wait to not be in charge of so many things.  (Really, this is just a rant about the newspaper... and some new-old faces reincarnating the mfing back page.  But - I'm so close to being done with all of that.)

In general I'm still psyched to learn thai and I can't wait for registration to be over so we can start lessons!! And I'm very excited to go have an adventure and do something new.  I need change.  :)

pre-planning

I found out today that I will be traveling to Thailand and other locales in Southeast Asia next spring during my final semester as an undergrad.  How exciting!  And last minute.  When I told my voice teacher, her response was "You!  Something at the last minute - Never!" followed by her distinctive lilting laughter.  I wasn't sure how to take that response, other than deciding that it is good I'm graduating - people here know me too well. 

Also true to form, my first thought when realizing I needed to prepare for this adventure (other than needing to finish two projects so that I keep my grades high enough to go) was to wonder how all of us women-folk will deal with menses while in a developing country.  While I thought it was a fair question, one of my travel buddies looked at me like I had grown an arm out of my head when I asked her about it. Then she told me menstrual blood is toxic.  I don't know, but that seems faulty to me. 

In the coming weeks until January, I need to apply for TFA, finish my Political Science major, register for my last gen ed requirement that I need to graduate (which I'll take in May), finish a handful of incompletes acquired during my last six semesters, pack (to move out of college), figure out where to buy summer clothes in the middle of winter, and pick a topic for an independent study.  Whoa.  I'll keep you posted...