Thank God Summer's Here!

The weather was still cold and kind of crappy part of last week (not as bad as in Belgium, but I'll get back to that). This week, we've had highs in the 70s and 80s, which feels really warm to me now. The sun is shining and the sky is blue. We get 16 hours from sunrise to sunset and over 17 hours of visible light. It never ceases to amaze me! The days will start getting shorter and shorter, though, and by November/December, it's ridiculous! I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

I move out of my dorm room and into my friend's apartment on Wednesday. I'm pumped about having a real apartment, though I'll be without internet or TV, and most of my friends will have left by then, which is a little frightening. I'm sure I'll figure out something to do...maybe read or something crazy. As little stuff as I have, I'm still not looking forward to moving. I think I'm going to start renting furnished apartments and have the minimum amount of books and decorations. Or just leave everything but clothes every time I move. In the last 7 1/2 years, I have done at least mini-moves (like going to Port Aransas or France) that involved a certain amount of packing and unpacking 11 times. This will be the 12th. Basta!

That being said, I found out I'm moving on to the interview stage of the job at HSBC, though I don't know when yet. I couldn't be happier. This is the job for me. Even more than the one in Rennes. As for the regular moving part of the job, that's where the only taking clothes comes in or I'll have enough money to hire movers. I want this, but at the same time, I'm trying to accept what the Universe brings me. I'm not feeling especially patient again :)

I went to Mons, Belgium last week to visit a friend, her husband, and their 5 week old baby. It was fantastic! The weather was kind of crappy; I had to wear a sweater, a fleece pullover thing, and a cardigan...in June!!!! The high on Saturday was around 60 with rain and wind. I can't get my head around it. I love all three of them though. I've known Danielle for a long time. We studied French together at UT, and it was nice to spend time with her and her super cute daughter that cries very little for a newborn. My favorite part was giving her a bath. She tried to drink the bath water! CUTE!!! Other than hanging out with the baby, we went to a couple bars (just me and her husband, Damien), to a couple restaurants (I ate ice cream that tasted like Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla!!!) to visit some of their friends, and to a going away party. Good times.

In sadder news, my grandmother died last Thursday. It was expected, and it was time. For me, I felt like I lost my grandmother last July after her stroke, so I wasn't especially sad. Mostly I felt bad for not being able to be with my mom, but my brother was there, so that reassured me. My friend's mom who has cancer is also still struggling. She needs to gain 8 pounds in the next 2 weeks to be eligible for chemo. For anyone who is reading this, please send prayers or positive thoughts or whatever you do their way. Another friend's mom is also not doing so well. More than anything, I'm concerned about how she's going to deal with it all. Positive thoughts for her are also appreciated.

Overdue blog

Ok, I'll be honest, some people have gotten a similar version of this in e-mail form. It's just so long and the same information, so I didn't want to type it all over again. It has been a few weeks, so I have lots to report.

Life was not cool to people around me for a while and is still not being great to some. I found out a friend's mom has cancer for which there is no cure, only treatment. My grandmother took another turn for the worse, which is hard on my mom. A friend's ex screwed her over in a way that meant moving and maybe losing the car. Another friend's dog had to be put to sleep. Another friend's co-worker died of a heart attack. Another friend's mom has been sick for a while but was given 6 months to live. Honestly, the list could go on. It was just really shitty for my friends and family.

I, on the other hand, have been feeling pretty good. I took my last final on the 26th. I'm still waiting for grades, but I think everything should be ok. I'm so happy to be done with school. It was a fantastic experience that I wouldn't trade for the world, but I like being a working adult. I like having a job and responsibilities and a schedule. I like living in more than 120 square feet. And even though I don't need them to be happy, I like having things. I miss having a kitchen that isn't down the hall. Anyway, I could go on, but the short of it, I'm ready to move on.

Thanks to a contact given to me by the HR director for the job I didn't get, I have a temp job for part of the summer. It's just a part-time gig as a receptionist (tomorrow is the end of the first 2 weeks,then a 3 week break, and then 5 weeks in July/August), I'm thrilled to be working again. I've resumed a somewhat normal sleep schedule (which I didn't have for months) and have even been to the gym a couple times. I even exchanged going out and drinking on Saturday for going to the movies by myself. Now that I actually have human contact several hours a day, I don't feel as obligated to go drinking just not to be alone. Don't get me wrong, I love my new friends, but I like a little variety. After my tame Saturday night, I went to a meditation class on Sunday morning at the Buddhist center, which was cool.

Oh, and I'm going to Belgium on Wednesday to see a friend and her new baby. I'm excited about it!!!

As for the job hunt, I still haven't looked as much as I should, but I'm about to start sending generic cover letters and resumes to international business schools like the one I applied to in Rennes. Apparently randomly applying is common in France, and a fair amount of people get hired that way. I met with a former teacher from this year who is American, and he gave me a couple contacts that I e-mailed. I'm going to try to meet with the head of our program next week or the week after for the same thing....advice/contacts.

I also applied for the HSBC international management program and am on step 3 of 4. I had a phone interview on Tuesday, and if I get selected for the next step, I'll go to London for a 2-day assessment (which could cause a problem with the temp job because I might have to miss a couple days, but I'd take the chance for this opportunity!). It's really competitive- they expect 5000 applications for 80-100 openings. It's the scariest and most exciting thing I've come across in a long time. If I got in, I'd be automatically put in a management position in one of their locations in 88 countries. I'd have no choice in where I'd go, and I'd change countries every 18-36 months. Scary! Awesome! But you know, I'm tired of just being okay. I want to be great! Plus, 5 years in this program would prepare me to either start my own or run an existing non-profit or orphanage or whatever.

So, I think that covers a big chunk of what has been going on as of late. More to report soon I hope.