Fellow Niger PCVS, you out there?

Life's been pretty surreal lately. I think and talk about Niger only in social situations when people pepper me with dozens of questions. Other than that, I'm trying to focus on more pressing matters. I'm taking the GRE later this week! I was nuts to sign up for this, and I'm just hoping to come out the other end with an average score, above-average seems too much to hope for at this point. I have to finish reading my book by the end of this week, and I've started thinking about packing (what shoes and clothes and things will I need? I just bought an Oregon t-shirt at the Saturday Market yesterday, on Sunday). And family, friends and Portland- and America-themed adventures are keeping me busy too!

Friday I hung out with cousins Kirk & Sue, Kate and Kyle in Salem. We went to the dump, Home Depot, and for lunch we went to a Mexican restaurant and then got a Belgian waffle and a cannoli for dessert (not at the Mexican restaurant). I need to start running. Next week. Saturday I went to a 'Mothers and Others' brunch and then hung out in SE. It was gorgeous! Mara and I met up with some of her friends on Mississippi for Amnesia Brewery fare, where I got a yummy pint and a spicy sausage with sauerkraut and spicy mustard. It was awesome! Then she and I volunteered as the concessions people for a play. Portland Playhouse's production of Radio Golf was incredible! The acting was good, the set design was cool ("you're such a theater nerd" said Mara), and the setting was intimate and awesome (in an old church, a thrust stage). I miss you, the theater! Then we met up with John and went out to the Aalto Lounge. Rock it, Portland!

To continue the Portland did-it list: last Tuesday I checked out the Rialto (nice old sports bar), the Tube (a classic-the yummiest cheap well drinks around), and the Boiler Room where we sang karaoke! Carly Simon's You're so vain is my go-to karaoke tune. Mara and I sang a duet, and apparently we don't know the lyrics to Telephone as well as we thought we did. Damn. And a sushi restaurant opened on the first floor of our building: Sushi Sakura is yummy, pretty cheap, and even cheaper for us since John now works there and gives us deals!

My job got extended, so after this week I'll be working part-time basically up until when I leave. Which has its pluses and minuses, but I think the good outweighs the bad: I'll stay busy, and as John says, "Beer don't buy itself!" Yesterday, Mother's Day, Alisha hosted a fabulous brunch (featuring 'Marc's Brunch Munch, a delicious new dish created by Marc-"you should open up a food cart!"), so I skipped part of work to hang with Aunt Beth, Barb & Nick, my mom, Alisha and Marc. It was excellent. Mimosas are the best invention ever. Now here I am at the beginning of another work week, so excited for my roadtrip to Moscow (Idaho) on Friday, and wondering where all the other Niger July 2010 Peace Corps Volunteers are! I guess they're not as obsessed as I am: I check facebook groups and the Peace Corps Wiki almost daily for news, even though I already got my Invitation, the biggest news of all. I'm not too worried: I'll meet them eventually. Just like how my mom's been checking out Niger on Google Earth. I haven't, because I figure: I'll be there! I'll get my fill soon enough!

Things to look forward to:

-Moscow (countdown: 5 days)
-Miles (probably coming around June 10th, so, countdown: 1 month)
-Niger (countdown: a shade less than 2 months)

DAN in JaPAN!

Trying to get medically cleared for the Peace Corps without health insurance...impossible? Nearly. Humbling, absolutely. I'm so close I can taste it--thanks to the Nara clinic, which is for Native Americans, but they served me anyways, and mostly for free. I'm still flabbergasted that I got all the fancy tests and vaccines (suck it polio!) for just a $20 copay...being poor and uninsured for the win! But really, they're one bright spot in the black hole that is health care in America. 'Obama! Get on it!' (accompanied by angry old man fist shake)

My old dentist is only doing 5 or 6 of the 10 fillings the other dentist thought I needed, so that's good. Thursday half my face was numb and my new nickname around the office is Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face. It could be worse; at least I'm not the Joker. I'm well on my way. By the end of next week my medical packet should be in the certified mail, and THAT will be my first victory of 2010!

I dropped my online PCC class today. That was a tough decision, because I really do care about my future, but I've got other bills to pay right now (did I mention how much fun the south of France was last year? Did I?). So I'm officially not a college student anymore. Again. I'm still getting used to the '20-something post-college pre-career underemployed station in life I'm currently rocking. Good friends, cool coworkers, and new Portland discoveries (most recently, Habibi, the best baba ganoush ever; Tube, a divey bar with good music and $2 wells) all help. And waffles. Tomorrow we're having waffles for the first time ever in this house, as my mom just bought a waffle maker. Mmmmboy! As Lauren at work pointed out, it's the little things. I got a kick out of a kid who went to Japan named Dan. DAN in JaPAN! Hilarious. I was cracking up. My coworkers think I'm crazy. Guess the nickname fits on many levels...

Another awesome thing worth mentioning is my return to the theater! House manager of a 2-woman musical that's part of the Fertile Grounds festival, woot woot! Check it out: The Only Way out is Through I just saw it tonight and it's totally cute, and a little crazy. It may explain your mother to you. So that'll be my Friday and Saturday nights over the next three weekends.