and she’s chosen where to be

24Jun08

Day 162 of 365.

I own a 32 ounce Nalgene water bottle and right about now seems like the most appropriate time to utilize it. Why? Because I’ve found a particularly delicious brand of red wine here in DC and have never seen it sold at home. Naturally, I have purchased a couple bottles of it recently in order that I might consume enough of it before its availability is gone from me forever.

My mouth and tongue are entirely numb and honestly, I’ve had a few too many glasses of wine to be writing this. I need water, I need my bed, and I need to not embarrass myself in front of the general internet public.

However, I feel as though there should be a Proper Update before I leave for Bosnia.

I’ve rented out my room to a wonderful girl named Sabrina, born in Italy, raised in Ireland, Britain, Germany, Belgium, and California. (Yah, rly.) She decided to buy all of my furniture and paid me just about the amount I bought it all for. I’m sure I’ll regret the decision to sell as soon as I need to furnish my new and hopefully relatively permanent abode.

On that note, my so-called in-person interview with (I don’t believe I’ve mentioned the company’s name; I think we’ll keep it that way) the publisher has been switched to a conference call/interview with the two editors I would be working under. I was only offered an in-person interview because the HR guy I have been in contact with was under the impression that I was currently living in Nashville. So tomorrow afternoon, I’ll be doing another phone interview for a job I really want. Cross your fingers, yes?

In Bosnia-related news, I’m having a crisis of literary faith. When I travel, I find it absolutely necessary to have books. I pack contingent books just in case I end up reading my first book faster than I have ever read. (In all fairness, there have only been three series of books I’ve read faster than should be humanly possible: Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, and my most favorite guilty pleasure reading series that I will not name out of posterity’s sake.) I am packing three books pertinent to Bosnian history/politics/culture because I have to, obviously. But I am also packing the first two books in my delightfully trashy leisure-reading series, as well as Nick Hornby’s A Long Way Down. I’m packing as many books as I am pairs of shoes: is this wrong?

To be fair, I’ve got an eight-hour flight from DC to Vienna (of which I will hopefully be asleep, thanks to the wonders of commercially-sold melatonin), an eight-hour layover in Vienna, a four- or five-hour drive from Sarajevo to Sanski Most, a three- or four-hour drive from Sanski Most to Srebrenica, a two- or three-hour drive from Srebrenica back to Sarajevo, and at least a nine-hour flight from Vienna back to DC. I’ve got down time and enough of it to do some serious reading. I’m probably going overboard with the books (not to mention the general packing: I’ve counted at least 35 tops for a 21-day stay), but I always worry that I. just. won’t. have. enough.

My dad is driving out here tomorrow, baring gifts of Rubbermaid boxes within which my precious library will make its cross-country trek. I’m wondering if he’ll have time to spackle my walls while he’s out here? If not, perhaps I’ll just credit Sabrina with enough money to cover the cost of a tube of the paste and some sandpaper. I also need to make her a copy of my key!

Originally, Yi and I were supposed to go to dinner tomorrow night, since it’s my last official night in DC, but she’s just realized she’s got a party to go to. And Julie and I spent all afternoon yesterday watching season one of Lost. (I may have once or twice accused her of being a 25 year-old in a 50 year-old’s body, but it turns out that she’s been cleverly disguising her age, and is actually 33. Which answers a lot of lingering questions I had about her experience and worldliness.) Anyway, it seems as if I’ve unexpectedly developed quite a bond with my roommates over the last couple weeks and will be incredibly, incredibly sad to not be living with them anymore. And it’s too bad that Amy hasn’t lived here longer, because I really, really like her.

Living at Yuma (or, This-Ain’t-Yu-Mama’s-House as it was affectionately known) was like living with five sloppy, disgusting, but ultimately very fun brothers. Living at Chesapeake has been like living with three older sisters who have shown as much genuine interest in my life as the three (older-ish) sisters I already have. This has been quite a whirlwind six months and I definitely wouldn’t change anything that I’ve experienced. I only wish I could hold on to this house, and this inadvertant family we’ve become for longer.

I suppose I’ll post a quick wrap-up tomorrow, as well as the results of my second interview. Who knows, maybe, as my parents are both currently predicting, I’ll come back from Bosnia and have a job waiting for me in Nashville. Now wouldn’t that be cool? (Especially if your name is Melinda!)

Don’t worry, Mom. I googled all the words I was unsure of the spelling of.

Filed under: Bosnia, Work   |  3 Comments
Tags: 365, anxiety, books, Bosnia, complaining, conclusions, DC, job search, pictures, preparing, roommates