My blog is a month old! I haven't remained this dedicated to anything in ages. Not even the up-keep of my gorgeous body...

Things here are alright. I went to look at a few places in Princeton today with my dad. Two of them were ok, and the other 2 were plain dreadful. It's a pity, because the 2 bad ones were studios shown to us by a local realtor. I was sort of shocked at his behavior. Instead of being greeted by a friendly if authoritative salesperson, we met a young guy in his early 30s, with a sarcastic and abrasive attitude problem. He dismissed some of my most important questions, didn't know basic facts and numbers, and acted as if everything we did was wrong and incompetent. My dad was stunned into silence, for which I'm a little glad, since he often challenges what he considers uncouth behavior. It almost felt as if Jamie (the realtor) didn't want to make a sale. He was such an asshole.

There are pretty limited options within my budget in the area. It's sort of come to the point where I'm looking to live with peole I don't know as a housemate. Some of them are actually really nice and make me excited about moving in with them -- sort of like living in the "Real World," only without the mutual molestation and drunken brawling. One of the guys I met today - Reza - seems like he has a decent offer. I have high hopes....

It's weird and scary to think of starting work for real. Mostly I'm afraid of the adjustment period, which could well consume the better part of my first 3 months. I don't want to go home feeling like I have the worst job in the world or that I suck at life. Wouldn't it be lovely to star in a travel show on TV? I think that's the best job you could ever have. But would you need acting skills, or cultural savoir-faire or something? I guess the whole 'Asian vegetarian does Argentina' thing isn't likely to appeal to a large audience. On the other hand, maybe I could make a comedy out of it and simply film all my blunders.

Eva and I had an excellent conversation today during our break in Spanish. She's 31 and married to a Brit, so I always ask her questions about what it's like to be young and married and how she and David manage the whole cross-cultural exchange (she's Czech). She's always so honest with me, and so upfront and comforting about dealing with reality. We've become good friends, and I'm hoping that we don't lose touch when I leave.

I'm beat, so I'm going to bed early. How strange that in a few weeks' time I won't be at this computer, heading to that particular bedroom, eating dinner in this house. How strange that I'll be in Princeton, which is practically the antithesis of Columbia. How strange to live in a small town, walking to work and smiling at people who smile back, learning to live without my college friends around me, moving on, becoming the new version of me.