Departure.

Today Renee and Sage left for a week long trip to Hawaii. They have a friend that is getting married in Kuai so they are going to that and making the most of the trip by staying a week. I will be here alone with Bailey. I hope that we are able to get along, so far she seems pretty upset, but I'm hoping that as the week goes on this gets better. This guard guy downstairs also just told me that she couldn't go out downstairs, but she does everyday, as do like 20 other dogs so I'm not sure what he's getting at. Oh well.

Being left here alone wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that this is a holiday week, and everything is shut down for the week. Meaning, no work, no Chinese lessons, and I don't know what will be open and what won't! I need to go grocery shopping today just in case. Renee gave a few people my number so they could invite me out while I'm here alone, so I will probably try and do that at least once.

Yesterday I went into eno at about 10 and tried to keep myself busy. Hisako keeps giving me little projects but they don't take me very long, and she's not very clear on what she wants out of them. It's sort of difficult to make myself do some of them because I don't agree with what she's doing, but I try my best to do it anyway! Then I get to tell her that I don't like it, but here's the research you wanted. I have enjoyed some of the projects, and I get to do little editing jobs. Yesterday I rewrote the email that is getting sent out to everyone announcing their new autumn gear and that was kind of cool to know that everyone on their mailing list is reading that... haha even though I basically just took a terrible draft from someone else and completely reworked it, with a few words added by Renee. Still...

I left around 6:15 again so that I could make it to my Chinese class on time, and when I left it started to rain. Now, rain doesn't normally bother me much, but here it is so disgusting. The fact that it's highly acidic due to all the pollution is one concern, but there are many factors that make it annoying. I was wearing jeans, and so the bottom of my jeans were getting soaked and mud splattered. The disgusting part is what they were getting soaked with. The rain makes everything thats already nasty, nasty and wet so that whatever it is, is spread all over the sidewalk and the smell is more potent. For example, on the walk to my Chinese lesson there are several places that sell seafood, raw seafood. How they sell them is they place the dead fish and other sea creatures in these shallow plastic bins and place those on the sidewalk (sanitary, huh? what do you mean refrigeration?). Then once the fish sells, they usually empty the remainder of the containers on the sidewalk. This is one example of how there gets to be all sorts of nasty shit everywhere. Then, when it rains, it's a thousand times worse because it just goes EVERYWHERE, so you have to walk through it instead of carefully around it. So, by the time I got to my Chinese class, my jeans were soaked with foul smelling runoff, and I was pretty sweaty because it's been rather hot here lately. Basically I was completely gross. After my Chinese lesson was over I was supposed to meet up with Renee and Sage but my phone had died during my lesson, so I had to walk all the way home to charge it up and find out that they were a block from where I just was. I didn't mind this so much though because I got to go home and shower and wash the nasty off of me.

I met up with them and a few people and got some food and drinks at this place called Malone's. The margaritas there were excellent, but that's beside the point. This guy Griff, who is an investor in eno at the age of 27 or so (crazy... to be a VC that young), wanted for us to all go out together so that I wouldn't feel awkward calling him while they are gone, and vice versa I assume. He's a nice enough guy, if he calls me I will probably make myself go out, and if not, eh. Last night was pretty fun though. Renee and Sage were there obviously, and then there was Griff, Walker (one of Sage's old friends from UNC who is currently doing a 6 month trip around the world), another guy who I think is named Alex who is visiting from Hong Kong, and Hisako, the woman who I work under at eno. We sat outside and people watched and talked while we drank and it was a nice time.

In other news, I have decided not to do the Special Olympics due to the fact that when I went to the "training session" I discovered that they are completely unorganized, and there is no guarantee that I will have something to do at the opening ceremony, despite having had to suffer through the "training session" and the promise of an equally depressing "rehearsal" on Sunday. So I quit. The job that I might have done, was to meet a VIP at point A and walk them to point B. Wow. They had more than enough volunteers so I can't say I feel bad about not doing it.

There is basically no food left in the house at this point, so I have to go grocery shopping today, and am hoping that the ayi will pick up some eggs and milk, since I don't really know where to get those. I'm sure I could figure it out if I had to, but she usually buys them so hopefully that will stay true! I need to spend some more time in the store today than I usually do and actually buy things to make as meals here. Stupid self... requiring food and care. Well I'm sure I'll update out of sheer boredom sometime soon... Adieu.