AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Update time- September, school, D.C., turn on brain (that last one is definitely a problem since I've done such a bang up job of drowning idle brain cells in mass quantities of alcohol!! And I'm so good at it too!). And so I find myself a poor college student once again, not that I've ever been rich in this lifetime, and poor as shit would probably be a better qualification! Love it!

I have a lovely new apartment in a FABULOUS location in D.C., my neighborhood is great, my roommates are cool, and I find myself with all these GREAT decoration ideas...just no way to fund them. But what Iack in furniture, I make up for in plants, it would seem I'm trying to grow a mini rain forest system in a brick building, now i just need some heat and neckedness!

Speaking of happy, I am extremely so!!! School is fantastic!!! I'm at American University, in the International Peace and Conflict Resolution Program with a concentration in International Development. The last two and a half weeks have confirmed it--I am in the right place. The program is perfectly designed for me, it's a bunch of hippies trying to heal the world, although the free love thing is a problem here since the ratio of men to women in D.C. is about 1:6 and on campus it's about 1:9!!!!!!!! WHY CAN'T I JUST BE A LESBIAN?!!!! Everything would be so much simpler!!!

Right, what were we talking about? Ah, yes, my professors are phenomenal!! From all different backgrounds and field experiences, my courses are interesting, relevant, and right on target, and my fellow students are great!! I'm completely overwhelmed with all of these great individuals, who have already done so many fascinating things with their lives, and who are all so genuine! I love this place!

On the first day I invited 80 to my house for dinner...why is my mouth so big???? And in the first week I found myself V.P. of the Students for a Free Palestine Organization, a mentor to undergrads where I hold a class once a week, doing research for a Democracy and Peace in Africa program, on a student board to organize panel discussions and conferences here at the university, and beginning Arabic classes in October...maybe I should take a deep breath before hoping into anything else??? Maybe?

At any rate, everything has fallen into place for me and I'm loving it, even though I read for 7 1/2 hours straight yesterday and didn't even put a DENT into my work for this week!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Nonetheless, though I've been an ass about keeping in touch, you have been in my thoughts and I promise not to fall off the face of the earth completely, though I may get a little lost from time to time! I hope you haven't cursed me to hell, remember forgiveness is....is...hell--I don't know you religious people say, I would just love to hear from you!!!!

Aquarium Memories

just thought I'd fill you in--I'm going to American U in the fall--now begins the scramble of finding a place to live and how the hell i'm gonna pay for it!! ahhhhhhhhh!!!!

My plan is finally unfolding!
You see now that I know where I'm going to school, I'll simply work for 2-3 more months before I quit to return to school full time. I'll have to get internships while I'm in school and a little PT gig to make some dough and the nightmares of Baltimore will be but a distant memory. I just want to quit one of my jobs now, it's just too much, I'm running ragged, i have NO time for myself, nevermind trying to find a place to live and performing my belly dancing shows! I simply need my beauty rest!

I met someone recently who works at the Baltimore aquarium and mentioned that they were hiring. It brought back a flood of memories--
You see, I've been coming to Baltimore for years to visit my god-parents. One blistering summer day when I was roughly 5 years old, we stood in the long tourists lines to enter the aquarium. I was bored out of my mind and had been playing with the metal guard rails that made the maze for people to form an organized line to buy tickets. Well, at five years old it seems like a brilliant idea to stick my head through the bars. Indeed I was able to squeeze it through and proudly yelled to my mom who patted me on the head and continued to ignore me. And yes, as you may have guessed, when it came time to move forward in the line and pull my head free--my big noggin wasn't coming out.

What started as a tiny whimper erupted into an ear piecing scream, as a frightened young (but rather large for her age) child watched her short life pass before her eyes sensing death was near. My poor mother, having to deal with yet another dumb thing her child has gotten into, tried desperately to get my head free, as did my god-parents, and several kind-hearted strangers, but to no avail. My mother ran in her high heels and scarf whipping in the breeze (she's French and high maintenance! what do you what?!) to the nearest restaurant and pleaded for some cooking oil, to which the manager quickly handed over to the tall, black woman with a crazed look in her eyes. (I was her only child, she panicked!)

So there I am, scared, crying, and getting a hell of a tan with all this vegetable oil poured all over me, and begging the powers that be to just let me make it through this ordeal with out them having to cut my ears off (you see, my ears grew before the rest of my head did, my mother called my Dumbo, it was very traumatic and another story all together.) At any rate, nothing worked which meant (sigh!), that the Fire Department was called, and the fire truck came, with the fire men, and all their fire equipment--great. And with large amounts of lard, they pulled my large, weary head free to the applause and laughter of a rather LARGE onlooking crowd at that.

And.......well........I haven't been back the the aquarium since.

But I digress!

just thought I'd send some southern love your way, drop me a line sweets,
love,
Aisha