Coming And Going With A Little Disney Inbetween

I just got back a couple of hours ago from Hampton and seeing my boyfriend again for the last time (it's for real this time). I took the train and it was pretty much a pleasant ride... all except for those people who love to put their business out there for all the public to hear. It started out by people talking loudly with their travel companions, but since the technological age, it seems to have gotten worse. I'm sure you and "Quindasiah" are having a great conversation on your cell phone about how your baby daddy ain't ISH and how you are going to smack the H*** out of his new girlfriend... But really, do I, Mr. Conductor, and Ms. Smith all need to hear about it? NO! I heard enough stuff that could fill up an hour long Muray Show, a hour and 45 mins. worth of Jerry Springer and about 30mins. of Dr. Phil. CAN WE PLEASE PRACTICE SOME DISCRETION!!? I also heard some info on the former Chairperson of Hampton University's Psychology Dept. Small world huh?
I got my transcripts while I was in Hampton and did a little relaxing. I also went to Kory's football practice. HU football is looking really good this season... but when don't they? I wish I could go to the first game this weekend. It's in Disney World!! I Love Disney World... I've been 10 times. I'm not even going but can you tell how excited I am?!! The MEAC vs SWAC Championship something or another (If you don't know what the acronym stands for, look it up because I barely know and I went to HU). It's supposed to be big. The team is having a "Meet and Greet" at the Magic Kingdom and the band is playing in the Magic Kingdom Parade! I bet you they're going to meet Mickey! If he know's what's good for him, he'll have on a Hampton Pirates football jersey. I'm going to watch it because I just found out I have ESPN2!! Ooo I'm Excited!! If you're not doing anything on Sunday @ 2 you should watch it too. You'll be in for a treat! GO PIRATES!!!
My interview at the Korean Embassy in New York is tomorrow morning. Wish me luck! Hopefully, my height won't count against. I know if I was interviewing people to live in my country and in walks someone who's probably taller than 80% of the population, I'd be a little reluctant to welcome them with open arms. LOL.
Until next time

I Got It!!

I guess my impatientness (you will come to see I make up my own words) was felt over in Korea because I woke to an e-mail this morning containing my Visa number!! But, because my Alma Mater can be quite lax in their services, the transcripts I orderd on Aug 6 still have not arrived and I need them in order to obtain my Visa. So, while I'm in Hampton next week, HU's registrar's office will be getting a visit from me. My interview at the Korean Embassy is next Friday and I should be getting my Visa and finally leaving early the next week! Three weeks after I was supposed to be leaving but it's OK. I got to spend time with family, friends and Kory.

Until next time!

Still Waiting...No Visa

Sorry this comes kinda late. I'm still home, and I still don't have a visa. I found out the process can take up to 2 weeks. Why 2 weeks you ask?? I have no idea. I promise, I won't come to terrorize their country, I'm not going to spread an infectious disease (if anything, I should be worried about them), and I definitely won't be overstaying my visa limit and try to blend into society (that wouldn't be possible even if I wanted to try to blend in). The school received my information last week but who knows when they took it to the embassy, so who knows when I'll get my visa...

Anywhoo, I've been packing and repacking. I think I have the final arrangements of clothes now. In a way, I envy those who can pack their whole life into one suitcase an hour before their flight. I've never been able to do such a thing. I'm always packed at least a month before. I have to make sure I have the right color underwear to match my outfits, make sure my shoes match my purses, and make sure I have at least 20 more outfits then I actually need. What can I say, I'm my Mother's child, my Grandma's grandchild, and my Great-Grandma's great-grandchild. They've taught me well (better them then you know who... or maybe you don't. But lets not get into that).

So while I've been home I been able to spend more time with my family and friends. Especially my mother. I never knew how well rounded she was... she has commentary on everything. Yes, EVERYTHING! We were watching the synchronized diving during the Olympics. My mother says "oh, wow. This must be something new. I've never seen it before." Five minutes later, she going on and on about how one pair's rotation is completely out of sync and how "His splash was way too big." Are you serious?? Since when did you become an aficionado on synchronized swimming?? That's not even all of it. We were watching "Who's Wedding is it Anyway?" and she goes on to comment on this little person's wedding...really mom? REALLY? Now she's going to open up a shop for little people. All 5'7 of her...OK. Good luck on that one. Finally (not really, I just refuse to go on with her different commentaries), we were watching "The other Boleyn Sister" and "Elizabeth." Well, I think I'm going to a have to watch it again because I heard very little. The entire move, she's telling me who's who and what this one did to that one and who her father is and how those two are cousins. I'm not lying when I tell you my mother knows everything. I love her though and I'd rather have her many commentaries than anyone else's :)

I also get to go to my little sister's 15th birthday party on Saturday (Happy Birthday Kasey!!). I didn't think I would be here for it but I am so I can help her celebrate. I also get to see my boyfriend again! I'm going back to VA to see him and see him practice. It won't be a game, but I can see him play since it's his last year.

*Senior Day 2007*

I'm really going to miss a lot while I'm away. Especially Hampton. I'm going to miss my first Alumni Homecoming, the Howard v. Hampton game, My boyfriend's Senior Day, and a lot of other stuff that I have come to love these last 4 years. I also thought I was going to miss those tuition payments... Was I wrong! Hampton boasts "An Education for Life." It should be "Education Payments for Life." And that's all I'm going to say about that.

I guess I'll go back to checking my e-mail every five minutes for my visa number and I 'll keep you updated on my "Seoul Happenings"

Until Next Time :) And Hopefully I'll be on my way to the airport!

SURPRISE!!

*Me and some of my family on a cruise 2 years ago*

This weekend has been full of some really great surprises and just showed me how much I really am going to miss my family. It started Friday morning when my Grandma from Florida came bouncing on my bed while I was still sleep. I knew she was coming, but I was planning to be up when she got here. She came up for my great-Grandma's surprise birthday party (or was it??) and it would be the last time I saw her before I left. We ran some errands and met up with my mom after she got off of work before I had to leave to stay with my little sister in Philly for the weekend.

I woke up Saturday morning got dressed and me and my sister waited for my mom to come get us so we could go to the movies. Well... if you don't know my mother, waiting on her can be like waiting for Bush to find weapons of mass destruction... anywhere. She was supposed to be there at 12, however, she didn't pull up until 1:25. Yes an hour and 25 minutes late. At the time, I wasn't a happy camper, but I'll explain her tardiness further along.

So while we were waiting for my mother and grandma to show up, I talked to Kory (you remember, my boyfriend). He informed me that he was going for a little drive... drive to where you ask?? NEW JERSEY! Mind you, he is supposed to be in school (Hampton, Virginia) at football camp. I had some mixed feelings about this. As I am sure you will soon find out, I have an extremely overactive imagination, so I pictured all kinds of things happening to him while he's making a 5 hour drive by his self... with 1 hand (the other is in a cast) no less! I was also a little upset because it wasn't easy to say "I'll see you later" last week, and I didn't want to go through that again, but on the other side, I was so excited to see him, everything else cancelled out and I found myself checking my phone every couple of minutes to see how much longer I had until he got here.

While waiting, we went to the movies to see the new "Mummy." I absolutely love the movie. It's one of my favorites. After the movie, we went to the mall and my mom bought me some really nice pants and a sweater. Boy can I shop. Whenever I walk into a store, I get like a pit bull with a T-Bone... I just can't stop. Thankfully, Kory got there (SURPRISE!) and I completely forgot about shopping (he tends to have that affect on me :) Mommy and Grandma left, and me, Kory, and my little sister Kasey went to Philly to her house. I was so in awe because I wanted to see and give him one more hug and here he was. I saw him for 3 short hours but those were the best 3 hours. He drove a total of 10 hours to see me for 3. I think he kinda likes me! I'm kinda fond of him too! We said our "I'll see you later's" for a second time which was pretty hard but Kasey was there so I didn't have a chance to get upset, which was good.

*Me and Kory*

Sunday came around and I went to church (let's NOT get into that), and because my mother didn't go, I was again stuck waiting for her so we could go to my great-grandma's surprise party. For a second time, she told me she would be there at 12 but didn't show up until well after 1. Not only was she late, but she had a car full of people, forcing me to fold up into the car. Now, I'm not Yao Ming, but I'm not Gary Coleman either, and trying to fit all 5'10 inches of me into a 5'5 space should have been an Olympic event.

So we got to the party and I was a little baffled because my great-grandma was already there... isn't the surprise for her?? Nope... SURPRISE!! It was my going away party! That was the reason for my mother's constant tardiness. It was my great-Grandma's idea and my mom and a couple cousin's helped put everything together (thanks Tiff, Ashley, and Shaletta!) I was shocked at the fact that my mother kept a secret. I don't think she's ever been able to keep a secret from me (she should be in one of those "Chewy" commercials). They even bought a decoy cake to throw me off if I had any suspicions. That was also the reason why Kory came up to see me. He knew about the party weeks ago, but because of his football schedule, he couldn't make it on Sunday. Besides that, we had a great time. We always do when my family gets together. Kasey, Ms Battiste, and Mr William, part of my extended family were there too. What a surprise. I LOVE MY FAMILY! After the party, we went to a cousin's house a talked for a little while then we went home.

*My cake*

I checked my e-mail this morning and there it was, my official offer from CDI (the school where I'll be teaching at). I found out I'll be living in Dongjak, a province of Seoul and classes start Sept. 15. And instead of leaving this Thursday, I'll be leaving next Thursday because I'm still waiting for my Visa. My grandma also left this morning. Saying "I'll see you later" is not at all easy and I found myself saying it a lot this weekend.

Although this was a great weekend, I want to say Rest In Peace to Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes. Two phenomenal people. Hope you're in a better place.

Until Next Time

So I Graduated from College...Now What??

*Me and some of my family after graduation*

*Me and my boyfriend Kory (ain't he cute!)*

I find myself writing this blog because of one event...graduation. I am a proud member of "ONYX VII," Hampton University's Class of 2008.
Since that cold day in May, I've been trying to figure out what's next. I've always invisioned myself going to law school (Howard, Georgetown, Temple, Boston, NYU & American just to name a few), but when those LSATs came around, I put my head between my legs and anticipated a crash landing (let's just say it didn't go as I expected). LOL. Really though... I have deferred law school for a year and have been stuck wondering what the H*** am I supposed to do with a Liberal Arts Degree!!?! That's right, I went to college, graduated within the top 38% of my class, majored in Political Science and minored in Psychology and Pre-Law, I'm in Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Honor Society, Pi SIgma Alpha Political Science Honor Society and I'm a CLEO Scholar, but does that mean anything to anyone?? NO! Clearly I've been wasting the last 4 years away (in the books that is cause I sure did have a grand 'ole time partying it up). Maybe I should have been in Soulja Boy or Young Joc's music videos. Let me tell you... I know how to shake what ma momma gave me, and I don't need a degree to do it! Now I'm left with this over sized piece of paper that I spent at least $100,000 on. I could have went to Kinko's and got a lot more for my money.
Anywho... Once I decided to put off law school (or grad school) for a little while, I started looking for a job. Just a little something to do during my year off. As I was walking to my Spanish class last fall, I noticed a flyer advertising for Teach for America. It looked pretty interesting, so I decided to look into it (WAS THAT A WASTE OF TIME!). I filled out the application after the Spring Semester started, and would you know it, I got an e-mail. I passed the first round and they wanted a phone interview. So I waited by the phone, had the interview, and blew them away (I thought so anyway). After that I got another e-mail for a final interview. They had me running across campus getting letters of recommendation, transcripts, choosing cities where I wanted to teach and the grades and what not and making mini lesson plans, I thought I had it in the bag... was I wrong! I went up to Richmond (missed my Black Psychology class by the way) for the final interview. There were about 12 other people there so I thought we must have all made it and they wanted to see what we looked like before we were hired. Well... I guess I didn't have "I want to save the world and help the little ghetto children" look because sure enough, about 3 weeks later, I received that "We are sorry to inform you..." e-mail. WHAT!? Yall had me jumping through hoops, spending my hard earned money, and missing class to tell me I wasn't gonna make it?! Let's just say, I won't be recommending them to anyone!
So after that slap in the face experience, I started applying for jobs that I believed my glorified piece of paper would get me. I applied to law firms, government jobs, advertising firms and only two callbacks! One from the government where I had to take a test and a sports marketing firm where they wanted me to walk around to people's houses selling tickets to games... do they know who I am? Did they see the Hampton University graduate on my resumé? I know they say you have to start somewhere but I'll be D***** if walk around begging people to buy hockey tickets! I am an African American woman... I don't know ISH about hockey! So I took the test for the government job in May... I just got the test results back last week. Guess I won't be taking that position.
To bring an extra long story to a close, I went on Careerbuilders.com and I saw an advertisement for "Teach in Korea." Looked pretty interesting so I sent in my resumé and that was the beginning of my "Seoul Happenings." My boyfriend and some family members and friends were not too happy about my new living arrangements but finally accepted the fact that I'm leaving the country for 365 days. Surprisingly my mother is ecstatic (she says its a great opportunity. Personally, I think she tired of taking care of a 22 year old. I understand though. I may be her baby, but baby gots to go).
After that good 'ole New Jersey run-around, I finally got my criminal background check and sent all my visa documents off today. I finished packing up my apartment in Hampton last week, said my first tearful "I'll see you later" to my boyfriend (he's the best) and all my friends in NYC and will be leaving next week! It's a bitter sweet feeling. This is a great opportunity to experience new things, but I have it at the expense of leaving everyone behind. I'll miss them, but hopefully, they all will come and visit and I'll be back!

Until Next Time