Jet set

I am sitting at gate 14 at JFK aiport in New York. "Feliz Navidad" is blasting from the speakers, interrupted by frequent passenger calls and announcements. With my laptop on my lap (what a fitting name) and connected to a wireless hotspot, I feel very jet set.
A 4am alarm clock this morning ended a great 10-day Thanksgiving break, and I am heading back to Babson, bracing myself for two more weeks of non-stop stress and a couple of all-nighters before I wrap up my semester.
Photos are still on various cameras (my own was left behind in DC and will be sent to me soon), but while I am waiting for uploads I will give you a little report of my whirlwind trip.

1st stop: New York, comme d'habitude.
Refusing to spend money on a cab, I dragged my big suitcase through the pouring rain in Chinatown. After being soaked from head to toe, I gave in and took the subway to Bleecker Street. This time I shared a (queen size) bed with Sascha for lack of his neighbor's mattress. When we were lying next to each other and I told him "This is what it must feel like to be married", he did not seem amused. He graciously offered to build a wall of books between us for propriety reasons, but I declined. We're both skinny people, and the night ended up being quite comfortable.
On Friday morning I donned my business suit and zipped around various Manhattan locations all day, interviewing for internships. I think they went well, and decisions will be made this week. Walking into various gigantic corporate buildings and having your bags checked several times made me a bit nervous. But stopping for a take-out cup of coffee on Dag Hammaskjold Plaza does feel cool.

2nd stop: Silence
Nevertheless, I was glad to change into my jeans that night and hop on a train with Colin for a two-day retreat at "the nuns" in upstate New York. The days were quiet, peaceful, and mainly spent in the chapel, going for walks along little streams, reading and drinking tea.

3rd stop: Washington D.C.
Walking all over the Mall, stopping over in the National Air and Space Museum and the Museum of Natural History (where we used to spend many a Sunday exploring space shuttles and skeletons), and finding our old house on Massachusetts Avenue brought back many memories. I hadn't been back since we moved away in 1991, which makes it fifteen years! The house looked a lot smaller, our favorite climbing trees and sand box were gone, but it's funny how you can still remember things so vividly after such a long time.

4th stop: Pittsburgh
After Christian has visited me in Cairo and Vienna, it was about time to check out his 'hood. He and his family took me on a tour of everything from his old school and office to major Pittsburgh sites like the Cathedral of Learning and Mount Washington. We had a huge Thanksgiving dinner with 18 people, watched videos from our time in Spain and Egypt, hit a few bars in South Side, and even got to see a hockey game - Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins! I decided to forsake my temporary hometown and cheer for the Pens ... and they lost. Memorable tidbits of American culture included: Pancakes at Pamela's Diner, pumpkin pie, turkey carving, glimpses of a tailgate party, watching football on TV, standing for the national anthem in the stadium, cheerleaders, rides in Christian's Mustang, and many more.

I feel refreshed and ready to take on that last bit of school. It will be quite a challenge to juggle papers, exams, presentations, visa extensions, room search in NY (any ideas?), and saying goodbye to Babson, but I'll hang in there and get it over with.

Alright, we're boarding. Photos coming soon!