Small worm in a big .... Apple

Finally, the news. I got an internship with the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund and will become one of the many people in business suits that fight their way through the crowds on the sidewalks of Midtown Manhattan... at least for two months. The negotiations class I took this term came in handy, so I will even make enough money to pay for a little room and a bit of fun here and there.
As always, I did everything last minute, and I still can't believe that I actually managed to get a job, a salary, a visa extension and a place to stay in a little less than two weeks. You'd think God would teach me a lesson sooner or later and have me run into a wall, but no ... he's being very patient. So are my poor parents, New York friends and International Student Advisors whom I have put to work for me. Boy, am I lucky.

Other news tidbits:

School. I pulled the first (and possibly last) all-nighter of my college career when we spent all of Sunday until the wee hours of the morning finishing a business plan that was due at 7.45am on Monday morning. I handed in my philosophy research paper, and it felt like giving birth (I think). We spent hours putting together power point presentations in the past week, and hanging out in the library until midnight is starting to feel pretty normal. But instead of losing it, I am actually having fun, and I am really enjoying these last weeks on campus.
GEEK.

Eggnog latte. They all rave about it, so I needed to try. The Vienna Starbucks doesn't do seasonal drinks that much, so I had to take the chance. John, whom I met at a WYA conference in Vienna last May, was in the area, so we drove down to the cute little downtown area of Wellesley for this world premiere. It tasted pretty good, and it definitely gets you into that holiday mood. The full moon, the freezing cold and the Christmas decorations probably helped.

Travel plans. Since I will miss out on Austrian Christmas with the family this year, I am putting together a nice little trip to make up for it. Planned destinations include: A few more days in Boston with a Duck Tour and ice skating on Frog Pond, cookie baking, Christmas letter writing and hanging out with my Boston and Babson friends. A short stopover in New York, because I will not miss out on the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree this year! Christmas in Greensboro, North Carolina, with the Moran clan. A post-Christmas reunion with Jean-Pierre and Marthe-Marie Casey in DC. New Years plans are yet to be made, but it is looking good.

And thanks to joytothehurled's FFP Holiday mix, I even have the soundtrack to go with it.
Those Americans really know how to put you into Christmas mode.