Girls' Night

Ah, girls' night. 

A night I can always look forward to. 

A night full of good wine, good conversations, and good friends.

One thing I can say about my friends out here in the DC area

...well one of the many amazing things I can say about them...

is that we truly appreciate a good girls' night. 

We make the time to head out to 

Bethesda, NOVA, or DC 

just to spend a couple hours with each other. 

We talk about everything

...and yes I mean everything...

and we always support, care for, and encourage each other.

And yes, we make jokes too. 

 ....and watch the Bachelorette. 

I have to say, I am pretty lucky to have such amazing friends.

New Year's Resolutions: A Mid-Year Check-In

We are half way through the year...give or take a couple weeks. It's been quite some time since we rang in 2010 with noisemakers and champagne. Half a year since we all made those New Year's Resolutions. Where we all said we were going to be better people. Eat our veggies. Take care of ourselves. Not do quite as many happy hours.

Well, much like we have reviews at work, I think it is important to have a review of ourselves and our lives. Are we on track to stick with our resolutions? Or like a majority of Americans, did we bail on our promises somewhere in February?

Instead of actually making a list of resolutions this year, I decided to make a vision board. For those of you that don't watch Oprah, a vision board is basically a collage of images of things you want to achieve. The idea is what when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to go, the things you want to do, and your life changes to match those images and those desires.

So I made a vision board of how I wanted my life to be in 2010.  It's all the things I wanted out of the next 365 days. And until I recently moved, it was hanging up right next to my desk. So I saw it every day.

Now let's see where I am in the process of making my life better than it was in 2009.

1. Get into photography: It's just something I have always wanted to do. I envied those with great cameras that took amazing pictures. So, two days before I went to Mali, I finally went out and bought a Nikon D3000. I really don't know how to use it to take cool pictures yet, but I am learning. And I can take free classes at Ritz, so I will be a photographer in no time.
2. Be more creative with cooking:  I basically survive off frozen vegetables, chicken, and pasta. Thanks goodness my mother taught me how to make sauce. But, I am expanding my horizons...slowly.
3. Practice Italian: I just joined an Italian Language Meetup Group! I haven't gone to any events yet, but it's a start. And I have access to Rosetta Stone for free. I just need to do it.
4. Start doing yoga: I went to one yoga class. It's a start.
5. Travel back to Africa: Morocco, check. Mali, check. Thank you USAID.
6. Travel back to Italy: Ok, I have come to terms that this is not happening this year. (2011 with the fam though) But, I am making it to Europe in October. Paris with the ladies to see Alison sing!
7. Be more creative: Hey, I'm blogging. That's creative right?
8. Take the GREs: September 12. Wish me luck. I will need it. This also goes hand in hand with preparing for graduate school. An ongoing resolution for me for the past couple of years.
9. Buy a leather bomber jacket: Don't judge. My life would be so much better with one of these. Seriously, they are so cool. Alas, I have not bought one yet.
10. Learn more about wine tasting: My uncle is super into wine tasting, and at Christmas last year I realized how little I know. This is the girl who buys the Yellow Tail blends from CVS on her way home from work. But, thanks to Groupon, I will be taking a wine tasting class sometime in the near future.

Well, I must say. I am doing pretty well for six months in. On paper my life seems to be on track to being pretty awesome.

Maybe I'll buy myself a leather bomber jacket as a type of encouragement...

Vuvuzelas

Vuvuzelas. A word most Americans didn't know a mere week ago. And now one that is repeated numerous times a day, and usually in the context of "those damn vuvuzelas are so annoying." Everywhere I hear people talk about the World Cup, I hear them complain about the sound of the vuvuzelas.

A long horn, the vuvuzela makes a low, droning hum. Just turn on ESPN during any World Cup game and you will hear what sounds like millions of mosquitos buzzing. People are so annoyed at the sound that they want FIFA to ban vuvuzelas from the stadium.

I think the banning is a bit of an overreaction, and kind of rude if you ask me. How dare the rest of the world ask South Africa to stop using something that is a tradition for them. And really if you are going to complain, think about how annoying those thunder sticks are the next time you are at a football game.

But vuvuzelas are not that bad. You can block out the noise if you really try, and if watch the game long enough you forget they are there...sort of.

Plus USAID/South Africa made vuvuzelas with the PEPFAR logo and hooks to hold the American flag for spectators at the World Cup. And I think they look fab.

A Non-Competitive Outlook on Life

I am not a very competitive person. Maybe it's because I was never very good at sports as a child. Or because my mom is the nicest person I know and wants everyone to feel like a winner. (The same is true for my grandma: During the election she told me she didn't want to vote because she wanted everyone to win.) But, whether playing a board game, cornhole, or beach football it really takes a lot for me to get worked up over winning...or losing.

In fact, the only time I can really remember myself displaying any type of competitive attitude in the past few years is when I ran the half marathon last year. And still, that was me pushing me and wanting to beat the goals I set for myself, not for anyone else.

My philosophy in life is really all about having fun. In the end, as long as I had fun, I don't care about the outcome.

This noncompetitive attitude really shines during the World Cup. I have my team...Italia...obvi...but other than that, you won't really hear me rooting against any team. I just feel bad for the losers. For most of these athletes this is the biggest event of their careers. Some might never get another chance to play on this stage...and to lose...man does that suck.

At a party last night, a friend told Peter and I that she was at a bar watching England v. USA, and it was all USA fans except one, lone England fan. As much as she wanted USA to win, she said she felt bad for this old man, just trying to watch his team. Peter said he deserved it for wearing an England jersey. But me, I know how she felt. That poor guy, he was ridiculed and yelled at for 90 minutes. So sad.

And even today, I was happy to see Ghana beat Serbia. How great for them to be the first African team to win. But still, when they switched the camera to the Serbia team looking so upset, I felt back for them. I can't help it. I want everyone to walk away happy. To leave with their heads held high and their pride intact. Because in the end, nobody wants to be labeled a loser.

And I guess you can label me like Switzerland. I am neutral. I am not getting involved in any fights, arguments, or rivalries when it comes to anything...

Well except when you bring up the Italy World Cup team or Inter Milan into the mix. Then this argument goes to hell.

Mali: A Recap

My trip to Mali is over. 

And it was definitely an interesting trip. Overall I give the trip a 7.5 on a scale of 1 - 10. 

Low of the trip: Getting food poisoning mere hours before my flight home.

High of the trip: Going to a party at the Ambassador's house (oh AND meeting the British Ambassador the night before) 

The one thing I really didn't think I would ever do: visit a sheep market and bring some sheep to a family. 

Pictures are posted on my Shutterfly site here: http://jessiestravels.shutterfly.com/ 

Enjoy!

Girls at the Market in Bamako

If you find a religious statue in a little village in Mali, I will take a photo in front of it

Just Dance

It's 10:00 a.m. on the day I am leaving Mali. In the past two weeks I have spent the most time at the hotel and the Embassy, followed by a lot of time out to eat, splitting bottles of wine, and dancing. I actually spent more time in Bamako clubs than I did at the Bamako markets. And this was not by choice, it's just what the expats do here. Someone here explained the foreign service in a simple quote, over some amazing Pad Thai I might add, "You go to Latin America and come back a revolutionary. You go to Asia and come back a philosopher. You go to Africa and come back an alcoholic."

And for a Muslim country that doesn't really drink they sure have their share of karaoke nights and cheap beer.

As for the clubbing, it's more I've done in the last three years. But, they break it down here. Dance floor all night. No restrictions. I have the bruise on my cheek from an unruly break dancer to prove it. Yes, he was really into it.

So, cheers to you, Bamako. It's been an interesting and fun two weeks. I'll be sure to pour out a little liquor for you.

Now let's only hope I get some good pictures that won't shame my family.