Move over Cupid!

I have survived another year of Valentine's Day mayhem in one piece. Not too shabby. Actually, I quite enjoyed myself. True, I did make it a point not to go out into the fray or watch any mushy TV, but I figured that was for emotional insurance purposes. My roommate was out of town visiting her fiancé - which I don't hold against her, because when I have a fiance we'd better be spending time together on Valentine's Day.  So, fair's fair. 

Recently, I've been enjoying a refreshed perspective on being single. I'm sure this new outlook played a role in making this February 14th so pleasant and relaxing. At this point after my big move, it's very important to me to establish my own life. I want my own friends, my own activities and commitments. Developing a support network of my own will make me better grounded and better equipped to venture out into the Bostonian dating scene. I'm not saying if a cute guy asked me out I would turn him down on these grounds, but I am appreciating the time to myself to develop my own network and routine. So often I have seen people get sucked into a relationship and lose their sense of themselves. To put it mildly, that's not really what I'm looking for. I feel like I have only just found myself, I would hate to lose that sense of identity. No, I didn't phrase that right. I would be so angry with myself if I gave up that new-found sense of self so easily. 

So in the meantime, I'm taking advantage of some quality me-time. My free time, no longer stretched to the limits with homework and school commitments, is now available pursue hobbies that have long be pushed aside. I can actually cook a nice meal, do yoga to my heart's content, or brush up on my Bach. And if I get sick of that, I can call up a friend and explore this amazing city. Pretty good deal if you ask me. So Happy Valentine's day to me!

Don't judge a book

I went out with some friends the other night. I haven't been dancing in ages, so I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but we knew when to call it quits, keeping in mind how hard it is to find an empty cab at that time of night on a Saturday. On like the 30th attempt, we successfully flagged one down, and gratefully climbed in. 

While chatting with my friend, I mentioned something about my time in Italy. The driver, who had till now been quiet, piped up, and asked how long I had been there. I told him I had been there for three months this summer. Then, in Italian, he asked me how I had learned to speak the language. I was so excited! When he discovered that I had learned Italian at university in Montreal, he then switched to French! 

He explained that his parents were Lebanese, but that he had grown up in Paris. When he was 14, he fell in love with a girl who was the daughter of the Iranian ambassador to France. She attended the Italian language high school, but he went to school in French. The cab driver explained that he went to his father, and convinced him to let him switch schools to go to the Italian language school as well. He took Italian classes through the summer from 9:00 until 6:00 six days a week, and when he started at the new school, he and the girl were in the same class. He also added that she was one of a set of twins, a skinny girl and a chubby girl, and "I was with the chubby one." Haha, it was kind of endearing. 

As crazy as that story might seem, I want to believe it's true. I mean, he really could speak French and Italian. That much wasn't made up. It does make me wonder how someone who speaks 4 languages and has the kind of educated and diverse background he did, ends up a cab driver in Boston...