#maybe not even the next 24 hours . had to email year abroad guy and he tends to rely to emails w phone calls which is EVEN WORSE!!!!! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

purplesurveys · 5 years ago

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649

Are you attracted to the last person that kissed you? Yeah, of course. What did you do yesterday? I spent the morning hungover because I drank the night before, but I had to be in class by 10 AM so I had no choice but to drive to school. My classes were thankfully pretty chill, and the most random thing that happened was my prof making us take a speed typing test in the middle of our class lol. Otherwise, it was a normal school day. Something you really want right now? More moneyyyy. I blew most of it last Wednesday when me and my girlfriend had drinks up in Marco Polo. Hotels obviously jack up their prices on everything, and alcohol is no exception so what I’d pay for a cocktail in my school’s area got quadrupled in Marco Polo. But I had a loooot of fun that night, so I can’t say I regret it even though I lost most of my allowance. If you could seek revenge on someone would you? [continued from yesterday because I just had suuuch a hectic week] Like I’ve said, the idea of revenge is something I daydream about just to feel internally satisfied, but I never feel the need to act on it. How long have you liked the person you like? Six, maybe even seven years.

Are you happy with the way things are going? For the most part. I could go with less worry/anxiety, but I mean I can’t say I’m miserable. Would you ever get a tattoo? Only if I feel like the time is right, which is a FAR cry from “get tattoos of all the things you love”-era Robyn lmao. Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 months from now? Yes. April is my birth month, and I’d hate to be single by then lol. What plans do you have for tomorrow? I finally have my rest day tomorrow, which I’m fuuuucking stoked about. It’s been such a busy busy week and I’m just so relieved that all I have to do tomorrow is sit and lounge around. Has a friendship ended recently that you wish had not? Not really. I kinda cut off friendships with two guys because they annoyed me over some issue, but the thing is they’re part of our high school group so I can’t avoid them forever – I see them when we have reunions, but I don’t mingle with them. What are you listening to right now? I can hear the electric fan whirring in front of me but in my head Simmer by Hayley Williams is playing as loud as ever. Do you and your last ex hate each other? No. What are you afraid of? I hate uncertainty the most, but some other things I’m afraid of are failing in general, videos that make me stressed like footage of collapsing/fainting people or racist people making tirades on public transport, flying cockroaches, sharp objects, and fire. When was the last time you were sick? Some time last year, I got a fever for like two hours but I was totally fine after. But the last time I was SICK sick was sometime in 2017 – but even that was only an overnight thing. I don’t remember the last time I was sick for over a day. Do you tend to waste a lot of money? LMAOOO don’t even remind me. I literally have a single P50 bill left in my wallet – that’s less than a dollar to ya. Do you have trust issues? No, not at all. Do you think this year will be better than last? I’m genuinely unsure, and I’d rather not guess or mull over it. 2020 is going to be a year of so much change – graduating college, getting my first job, maybe moving out for the first time?, not knowing if my girlfriend is going to pursue a master’s abroad, what that means for us, etc. Big things are waiting, and I HATE the uncertainty of it all. I take surveys to forget, so please don’t remind me of things I go here to forget, haha. Have you ever regretted kissing someone? No. Are you a jealous person? I can be, but like I’m not obsessed with being jealous. When was the last time you got a haircut? 2018. I desperately need a dramatic haircut. Do you know anyone that smokes weed? Yeah I know people who’ve told me about it, but I’m sure there are more people I know that haven’t told me they do weed. Who is the last person you rode in a car with? I was with Luisa and Hannah and for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t the one driving! Do you look more like your mom or your dad? I ask people this and they always tell me I’m a perfect mix. Apparently the top half of my face looks like my dad, and the bottom half is all my mom. Are there any stressful situations in your life? Yep a little bit yep yep yep. If you were caught cheating would you fess up? If I was already caught, I’d be incredibly stupid to still deny it so yeah, I’d confess. The last time you honestly felt broken? Maybe Monday? Idk, I cried pretty hard that day, harder than I normally would. What do you really want right now? I want this stupid internet speed to be faster because I need to send emails ASAP, and I need some good fucking food. I am not the happiest camper right now lmao. Best thing about the last person you chatted on facebook? He’s literally the most reliable dude ever. I can always depend on him to help me out no matter how last-minute it is. Best thing about the last person you talked to in person? She’s generous. When was the last time you shaved your legs? Yesterday. Is there someone you wish you were closer to? At this point, not really. I’m happy with my circle and there haven’t been new people who entered my life recently. Have any addictions? Nope. Are you anything like your siblings? We’re all reserved, but then again out of all the three of us I’m still the biggest extrovert and I’m also probably the one who finds it easy to blend in with most groups. But yeah, we all definitely have a layer of extreme shyness in us. We’re also never upfront about our feelings, so when we cry we do it in the privacy of our own rooms, or if we’re upset we rant about it to our own friends. Have you ever had a stalker? I don’t think so. Have you ever received an injury from a hook up? LOL what? No I haven’t. That sounds wild though. What did you last eat? A brownie and a sip of coffee. What was the best concert you have been to? PARAMORE. UGH. THEY HAVE THE BEST CONCERTS. I’ve seen them twice and I plan to see them three, four, and the next bajillion times. Paramore forever <3 Who is the last person you hugged? I’m not 100% sure. Maybe Laurice. Do you have any good friends of the opposite sex? I have a couple, yeah. Are you keeping anything from your best friend(s) now? This survey is a big secret for one, lmao. Where do you get your clothes? It depends. I shop everywhere so I get my clothes from a variety of places. They’re mostly from independent shops/stalls that pop up once in a while at malls, though. Do you have a secret you've never told anyone? [continued YET AGAIN from last night because I am just one big exhausted bean] Again, this Tumblr is a pretty big secret. Is there one person in your life that can always make you smile? There are several people who meet this category. Would you rather sleep alone or with someone? I like sleeping with someone only if they’re my significant other. Otherwise, I like my own space when I sleep. Have you ever lived with a girlfriend/boyfriend? No, I haven’t. When was the last time something bothered you? I am bothered at this moment, hence the survey-taking haha. Who was the first male you talked to today? My dog. But if he doesn’t count, it was Andrew. Are you completely over your past relationships? I’ve only been with one person. Do you get attached to people easily? No, it only ever happens with select people. But when I get attached, it happens hard. Are you currently looking forward to anything? Uhhhh sure. I’m dreading most of this week but my high school’s annual school fair is happening this Friday and Saturday and that’s the only thing I’m excited for. Do you believe in love? Yes. Let's be honest, have you ever been played by someone? Can’t say I have. Have you ever played someone? Yes, this I’ve done. I still feel bad about it occasionally but I’m sure the person has long gotten past it. What is currently on your mind? How sad I am and that I have to focus on this survey so I can be distracted. Would it hurt seeing the last person you kissed, kissing someone else? Of course. How many piercings have you had in your life? Just two. Who else is in the room with you? I’m the only one in the dining room but my brother is also here downstairs. Have you ever been beside someone while they were throwing up? [It’s 12 hours later. This is the absolute slowest I’ve ever worked on a survey lmao] No, it was always the other way around HAHAHA Did you eat breakfast today? I haven’t yet but I’m not feeling hungry so I might just settle for a cup of coffee. When was the last time you cried? A few minutes ago watching a clip from an NBA game having a moment of silence for Kobe Bryant. I was never into basketball but we DID have a copy of NBA Live 2003, and whenever I played it I always used the Lakers team so that I got to play as either Shaq or Kobe, so I’m sad and shocked, to say the least. Do you like tea? Just sugary iced tea. None of that herbal stuff. When was the last time you took a nap? Yesterday afternoon. What song is stuck in your head? Simmer, by Hayley Williams. As has been the case in the last four days. Do you have a TV in your room? I used to, but my brother would always be the one using it to play his video games so I eventually just gave it to him. Have you ever broken a bone? Nope. And I’m always extra careful so that I never have to go through such an injury. Have you ever had stitches? ^ Same answer. Are you wearing a sweatshirt? No...it’s starting to get warmer for sweatshirts now :( Have you taken a shower in the last 24 hours? Yes. Are there things in your life that you'll never be able to get over? Of course. There’s been a fair share of deaths, betrayals, abusive family shit that I’ve had to go through and that aren’t easy to forget. Can you remember who you liked this time last year? Yes. What's one physical flaw you'd like to fix about yourself? Straightening my teeth. What do you do when you're feeling extremely nervous? Uh it depends on whatever helps me at that time. I’d pace around, fiddle with my eyebrows, breathe deeply, shake my hands rapidly, bite my nails, etc. Do you have a hard time letting go? Yes. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now? I doubt it. What do you plan on doing now? Making my cup of coffee and taking another survey to make up for the embarassment that is taking three days of finishing this one lmao.

#survey #surveys

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farfarbetterdream · 7 years ago

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another tag game!

I was tagged by: @absentmindeduniverse. I enjoy seeing you on my dash and reglogging (probably too much) from you!

rules: answer these 85 statements about yourself, then tag 20 people.

damn that’s a lot of statements. and a lot of people to tag...

last

1. drink - water. before that, coffee. 2. phone call - skype call with my parents 3. text message - a friend about her afternoon plans 4. song you listened to - Astronaut by Gregory Alan Isakov 5. time you cried - a week ago

ever

6. dated someone twice? - no. never even dated anyone once. 7. kissed someone and regretted it - never kissed anyone besides a dare when i was 10 that barely counts, so... 8. been cheated on - again, never been in a relationship so no. 9. lost someone special - romantically, no. family, yes. 10. been depressed - not sure 11. gotten drunk and thrown up - ok yes BUT iblamethecheapalcoholnottheamoutidrank

fave colours

12. forest green 13. a nice warm neutral tan/beige 14. deep blue

in the last year have you…

15. made new friends - yeah! 16. fallen out of love - would have to fall in love first 17. laughed until you cried - all the fucking time 18. found out someone was talking about you - nope 19. met someone who changed you - not really 20. found out who your friends are - yeah i guess? 21. kissed someone on your facebook friends list - wow this thing is just trying to rub it in my face that i’ve never been kissed, isn’t it :/

general

22. how many of your facebook friends do you know irl - pretty sure all of them. or at least used to know irl.

23. do you have any pets - black standard poodle named Tikva. his name means hope in hebrew, because we got him right before the 2008 election and Obama’s slogan was hope!

24. do you want to change your name - when i was a lot younger i used to consider changing to the normal american pronunciation of hannah instead of the hebrew pronunciation. now i like it.

25. what did you do for your last birthday - it was my 21st so even though i’m abroad and could already drink, I went out and celebrated by going to a few bars and pubs.

26. what time did you wake up today - 4 AM when my noisy flatmate came in >:( then again at 8.

27. what were you doing at midnight last night - zzzzzzzzzzzz

28. what is something you cant wait for - getting to travel around the Scottish Highlands and do a bunch of hiking over spring break!

idk why there’s no 29...

30. what are you listening to right now - not currently listening to any music but in general i’ve been listening to dermot kennedy a lot recently

31. have you ever talked to a person named tom - my best friend in preschool was named tom. then we didn’t see each other for six years. then we went to the same middle school and was a dick to me. probably because he wanted to be part of the cool crowd and i was decidedly not cool 32. something that’s getting on your nerves - my flatmate constantly being so fucking loud and waking me up all the time 33. most visited website - my university email 34. hair colour - brown 35. long or short hair - currently just past shoulder length but that’s longer than i usually like it 36. do you have a crush on someone - maybe. i had a crush on a guy last year for a while. haven’t seen him in forever but also haven’t gotten any new crushes. if i saw him again i think i’d probably still have a crush on him tbh. good thing he’s graduating so i’ll probably never see ihm again :/ 37. what do you like about yourself - honestly? most of the time nothing. 38. want any piercings? - i have one lobe piercing and one cartilage piercing in each ear, but I want more. probably won’t get it though since my ears don’t heal very well from them. 39. blood type - O negative. universal donor, woo woo. 40. nicknames - hannahleh and pumpkin by my parents

41. relationship status - unfortunately single

42. zodiac - Aquarius 43. pronouns - she/her 44. fave tv shows - Black Sails, The 100, and Doctor Who. Also Game of Thrones, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Wynonna Earp, The X-Files, and countless others. 45. tattoos - no but i kind of want want 46. right or left handed - right handed 47. ever had surgery - i had my wisdom teeth removed, but that’s it. 48. piercings - two on each ear 49. sport - i run and work out for exercise and recreation, but have never done any sports. i enjoy watching basketball occasionally 50. vacation - i like going places with beautiful nature to hike in or lots of historic sites to visit. technically you could say that i’m on an extended vacation right now since i’m studying abroad in scotland. last vacation was to Italy, next one is to the Highlands (unless it decides to snow). 51. trainers - such a weird word. yeah i wear them a lot because i run/work out and also they’re so comfortable to walk around in

more general

52. eating - does this mean what i’m eating right now??? if so then nothing. at tortellini, spinach, chicken, and a sweet potato about 2 hours ago. about to go eat some chocolate fudge ice cream.

53. drinking - water. i constantly sip water.

54. i’m about to watch - nothing. i’m about to go eat dessert, take a shower, and then do homework.

55. waiting for - the results of the two essays i’ve turned in so far this semester, spring break, and The 100 season 5 premier

56. want - fresh baked cake or cookies, to see my family and my dog, warm weather, to fall in love, to figure out what i want to do with my life 57. get married - definitely, but not anytime in the near future.

58. career - currently a student, don’t really know what i want my career to be in. probably something related to sustainability, environmental education, climate change, cultural heritage protection, or museums. something that helps the world.

which is better

59. hugs or kisses - hugs 60. lips or eyes - i’m assuming all of these are about what we prefer/care more about in a romantic partner. eyes maybe? 61. shorter or taller - kinda have a thing for really tall boys. 62. older or younger - definitely older. 63. nice arms or stomach - holy fuck nice arms do something to me. 64. hookup or relationship - relationship. zero interest in hookups. 65. troublemaker or hesitant - hesitant. that’s my middle name. jk it’s leah. but i would actually say that being hesitant is one of my worst character traits.

have you ever

66. kissed a stranger - we’ve already established here that i have kissed no one. 67. drank hard liquor - i tried rum once when i was like 12 because we found it in a cabinet in our house and i wanted to be like a pirate. pretty sure my dad laughed at me when i choked on it. also done shots of hard liquor. 68. lost glasses - occasionally but only for very brief periods of time. sometimes i’ll take them off at home and forget where i left them in the house. 69. turned someone down - yes 70. sex on first date - no 71. broken someones heart - no but then again i’m usually clueless/oblivious so idk. maybe disappointed people briefly but not broken their heart. 72. had your heart broken - no 73. been arrested - naw 74. cried when someone died -yeah 75. fallen for a friend - i got a crush on a guy i was friends with freshman year of high school.

do you believe in

76. yourself - rarely 77. miracles - no 78. love at first sight - i don’t think so. attraction, yes. love, no. 79. santa claus - jewish, so no. 80. kiss on a first date - please someone take me on a first date and kiss me. 81. angels - no

other

82. best friend’s name - i’m don’t really think i have a best friend. i have a number of close friends but i’m not good at opening up to people the way i think best friend connotes. but probably my oldest closest friend has the same name as me. 83. eye colour - green 84. fave movie - The Princess Bride even though I always get annoyed by how little Buttercup does. Crossing Delancey is my favorite rom com because it’s hilarious and sweet and super jewish. Also Romancing the Stone because it’s an adventure rom com. The Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley is gorgeous. Also always a sucker for the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and the Lord of the Rings movies. 85. fave actor - Tom Hanks because he’s an amazing actor, I’ve liked him in everything I’ve seen him in, and he’s just a precious human being.

tagging a combination of people i know irl and mutuals that I’ve mostly never talked to because i’m super awkward, you can do this if you want, or feel free to ignore it: @the-sadpotato, @ryostrenchcoat, @pinevillagegirl, @ineedpeetalikehekneadsbread, @hufflepuffhermione, @dweebshark, @kleinundasinine, @im-wallpapering-my-locker, @captain-fflewddurfflam, @thedarrparrot, @theavathedork, @geese-juggler, @addyleeliu, @bellarkeaddict, @thren0dy, @veganmewsings, @mistamie

#tag game #about me

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memorylang · 5 years ago

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Evacuation | #27 | February 2020

The night of Wednesday, Feb. 26, I received an email all Peace Corps Volunteers were evacuating Mongolia. I could hardly process it.

I took notes and resolved I’d revisit these moments. Now, through these next tales, I take you through the horror, sadness and wonder of indefinitely leaving that nation I thought I’d call home 27 months. I was there just nine.

Profoundly, when I first committed last June to starting this Peace Corps Mongolia blog, I expected to write 27 stories—one for every month I’d serve in Mongolia. Well, here's my 27th story.

Amid those frantic days nonetheless came a comforting thought—My path through murky woods lost fright when I remembered, follow light.

Tsagaan Sar's Ash Wednesday: The Endless Night

After reading our email command to leave Mongolia, I reaffirmed to my supervisor sitting beside me, I meant what I said, that I wanted to keep in touch and help, no matter where I am. She seemed OK. My supervisor dropped me off in front of my apartment building. I thanked her for inviting me to my last Tsagaan Sar Lunar New Year’s dinner. I hoped we’d see each other again.

I escaped the cold, ascending my building’s inside stairwell. I got another call. This one came from my kind sitemate, concerned how I felt about our evacuation email. I just laughed hysterically.

Laughing’s how I cope. I thought both, “This is really happening. Is this really happening?”

I assured I’d help her. She and our sitemate who called me earlier were still stranded another province over. They couldn’t even see their homes again before leaving Mongolia. I promised I’d hand off the spare key she left me to her colleague and help any way I could.

Here’s what’s crazy. My city’s under a day’s drive from the capital. Our email listed Peace Corps would drive out to collect Volunteers as early as the next day. So, I could have to leave my city in under 24 hours, ready or not. I got a carry-on and one checked bag. Donate the rest, or pack it for Peace Corps to ship.

I kept climbing the staircase. Our sitemate who called me at dinner messaged me. I wrote back I read the email. I’d be in my apartment soon. They were right—This was a lot to process. I wasn’t sure I’d be ready to video call that night, for what they needed. But I’d help all the way. A checklist would help me.

I was almost to my floor. I knew this evacuation would feel more real with every place I went, chat I had and person I saw.

But—bizarrely—I felt prepared.

I knew this stress. I had to pack like this before.

That Great Stress: The Endlessness

Finally at my floor, I got back to my apartment.

I kept feeling how that morning three years ago, how I felt when I learned my mother was dead, prepared me for these very hours.

When I got that call Mom was killed, Dad told me I needed to—during my uni’s finals week—cut my semester, pack everything, leave my community, board a plane the next day, and fly home. Then I knew, I’d fly straight for China after reuniting with Mother at her funeral. Sobbing at 19 in my dorm, thinking Mom ripped from me was disconcerting enough, I felt overwhelmed.

To fly from my college town to home and then abroad, I needed to pack anything I thought I’d need for both home and my life on our Pacific’s other side.

This time—comparable—felt different.

I’m 22, leaving a country. But I committed this Lent, which began this very day, Ash Wednesday, to call on God's help for the strength He provides.

When Mom died, I alerted my clubs and orgs I had to go. This time, I alerted community groups. But I didn’t want to juggle messages. So I revealed it first to a select few. Three years ago, I walked down the hill to my church and saw our pastor there. This time, I wrote first to those local American friends.

I sought prayers. I let them know Peace Corps Mongolia was officially evacuating back to the U.S. For that reason, I’d be packing. My driver could arrive as early as the next evening to get me. But our managers would call each of us the next day with specifics.

To anyone I couldn't see before I left, I reaffirmed I felt so glad I could meet them. They touched my heart, strengthened my faith, and taught me why my favorite country during high school is truly among Earth’s most amazing.

I closed in stating this was a trying time for us all, but I'm so glad God let me celebrate my entire Tsagaan Sar in Mongolia. I invited people to tell others I'm leaving, and I’d learn later whether I can return.

I know God has the power to make anything possible. Whatever His wish, may His will be done.

My community offered their prayers and hoped to see me again. I felt glad.

I felt, even as this chapter of my service ends, more certainly than ever, my life with Mongolia has only begun.

Assessing My Situation: The Endless Night

After sending my dramatic messages to my community, I brewed tea. I gazed over my rooms. I had a long night before me.

The month before, my friend from Peace Corps China shared with me his cohort’s traumatic evacuation back to the States. Now I get mine. He joined Peace Corps Mongolia, too. Now this.

I considered calling my Catholic Peace Corps Volunteer friend. He’s a Health Volunteer, after all.

Then that friend called me.

My friend described his peace about our circumstances. He actually foresaw us getting evacuated, once our Peace Corps emergency phases to stay alert and restrict travel began. He studied pandemics in his past life and recognized COVID-19 would get graver before it gets better. Plus, when he emailed staff about wanting to take time abroad, they suggested he hold off till an announcement. So, when that announcement came, he didn’t feel so surprised.

I appreciated my friend’s call. He reminded me I’m a good guy, too. I need to focus on my packing. Let the rest fall into place. God gave me strength and a calming friend in this one. We committed to keeping in touch.

Packing the Endless Night

The rest of that Ash Wednesday night’s largely lost to my recollection. I brewed plenty more tea to get me through. I prayed for peace and fortitude and felt waves of gratitude at various hours. Beyond these, below are some few moments I recall.

I felt glad knowing fellow Peace Corps Volunteers around our country stayed awake. I wasn’t alone. Whether stress or fellow early pick-up fears kicked in, we suffered together.

Pleasantly, I realized, Wednesday was my final 'normal' day in Mongolia. And that day, I reaffirmed to locals not once but three times why I came to Mongolia, that I love Mongolia, and why I love Mongolia. I felt glad.

As I packed up a Thanksgiving gift, I noticed some of my students complimented feeling thankful I'm "loyal." At that time, I felt surprised they felt that way, considering they knew me only three months. Maybe they saw in me something I didn’t see so clearly. Maybe God had a point.

Packing for Another: The Endless Night’s Day

Rumor had it I packed for another Peace Corps Volunteer, which was correct. This was for my sitemate stranded away. I missed them.

Originally I feared having to pack their apartment Wednesday night, but a thought came to me to request coming in the morning, instead.

My greatest fear was potential drunkards wandering around from Tsagaan Sar's final night. There was also a cop allegedly staring at my apartment building because two Mongolians who flew in Coronavirus-afflicted Korea live here. I didn’t want any situation when I’d need to explain in broken Mongolian why I wasn’t inside quarantining.

I cared about them and I could relate to feeling concerned. But I needed to make sure my mind and body were secure, too, when I visit.

Waiting till morning afforded me more time to get my things in order, so I'd feel calmer getting my sitemate’s things the next morning. Plus, I got sunlight to walk over, especially with new ice and snow.

Serious Scavenger Hunt: The Endless Night’s Day

At 8 a.m. daybreak after my night of less than an hour’s rest, I walked down a few apartment buildings to my sitemate’s.

When anyone seemed surprised I packed for another, I replied it's what sitemates are for. It’s what I could do, staying when others left. It's what we Volunteers do—help each other.

I spent an hour on video call with my sitemate, on what felt a critical hunt. Despite stress, I felt somewhat honored, entrusted to find their belongings and secure them. I liked getting to remotely make their things work.

After our call, I photographed rooms and progress. They gave me tips how to pack things well. I’d never worked with much of that stuff before...

I stuffed a colossal hiking backpack, filled a camera bag, crammed a duffel and took care of important books and decorations. They said, leave the rest. Before my phone died, ending our communication, I made sure to grab Mongolian cultural things I figured they’d miss. (They felt relieved.)

Also. While I made sense of the kitchen, they mentioned I could take whatever food. I figured this wouldn’t help me much, since I needed to get rid of my food, too. But I pocketed some granola/trail mix and clipped onto that super backpack frozen raspberry and strawberry bags. My sitemate’s bag straps and clips made lugging it all possible. I trekked back to my apartment.

The moment I got in, I realized I must have dehydrated a little at my friend’s. Once I opened the raspberry bag, I ate its entire contents in one standing. I felt amazed.

The rest of that Thursday morning, packing amid stress, I awaited Peace Corps’ call. At last, midday, a manager rung. I’d depart Sunday, March 1 at dawn. I felt shocked.

Had time, I could tell people—felt relieved.

Then I fell asleep.

Packing Without Closure

I woke up Thursday afternoon. I packed through evening, rested, then began again Friday.

With the packing, I didn’t have much time to focus on what was going on. But objects caught my eye such that they triggered realizations.

It happened while I was taking my cork board off my entry wall. I was pulling out from last October my little lime-green Mongolian Teachers' Day card envelope, from below last January’s farewell card pilgrims gifted me at our Panamanian pilgrimage’s end.

That's when I felt struck—I'm actually leaving, leaving Mongolia.

I glanced to my phone and noticed community members messaged me how grateful they felt that I came and how they hope I can return. I noticed, beside the little card I pulled out rested my Peace Corps Mongolia pledge from Swear-In.

How do six months in my city go so fast? God knows...

I hope, my time away will only strengthen ties before the faithful day I return. Maybe I'll be maturer, wiser then, too. After all, I weathered my first Mongolian winter. I could take another.

Having finished and returned Brian's memoir, “There’s a Sheep in My Bathtub,” the day before, I considered too my feelings of frustration that the world kept turning at its normal rate. Meanwhile, my fellow Peace Corps Volunteers and I in Mongolia suffered from packing to evacuate the communities we called home for months and years. But such was life.

Seeing as well my letter, "Congratulations on your site placement...!" and traditional clothing I wore with my host family this summer, I felt something special. I wasn't just leaving the country where I lived and taught—I was leaving the country where I learned and grew, too.

Friday for Farewells

By the time people offered packing help, as a big change, I actually felt more inclined to decline.

That's different. Packing used to be among the activities I always sought help for. Especially when Mom passed away, college suitemates helped and even moved my things. This time, through that constant effort Thursday and Friday, I’d needed left only to distribute my food and pack my carry-on. I was nearly done. Zipping a duffel, I wondered if Dad felt this dutiful packing during his U.S. Army National Guard deployments overseas...

By Friday midday, I took to new tasks.

Around my apartment, I found gifts I meant to deliver. So, taking a pause, I quickly bundled these up, prepared simple notes and readied them to pass on.

I wished especially I could have seen the children of the orphanage one last time before leaving. I hoped they had a great Lunar New Year's.

With three ‘Thank You’ cards remaining that Peace Corps gave me during fall, I addressed them to my three local communities—my school, my church, and my support. I'd, providentially perhaps, three photos leftover from my arrival in Mongolia. I paired each with a ‘Thank You’ card. With one separate photo, I attached it as part of the gift I prepared for the orphanage's children and teachers.

Midday Friday, my supervisor returned. She’d drive me downtown for my deliveries. I’d under 48 hours remaining. Still, I yearned to see any Mongolian willing to say goodbye amid this COVID-19 terror. I couldn’t know whether I’d have another chance.

My Peace Corps Mongolia evacuation stories continue.

You can read more from me here at DanielLang.me~

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nothesc · 8 years ago

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Hello there, I have a prompt for you😊 After the incident™ of that particular Friday™ Sana just cancels everybody, like all of them. She does not participate in the bus and does not talk to Yousef anymore.. but many years after shit went down™ she now has become a specialist in pediatric surgery (remember the poster of the human body she has on her wall?!:)) and is giving a seminar on a medical topic. And by the end of it, she recognizes someone from the audience: Yousef🙈🙈

And Yousef is also a pediatrician. Then there is the shock™ and they talk to each other while you can literally FEEL™ how much they mean for each other ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I hope that’s okay🙈🙈“

Hiii @thenifflersnose !! First of all thank you so so much for trusting me with your idea.

It’s the first time I write an au/future fic so I really hope I don’t disappoint you. I hope I wrote it the way you wanted to and I really hope you like it

Thanks again!!

————x———

How long had it been? 6 years? No, it had beenmore than that. 7 years? Still more. 8 years? Close enough. She could pretendlike she didn’t know, but she did. It had been 7 years 9 months and 23 days.

7 years, 9 months and 23 days since that Fridayevening when her whole world crashed.

She remembered it very clearly. If she closedher eyes she could see herself standing in the middle of that karaoke club,still feeling the blood in her hands even though she had just washed her hands,the voices of those two girls she had heard talking in the bathroom still inher head, and in front of her one thing she wished she had never seen, her bestfriend and the guy she was in love with kissing.

A lot had happened after that.

She remembered going to school the followingMonday and approaching who she thought were her friends only to tell them thatshe wasn’t participating in the bus thing. Sure, there was shock at first, thegirls tried to convince her to change her mind but after a couple of weeks theyhad given up. A part of Sana always wished that they would’ve tried harder,just a little harder.

Convincing him had been more difficult. The nexttime she had seen him, hanging at her house with her brother as always, he hadacted as if nothing had happened. He had greeted her with the same smile andtalked to her in the same tone. Sana, on the other hand, had completely blockedhim. She hadn’t talked to him, she just went to her bedroom ignoring hispresence hoping that he would just accept it. But of course he didn’t. He hadtried to contact her in every way possible but every time she would ignore him.She thought that eventually he would give up, just like the rest of her friendshad, but more than a month had passed and he hadn’t. When she realized he wasn’tgoing to leave her alone any time soon she decided to talk to the only personthat could help, her brother Elias. She told him everything. She rememberedcrying and crying during more than two hours on his brother’s shoulder whileshe told him everything that had happened between them, from the very firstsmile they had shared till that infamous afternoon at the karaoke club. Eliasdidn’t disappoint her, as soon as he knew the truth he did something, Sana wasn’tsure what but she knew he had done something ‘cause two days after she toldElias, the calls, the texts, the visits, everything just stopped. Yousef hadfinally given up on her.

She hadn’t talked to him since. She also hadn’ttalked to her friends. The last year of high school had been a tough one butsomehow she had managed to make it through. She knew that they didn’t win anyprize for their bus but they didn’t seem to really care. Also, she knew thatafter awhile, Yousef and Noora had started dating and as far as she knew –not thatshe had heard about them after high school ended- they were still together.

After that she had gone abroad to study medicineat university and she had forgotten about everything and moved on.

Or maybe not.

‘Cause now there she was, almost 8 years later,giving a speech about pediatric surgery, her specialty, and being unable tofinish it because certain boy from her past had just walked in.

Normally, when she gave her speeches, and shewas used to give a lot because, well, she was really good at her job, shewouldn’t notice any movement in the public, she would just say what she neededto say, focus on the door or one empty chair or any other object and not letanything bother her. But of course she hadn’t thought about the fact thatsometimes doors get opened and people walk in.

She could feel over 50 pairs of eyes on her,waiting for her to continue with her speech. But she couldn’t, she just staredat him, right in those brown eyes she had dreamt about so many times. He waslooking back at her, eyes widened, mouth slightly opened in shock. She didn’tknow how much time had passed since he had walked in the room, maybe seconds,maybe minutes, maybe hours but it wasn’t until he changed his expression andsmiled at her that she realized what she was doing and shook her head trying tofocus.

She cleared her throat, drank from her glass ofwater and took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry” she said and then she continued with her speech,this time focusing in the bald man who was sitting on the front row.

Whose idea was having a reception after the conference?A reception meant that she had to stay in a room surrounded by people who couldtalk to her whenever they wanted. In any other moment she wouldn’t mind, butknowing who was among that people she felt vulnerable. She tried to stay out ofsight, hiding behind every big group of people talking she could find so hewouldn’t be able to spot her. But she was Sana Bakkoush and Sana Bakkoush wasn’tthat lucky.

“Sana?” she heard a voice calling her.

She could feel her whole body shaking. That voice,it hadn’t changed in all this time. The same soft voice that would breaksometimes becoming just a whisper. There was no avoiding now, she was a grown up24 years old woman. She was mature enough to face him. Because, hiding underthe table wasn’t very mature, right? She rolled her eyes at her thoughts, shewas being stupid. She took a deep breath and turned around.

He looked….exactly the same. It was as if shewas back in high school, looking at him from the other side of the room everytime he would come to her house to be with her brother. She squinted her eyesto take a good look of him. Maybe he had changed a little bit. His hair wasdefinitely shorter and she could see a sign of stubble in his face, which madehim even more attractive, not that she cared about that.

“I’m Yousef…Yousef Acar?” he clarified seeing the look on herface.

“I know who you are” she said

“Oh, sorry, you just were looking at me in aweird way. Thought maybe you didn’t remember me”

“I do”

“Cool” he nodded awkwardly. “Wow, how long has it been? 7years? 8?”

7 years, 9 months and 23 days she thought onceagain.

“Yeah, something like that” she said

“How are you? I mean, I see that you’re doinggreat Doctor Bakkoush”

“I can’t complain, I guess”

“Pediatric surgery, huh? I knew you werestudying medicine but I never thought you would pick kids”

“I told you I liked kids” she said

He raised his eyebrows surprised at the factthat she remembered a conversation they had had so many years ago. Even Sanawas surprised at herself for saying that, she really didn’t want him to thinkthat she still thought about him, ‘cause she didn’t, maybe.

“You did say that, but you also said you onlywanted 2 kids so…”

“Well, no everyone that likes kids wants 12 youknow?”

“Fair enough”

“So, what are you doing here?” she didn’t mean to sound thatbitter

“Oh, I’m a pediatrician too”

“You are? What about teaching?”

“I changed my mind” he shrugged “I’m not really into the conferencething but when I saw that you were the one giving the speech I had to come”

“You knew I was here?” she asked frowning

“Yeah, I mean, it’s not like I was stalking youor anything” hesaid brushing his hair off his face even thought it wasn’t there, same oldYousef “I got an email advertising the conference and it felt like it was asignal”

Sana nodded, not knowing what to say. There wasa question on the tip of her tongue willing to come out even though she reallydidn’t want to know the answer.

“How’s Noora?” she blurted out more quickly than she wantedto.

“Noora?” he asked confused

“Yeah, aren’t you still together?”

“What? No. No, no, no. Noora and me? No. Weonly dated for like two weeks after…well, you know”

“Two weeks? I saw you together almost every dayof my last year at high school, you would pick her up at school. I saw you togetherat graduation.”

“We were just friends back then. I mean, we didtry to date for a few weeks but eventually we realized that me and her was amistake. Everything happened between us was a mistake” he said remarking the word “everything”.

“Oh.”

“We stayed friends, though. It was like weconnected over…well, over losing someone important” he bit his tongue trying not to saywhat he really thought. He and Noora had bonded over losing Sana and had becomegreat friends after that. But what had happened between them, that kiss, hadhaunted both of them since then.

They both stayed in silence, but unlike beforeit wasn’t an awkward silence anymore, more like a nostalgic silence. Both ofthem were thinking of what they could’ve had and never did.

“So, how’s your life? Are you…are you datingsomeone?” heasked blushing

“Oh, no, no. I’ve been focused on my career tobe honest”

“I’m not dating anyone either” he said and she raised her eyebrowsat him “And you haven’t asked me to answer the question and still I just did…sorry”

“No, it’s fine. I’m…sorry to hear that” she said almost questioningly.

“Well I’m not…not really. I mean it’s not likeI haven’t tried, but I’ve never found anyone that makes me feel the way you’resupposed to feel when you’re in love”

“And how do you know how you’re supposed tofeel?” sheasked

“Because I felt that way once, a long time ago…almost8 years ago” hesaid looking straight into her eyes.

She felt her heart beating faster and faster onher chest, her hands sweating. She wanted to say something, anything but shecouldn’t. All she could do was look into his eyes and get lost in them.

“Sana…”he whispered but he was interrupted by an olderwoman who had approached them

“I’m sorry to interrupt but Sana dear, thereare a few colleagues I’d like you to meet” she said pointing a two women that wherestanding at the other side of the room

“Um, sure. I’ll go in a minute” Sana said

The woman nodded and left them alone again.

“Well, it seems like I have to go.” She said walking backwards to leave

“Wait. Do you think that maybe we could meetsome time? Grab a coffee or something? For old time sake” he asked biting his lip

“Sure, that’ll be nice. Call me” she said

“I don’t have your number”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll find a way to get it, you’vealways been a resourceful guy” she said smiling and finally turning around to leave.

He looked at her while she walked away andsmiled to himself.

Same old Sana Bakkoush leaving Yousef Acarshook. It was as though no time had passed.

———————————-x——————————

This is it!

I really hope you’ve liked it and I’m sorry if I disappointed you

Thank you so much to everyone for reading it!

Also to the anon that sent me another prompt, I’m working on it but I’m not sure if I’ll have it today, I’ll try but I’m not sure. Thank you for trusting me!!

#skam #yousana #nothesc prompt

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thumbkenya76-blog · 6 years ago

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How one man lost $31,000 in a romance scam

Although the Valentine's Day candy is rapidly exiting store shelves everywhere, romance and the scams that go with it go on year round.

Last year, people reported losing $143 million to romance-related scams – a higher dollar amount than any other type of scam reported to the Federal Trade Commission. The average median loss? A whopping $2,600. Those ages 70 and older reported a median loss of $10,000. Some individuals even reported losing $100,000 or more.

Victims aren't just losing their life savings. Some are taking on new debt in the name of love – taking out home equity loans, opening up new credit cards and even getting payday loans to solve somebody else's crisis, medical emergency or business trouble.

"It's amazing how deeply they get into your head and your heart with Facebook messages," said Eric Larson, 54, who lives in northern Montana and was caught in a romance scam for much of last year.

It started when a woman sent him a friend request on Facebook in January 2018. He didn't know her, but she was nice. She showed pictures of herself dressed up when she was going to church.

Larson, who had divorced after a 20-year marriage, was home after sustaining an injury at work and dealing with other medical issues.

"We exchanged selfies of each other," he said. "She was interested in me and my life and made me feel likable and lovable and interesting."

How he lost the first $1,000

After two and a half months, she broke her cellphone, needed a new one and, because she was a student, asked him to buy it for her.

That was how he lost the first $1,000. He sent that money via Western Union to another person who supposedly was able to get her the money.

More stories – a father who was murdered, her legal battle for a $28 million inheritance, a need to keep things off the radar because her father's old business had ties to organized crime – drove up his total losses to around $31,000.

Around half of that money came from savings and the money he was earning when he went back to work. He had to borrow the rest on credit cards, payday loans and the like.

"I didn't tell anybody what was going on," Larson said.

He's willing to talk now because he wants to help someone else avoid getting trapped.

"I know I'm not the only divorced, middle-aged man that's lonely and wants someone to talk to," Larson said.

Related video: 71-Year-Old Man Loses $80K to Overseas Con Artist in Romance Scam (provided by WXIN)

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Over roughly eight months, he put money on Steam gift cards supposedly to help her cover her cellphone bills. They only talked a few times but she accessed Facebook via the cellphone.

He helped with legal bills for that inheritance. He bought "lots and lots and lots of Amazon cards – $100 each."

He'd take pictures of the gift cards, send her the numbers on them and she had quick access to the cash. He didn't even have to mail the cards.

He was flat broke at one point but somehow she convinced him to apply for a Target credit card. And the same day, he maxed it out to buy gift cards for her.

At another point, she wanted him to open a bank account for her. When he said he didn't have money to do that, she asked him for his online banking information so she could wire money to cover that cellphone to his account.

He asked her to send a check. She insisted on sending it directly to his bank. He gave her online bank information.

She directly deposited a fake check and ultimately he ended up with a $2,000 overdraft.

When he started suspecting something, he asked her to send him another selfie.

"And she sent me a picture of a different woman," he said.

He soon crafted his own story where he pretended to have major surgery ahead. Then, perhaps, when he stopped responding, she would think he was dead.

After talking with an FBI agent, he realizes that "she" might have even been a "he" or a group of men overseas engaged in scamming Americans out of their money.

While he likely won't get any money back, he wants to see more oversight by banks and retailers to help people stop from making horrible mistakes. If someone's judgment is clouded, he said, there should be even more hurdles when it comes to wiring money or buying a string of gift cards.

How scammers hook you

The pitches made by sweet-talking scammers tend to be similar. One huge red flag: The new love of your life somehow can never see you. He or she is stationed abroad or travels frequently.

The scammer texts or sends emails to better control the message. One tip: Take time to paste the text into a search engine and see whether the same words show up on websites devoted to exposing romance scams, AARP suggests.

Scammers might do research about you online, too. But they often tap into the same old cliches to describe themselves: They're a simple person who likes walks on the beach. They'll talk of finding "true love."

And they've always got a reason for you to feel sorry for them. One con artist told his victim that he lost his wife years ago, for example, and mourned her by working and working. Now, he's ready to move on – once he finishes this last, big job overseas.

We're doing more things online so scammers have all sorts of opportunities to target their victims. A scammer could be targeting 25 people or more at once, said Kathy Stokes, director of fraud prevention programs for the AARP.

More than half of adults in the United States have used the internet to find new friends, dates and romantic partners, according to an AARP national survey.

About 27 percent of those surveyed said they or someone they know have encountered a relationship scam online, according to the AARP survey. About 11 percent report being victimized.

If you suspect being targeted by a fraudster – or your relative or friend is – you can call the AARP helpline to talk to a trained volunteer at 877-908-3360 and press 2.

How fake connections get your money

Once they convince you that you're in love – maybe promising to visit you by Christmas – they find a reason to ask for some cash.

Most of us would dump a guy or gal within seconds if they asked for $500 after a few dates. But somehow the online universe is different.

"Once they have you, they have you," Stokes said. "They've found a way to get you out of your logical thought process."

A new Better Business Bureau report indicated that some online romance scams can escalate beyond gift-card related scams, too. Some victims turn into unwitting accomplices as "money mules," where they act as middlemen in a variety of scams.

“If the victim doesn’t have the money, the scammer often asks them to send a package from a friend," said Laura Blankenship, director of marketing for the Better Business Bureau serving Eastern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.

Criminals operating primarily from Eastern European countries and Nigeria may buy computers and other electronics via the internet using stolen credit cards.

They then have the goods shipped to addresses in the United States of “reshippers.”

The victim might be asked to repackage the merchandise and mail it elsewhere, according to an alert by the United States Postal Service.

"These scammers prey on the emotions of those looking for love and companionship," Blankenship said.

How to spot a romance scam

Victims tell shocking stories of how falling in love was a 24-hour whirlwind.

Yet the love connection might repeatedly promise to meet you in person but always comes up with an excuse to cancel, according to the AARP tip sheet.

Many times, scammers create profiles online using other people's pictures.

Consumers can use a reverse image search on Google to see if the photo was used online publicly elsewhere, Stokes said.

Sometimes, they may even use a photo of someone in the military. Never send money to someone claiming to be a U.S. soldier.

Larson said someone who is lonely can be a prime target but the one thing he realized is that you should never send money, ever, to someone you meet online.

"I wouldn't have sent a dime," he said, when asked what he would do differently now.

Source: http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/how-one-man-lost-dollar31000-in-a-romance-scam/ar-BBTW8Fp?srcref=rss

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ratralsis · 8 years ago

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I don't think I've mentioned it here or on my AC blog yet, but I'm taking a two week trip to Japan this Saturday. It's pretty stressful, for a number of reasons. Despite the trip being less than a week away, I'm STILL trying to hammer out my plans and schedule with everybody I'm hoping to see, visit, or stay with. I'm avoiding hotels and hostels and just staying with a couple of friends in two different areas: Nagoya, which is west of Tokyo, and Okayama, which is further west than that. This is also my first vacation in six years, so there's that. It's my first time back to Japan in eight, since my internship in the summer of 2008. I'm hoping to visit my very first homestay family from my first study abroad, the Mizuno family, on Saturday, June 3. I was pen pals with Mr. Mizuno's daughter for a few years, until, I think, her phone's anti spam measures blocked my gmail.com account. I could be wrong. I enjoyed writing back and forth with her, though it always struck me as a little bit weird: when we met, I was 24 and she was 12. When I left the study abroad program and we became pen pals, I was 25 and she was 13. So I was always super careful about what I said in my emails. I figured that so long as I didn't use any bad or rude language, and kept it all G-rated, you know, didn't talk about porn or whatever, it was basically fine. A lot of people told me I was overthinking it. Which I probably was. But like, for example, when her 15th birthday was coming up, I joked about sending her a present. I was only being half serious, but she was happy about the idea, so I bought her a keychain with the first letter of her first name on it (incidentally, whole I won't say her name here, it was one that was written with a weird pronunciation of the kanji, so I always had to type her name incorrectly to get the kanji to appear, and in my head that became her name instead of her actual name... That story doesn't really go anywhere, I just thought it was funny) and mailed it to her family's house. When she got it, she told me that she liked it so much that she put it on her school backpack, and I was a little worried that this would seem weird. So I said "you are? What, are you gonna tell people that you got it from your foreign friend in America?" And she replied, "yes, that's what I'm going to tell anybody who asks me about it, that I'm pen pals with an American who sent me this for my birthday." Like it wasn't weird at all to her. I was the only one who thought it was weird that I was in my late twenties sending birthday gifts to Japanese schoolgirls. And I mean, maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. I have no idea. I got an email out of nowhere from Mr. Mizuno last fall saying that he found some old souvenirs that his kids had meant to send to me years ago and never had, so I gave him my address and he sent them. I sent back a box with a few souvenirs I picked up at local gift shops and a long letter that took me hours to write. None of them speak English, and it's been years since I've studied Japanese in a school setting. So I've gotten bad at it. To prep for this trip, I've spent the last two months studying on my own like crazy, but that only gets me so far. Anyway, this letter was surely a difficult to understand mess, so I also included an English version in case they knew somebody bilingual who could help them out by translating it. I don't know if they did or not, because the reply I got back via email from Mr. Mizuno simply said "We got your letter. The chocolate you sent was good." So, okay! Great! I'm pretty sure he just doesn't like writing emails. I don't think he has anything against me, because, when I told him about this trip and said I'd like to see everybody again if possible, he offered up Saturday evening. I leave Nagoya and go to Okayama the next day, so it's the last chance. I was trying to make plans to visit another friend of mine, the ex girlfriend of the guy I'm staying with in Okayama (as far as I know, it was an amicable split; he (an American) was leaving for Japan upon graduation, and she (Japanese) was leaving for China, and I've never heard either one say anything bad about the other since), who is now living in Tokyo, but she hasn't replied to my last couple of messages. This is not, I must add, the first time I've tried to make lunch plans with a Japanese woman who acted like she would be up for it and then just stopped talking to me and never showed up. So I'm guessing that that's what's happening here, and I'm not going to write again. I'll just assume she doesn't actually want to meet me for lunch in Tokyo after all. I'm not trying to date her, I mean, that would be fucking idiotic, I'll be there for one day and then very likely not see her again for many more years, but I don't know what she is thinking. In Okayama, things should be a lot less stressful. I'm going to try to find a day when I can visit the peace museum in Hiroshima. I've been there once before, as a student, and it was a truly life changing event. I can't say I loved it, because I didn't. But it was good for my soul, to use a second cliche. But while in Nagoya, I'm trying to visit possibly five different people in four different places, as well as two shrines I very badly want to visit, in only six days. It's pretty rough on me. But I will honestly give up on seeing some of the people if it means seeing the shrines -- they're important to me. First is Atsuta shrine, in Nagoya, only a few miles from where I'll be staying. It has multiple deities enshrined within, most important of whom is Amaterasu, the sun goddess. She's a pretty big deal in Japan, so she has multiple shrines. The idea is that she has a place set aside for her in each of them, so she can visit any of them in relative comfort. I don't know all of the rules regarding her omnipresence, but my understanding is that she isn't "everywhere" so much as she's "anywhere she wants to be," and giving her a shrine is a good way to make her want to be somewhere. The other shrine is Ise shrine, in Mie, a bit of a long bus ride from Nagoya. It's a huge sprawling shrine that is completely rebuilt every few years, bit by bit so that most of it is always open, and is Amaterasu's main shrine. I badly want to pray directly to Amaterasu. If I could, I'd like to do it in a more polite style of Japanese than my current most polite form, but I'd surely just embarrass myself if I tried to learn it in such a short time. I have no reason to think she speaks English, and I have no reason to think she doesn't. I also have no reason to think she even speaks modern Japanese. But my best bet would be to just use regular polite modern Japanese and hope for the best. Which, naturally, raises the question of whether or not I actually even believe she exists. That's a complicated question. The short and simple answer is no, I don't believe any gods or Gods exist with any certainty (fun fact: I'm a born-again Christian, baptised at age 27). The longer answer is that I think they might, it's better to play it safe since I'm not out much if they don't, and I absolutely believe in the shrines and the religious trappings thereof. Whether Amaterasu can hear my prayers or not, let alone answer them, is unknown to me. Whether or not her shrine and priests exist is something I hope to verify with my own eyes. I guess the most honest answer is that I hope gods exist, despite there being no scientific evidence of them, so I want to do what I can to try to find this sun goddess. And throw money at her. Literally. That's part of how you pray. You throw money over a little rail into a box. Anyway. I'm trying to build up a 70-post queue to get me all the way through the trip without Megatown going silent. It's hard. I might not be able to do it. It shouldn't even matter to me. But I really don't want to miss any days. That blog has been very difficult and, lately, not very fulfilling, but I guess it's sheer momentum that keeps me going. Once in a while I can buy somebody something from my catalog or give somebody some flowers, and that makes it worth it. I kind of want to do a long post here about the state of that blog and what I've learned from it over the years... maybe next time.

#long post #text post

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mastcomm · 5 years ago

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Kobe Bryant Saw His Greatness Mirrored in Gianna

The N.B.A. on Thursday is scheduled to announce the players chosen by Eastern and Western Conference coaches as All-Star Game reserves. On the internal calendar I keep, this is traditionally the ideal time to unveil my unofficial All-Star selections.

That won’t be happening this time.

In the wake of the horrific helicopter crash on Sunday that killed the legendary Kobe Bryant and eight others aboard, normal operations have been pretty much suspended for anyone who has anything to do with the N.B.A.

Bryant’s worldwide stature is obviously a huge part of that. He was one of the giants of this game, an immense figure globally, revered by the overwhelming majority of current N.B.A. players — and incomprehensibly struck down at the age of 41. Grief like this will not fade quickly.

It is doubly true in this case because Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was on that helicopter with him.

Beloved by members of the University of Connecticut women’s basketball program, which she dreamed of joining someday, Gianna received a moving tribute from the team on Monday when it placed flowers and a UConn jersey bearing her No. 2 on the bench for an exhibition game against the United States national team.

“Mambacita is forever a Husky,” the school posted on Twitter, referring to the nickname that Kobe Bryant, the self-styled “Black Mamba,” had given the second-born of his four daughters.

Also on board were two of Gianna’s teammates from the AAU squad coached by her father: Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester. The lives of three teenage girls with so much to look forward were taken in the crash, along with those of Bryant; Alyssa’s parents, John and Keri; Payton’s mother, Sarah; Kobe’s assistant coach, Christina Mauser; and Ara Zobayan, who piloted the helicopter.

The list gets sadder every time it is recited.

Kobe Bryant was 17 when I met him, then freshly acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers. On Monday, I wrote about how he was convinced, from the first minute of his pro career, that he was bound for the Hall of Fame.

Bryant was equally convinced that Gianna was likewise destined for greatness. She was his ever-present companion at countless games in recent years — to watch her W.N.B.A. heroes, or the Huskies, or maybe on a special trip to see her favorite N.B.A. player: Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks.

Perhaps by now you have seen the clip of Kobe from his visit to the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” show in 2018, telling the world that Gianna bristled any time she heard a fan suggest to her father that he and his wife, Vanessa Bryant, needed to have a boy to uphold Kobe’s legacy.

“She’s like, ‘Oy, I got this,’” Bryant said of Gianna, then 12.

The last time I saw Kobe, on Dec. 29 at Staples Center, he had never looked more joyful. Wearing a bright orange hoodie and a green ski cap to rep his hometown Philadelphia Eagles, Bryant was sitting courtside beside Gianna as they watched — make that studied — the Lakers’ LeBron James and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks going head-to-head.

Also in the building that night was God Shammgod, whose extraordinary dribbling ability made him a New York playground legend. Despite the briefest of N.B.A. playing careers, Shammgod has landed on the Mavericks’ staff as a player development coach — yet he remains so revered for his ball handling that, even in a coaching role, he has his own Puma signature shoe.

Days after that Lakers/Mavericks game, never realizing the sorrow that was looming, Shammgod told me some moving stories of his workouts with father and daughter — how he had the extraordinary opportunity to coach them both.

“I knew him when he wasn’t this Kobe,” Shammgod said. “He knew me when there was no Shammgod moves.”

In their high school days, Shammgod — then known as Shammgod Wells — wound up at an ABCD youth camp with Bryant in New Jersey. Kobe had spent some of his formative years in Italy, where his father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, was playing professionally, but Shammgod said Kobe’s fellow campers knew only that he had mostly played abroad somewhere.

“The boy from France,” Shammgod said. “That’s what we called him. After the first game, guys were saying, ‘Who’s this guy who actually thinks he’s Michael Jordan?’ He’s walking like Jordan, he’s doing every Jordan move, shooting all the balls.”

Bryant was clearly a special talent, but his ball handling was a weakness. Joe Bryant had noticed Shammgod’s slick handles and asked the 16-year-old if he could help Jellybean’s 15-year-old son.

Shammgod told the elder Bryant that he would be happy to work out with Kobe — at 6 the next morning. “I was thinking, ‘He’s not going to show,’” Shammgod said. “I get there and he’s already there.”

A bond was forged, and the two remained close. The friendship endured even as Bryant rose to stardom and his dribbling mentor was forced to scour the globe for jobs (in Poland, China, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Croatia) after an N.B.A. career that lasted just 20 games with the Washington Wizards in 1997-98.

During the All-Star break last February, Shammgod received an urgent summons from Bryant to Southern California. Kobe was now coaching Gianna’s travel team and wanted to introduce her and the rest of the squad to the move known in hoop parlance as “The Shammgod” — which requires the dribbler to bring the ball to the side with one hand to get the defender off balance, then snatch it back with the opposite hand to execute a crossover dribble. Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul and the Nets’ Kyrie Irving are two of the most accomplished modern practitioners.

Shammgod spent two days at Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

“When I say that’s all he wanted to do is dribbling, that’s all he wanted to do,” Shammgod said. “From 10 to 12 in the morning, then from 2 to 4. These girls were dribbling four hours straight without shooting the basketball.”

One-on-one tutorials with Gianna would soon follow. Shammgod said they had worked out about a dozen times over the past year. Kobe wanted to fly him in more often, but Shammgod said he had to remind him occasionally, “I work for the Mavs and I can’t leave.”

When the trio huddled at that Dec. 29 game at Staples, Gianna excitedly told the story of how she “did the Shammgod on this girl” in a recent game.

“She was so locked in,” Shammgod said. “Her mind-set was just like his mind-set.”

That was evident in a 2019 glimpse of Gianna on camera with the Las Vegas CBS affiliate during a trip to watch that season’s opener for the W.N.B.A.’s Las Vegas Aces. Explaining her fascination with film study, Gigi could not have sounded much more like her father when she said, “More information, more inspiration.”

Those of us who were there for the start of the Kobe Bean Bryant experience and watched him grow up can’t help but flash back to those early days now. Even though the journalism handbook says we’re supposed to be detached and unemotional — even at times like this — Bryant’s sudden death has been a gut punch for many scribes like me who covered him closely over the past two decades.

What messes me up most, though, is when I start thinking about Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, her two teammates on that chopper and the shattered families that have to try to move on without them.

Gianna, Alyssa and Payton — gone at an age just a few years younger than Kobe was upon his league-shaking arrival in the N.B.A. So, so unspeakably cruel.

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In tribute to Kobe Bryant and his second of two jersey numbers, we present a 24-item assemblage of standout statistics from his career with the Lakers.

Bryant was the youngest player in N.B.A. history when he made his regular-season debut for the Lakers on Nov. 3, 1996, at 18 years and 72 days old. A future teammate with the Lakers, Andrew Bynum, eventually became the youngest player in league history at 18 years and six days old when he made his debut in 2005.

Only four players — all big men — made the jump directly from high school to the pros before Bryant and Portland’s Jermaine O’Neal were selected in the 1996 N.B.A. draft. Those four predecessors: Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins, Bill Willoughby and Kevin Garnett. Shawn Kemp sat out a year after graduating high school in 1988 before he was drafted in 1989 by Seattle.

1,346

Both of the Lakers’ rookies selected in the first round of the 1996 N.B.A. draft — Bryant (1,346) and Derek Fisher (915) — rank in the top five in club history in games played.

Bryant started only seven games in his first two N.B.A. seasons.

Bryant’s four air balls in a 1997 playoff game in Utah — one at the regulation buzzer and three in overtime — came against the same Jazz franchise he riddled for 60 points in his final N.B.A. game on April 13, 2016.

The Lakers’ championships in three consecutive seasons — 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02 — represent the league’s only three-peat this century. The Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls had three-peats twice in the 1990s (1990-91 through 1992-93 and 1995-96 through 1997-98).

38.3

A conversion rate of 38.3 percent in 2002-03 marked Bryant’s most successful season from the 3-point line.

35.4

Bryant’s highest single-season scoring average was 35.4 points per game in 2005-2006, the Lakers’ second season after trading away Shaquille O’Neal.

16,866

Bryant scored 16,866 points and won three of his five championships wearing No. 8 through his first 10 seasons.

16,777

He scored 16,777 points and won two championships wearing No. 24 over the final 10 seasons of his career.

Bryant’s 20 consecutive seasons with the Lakers left him one shy of the N.B.A. record for playing with only one team: Dirk Nowitzki’s 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks.

No other Laker played more than 14 seasons (Jerry West and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).

Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006.

Bryant’s eruption against the Raptors, the second-highest scoring output in league history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962, came just 33 days after Kobe scored 62 points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks.

220

Bryant appeared in 220 career playoff games, which equates to more than two and half seasons of extra wear and tear.

The Lakers missed the playoffs in each of Bryant’s last four seasons.

35.6

Bryant averaged just 35.6 games played over his final three seasons following his torn left Achilles’ tendon in April 2013.

The 60 points Bryant scored in his farewell outing beat the previous record for an N.B.A. player in his last official season by 11 points. Boston’s Larry Bird scored 49 points on March 15, 1992.

Bryant is the only player in league history to have two jersey numbers (No. 8 and No. 24) retired by one franchise.

Bryant’s 18 N.B.A. All-Star appearances are one shy of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record 19.

Bryant was voted in by fans as an All-Star starter in his third season with the Lakers and in each of the subsequent 17 seasons.

$328,238,062

The value of Bryant’s contracts over 20 seasons with the Lakers, according to Basketball Reference, was nearly $330 million.

Bryant and LeBron James never met in a playoff game. James has made nine trips to the N.B.A. finals, winning three titles.

5-2

Bryant posted a career record of 5-2 in the N.B.A. finals, winning five championships in seven appearances.

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