(stereo)typical

In addition to sending off my friends from Oklahoma, potlucking with friends I made through blogging (in honor of the blogging friend I crashed with in Madison, Wisconsin), lunching with my New Jersey-bred college roommate, and wining and dining with the bestest New Yorker/sorority sister, I've also been lucky enough to spend ample time with those friends I grew up with; and catch my San Francisco-living college friend and Strasbourg-made friend on the phone; and brunch at my former Manhattan apartment hosted by my former roommate, born and raised in Seattle, with an appearance from a sweet Brooklyn boy.

So, you know what I'm dreading? Friends; not having them, of course, but making them. The thought of having to introduce myself, get to know people, and figure out which relationships are plausible is just overwhelming... as is the sincere hope that mostly everyone will like me. When you're going to be living somewhere new for an extended period of time such things matter. And frankly, I'm simply daunted by the desire to keep in touch with the amazing friends I already have.

These are a few of the many ways my "new friends" could possibly perceive me:

• a woman: crazy, impractical, emotional, weak, can't wait to commit
• the oldest: bossy, perfectionist, tightly wound, responsible, conscientious 
• a college sorority girl: needy, promiscuous, dependent, superficial, dumb
• a New Yorker: rude, stressed, unfriendly, relentless, sophisticated
• a twenty-something: entitled, lazy, idealistic, techie, immature 
• an American: materialistic, ignorant, fat, egotistical, loud

Fun, huh? Especially as so few of those stereotypical characteristics describe me.

Yet the above assumptions are extreme and entirely unlikely :). I'd like to think the other globally-minded graduate students like myself will not only have interesting things to say but also be interested in befriending the real me. It's still unsettling to think about though, even if I know for certain I'll be fine. Phew.

Now, my darlings, I'm off to embark on an adventure my friends claim to have expected of me: I'll fly out of New York City tonight, arrive in Reykjavik early tomorrow morning, explore Iceland for three days, and wake up in Paris, France on Friday, August 31st. I'm nervously excited--please wish me luck! À bientôt.