I have been home now for a week after a month living in the Bronx, and honestly, I miss being there! I got used to Spanish music blasting at all hours of the day and night, cars honking just for kicks, riding the subway every day for class, and walking with my eyes straight ahead instead of saying hello to anyone. Definitely a switch from the casual grocery store conversations you often have in the South. But besides all those negatives ( I guess you could say, unless you're really into Spanish music at 2 am) I listed, there were so many other things I loved about living there that those were canceled out.

The house I lived in was fantastic--a lady from the Roberts' church, Naomi, rents out rooms to women, and I was one of five renting from her. I had a great time getting to know them, and I was surprised at how fast I felt at home there with them. We hung out in the backyard a lot with the Roberts family, playing knockout and Dutch Blitz. I beat some people soundly at knockout, but sadly, I didn't win a single game of Dutch Blitz. They beat me every time. But, it just gave me a great incentive to get better at it, because I'm part Dutch anyway--I should be decent at it, or so I'm told. :)

I went to Chinatown three times while I was there, which is kind of funny to think about in retrospect. I wanted to go there, but I didn't know I'd go back two times after the fact. My friend LiLi Roberts, who is Chinese herself, introduced me to the world of haggling. I am not a natural-born haggler. I smile too much. I look like someone who would just give in, because lowering the price 2 dollars doesn't make that much of a difference. Oh, but I have changed my ways, and I am now on the road to being a better haggler than before. However, I think I might still need a friend with me to make it look more convincing. Here is our haggling routine:

Me: "How much?"

Chinese man: "15 dollars. Very quality. Very nice."

Me: "That's too expensive. 12 dollars?"

Chinese man: *wrings hands* "You make me go out of business! 14 dollars."

Lili: "C'mon, Laura. We can get it cheaper at another store."

Chinese man: "14 dollars, best price!"

Chinese woman:" Don't listen to her. She is ugly. Best price!"

Me: "12 dollars."

Chinese man: "13."

*LiLi and I start to walk away*

Chinese man: "WAIT! Okay, 12 dollars."

On a side note, the man's counterpart at the store (possibly the owner) was very rude, but that was a pretty hilarious moment. Don't listen to her, she's ugly. Goodness.

I have to stop writing for now, but next time, I will write the squirrel story and the AC unit story.