Very much delayed.  Forgive me. So, to wrap May up:

1. For the first time in my life, I’ve spent my birthday alone.  Well, not alone, alone, but I was off in Cabanatuan by myself where I treated my lonesome self to a dinner.   First time I ever paid for my own meal too.

2. I got my own pay check, which, might not be that big of a deal to any of you out there, but to this particular twenty-two year old, it is HUGE.  I’ve done lots of work and tasks before but I’ve never actually been paid for them.

3. I heard “Happy Birthday” sung to me by a room of complete strangers.  It was…nice.

4. I found out that I don’t really like sharing beds with anyone.

5. I’ve met new people (Ate Fred, Ate Glaiza, Ms. Camille, etc.) who’ve given me new perspectives on life.

6. I still haven’t finished my book of the month though; I’ll tell you when I’m done with A Little Women.

7.  People who are nowhere near my status coerced me into doing things I had no intention of ever doing.  I’ve also experienced shame; not the ‘oh-I’m-so-embarrassed’ kind, but real, deeply visceral shame.  So I guess that’s my rite of passage into adulthood?  Yay?

8. I finally got to treat my cousins to something using my own money.  I’ve never done that before.

9. I have finally gathered enough balls to make an assessment of myself.  And I guess now I sort of know my true value.

10. I am still confused as hell about my future.

11. I spent the last three days of May with people who are very important to me and for the first time, I think, we were totally honest to each other.

12. For the first time ever, I drove outside the safe boundaries of our village without the assistance of my parents or my older brother.  Can I get a ‘woot-woot’?

13. And oh yeah, by some weird twist of fate, I spoke to about a hundred and seventy people.  Me, who has the habit of stuttering and getting the clammy hands because of stage fright.  And get this, they actually listened to me.