Final Meeting with Jinn

Sadly Jinn and I had our last meeting today. It's so weird to me that I just met her this semester, yet it feels like I've known her for years.

We discussed our plans for the upcoming weekend; I told her it was one of my girlfriend's birthdays so I was in charge of planning her dinner celebration, presents, and all that good stuff. Coincidentally, it's her boyfriend's birthday this weekend too. She feels like she's already given him everything you could possibly give a boyfriend over the years, so she has to get creative. She said he wants a motorcycle, but there's no way that's going to happen anytime soon.

We then talked a bit about surprise parties and how much we both dislike them. Her friends in China used to throw her them and she always dreaded it. She told me that as she's gotten older, birthdays have gotten less and less important to her. When she was younger, she used to enjoy going out and getting all dressed up, but now she said she'd prefer to just sit at home on the couch and relax. I can definitely relate, when I was a kid I remember thinking my birthday was the most monumental event of the year, and over time it’s become less climactic. 

We talked about her upcoming trip to Greece and she began telling me about her travels all over the world. I told her how much I wanted to go to Europe and she encouraged me to, but advised me not to study abroad because it’s such a touristy experience. She said when you’re on your own; you get to be more immersed in the local culture. If you are studying abroad with a bunch of other Americans you know, you don't get the real feel of the place. I thought this was really good advice; I had never considered that perspective before.

She told me her three favorite places to travel to are Italy, France, and Spain. Italy is beautiful and has the best food but Spain is a lot cheaper. Although she isn't a huge fan of France, she said Paris is a must-go. 

The remainder of our time together was focused on one topic: cats. When we were talking about her trip to Greece, she told me about her boyfriend’s parents' evil cat. (Side note: I am NOT a cat person and this conversation only confirmed those feelings of hatred). The cat literally sounds like it is demon possessed. She said it scratches people whenever it wants attention (sometimes drawing blood) and always throws up in her bed. She shared one story about how her boyfriend’s mom broke three ribs because of this cat. Her stories (awful as they were) were pretty hilarious and I was glad she shared them with me.

After we finished talking, I gave her my home address for the summer and she promised to send me some postcards from Europe. I told her to text me or email me if she is ever back in Fort Worth, and she said she would. As we said our goodbyes, she handed me a postcard that she had written a nice note on the back. It was sad saying goodbye, but I’m so grateful that I got to meet Jinn and get to know her better over the course of this semester.