Meeting Number 5

For Jinn and I’s fifth meeting we met up at the bookstore. Since it was such a nice day out, we sat outside and chatted for a while.

Jinn had just gotten back from her trip to California with girlfriends, so we talked a lot about the different things she did there. She went to Disneyland for the first time and LOVED it, but wasn’t a huge fan of the crowds and long lines. She had mentioned that she wanted to get a Minnie Mouse hat since so many people were wearing ones, but never ended up buying one. We both agreed Disneyland is overpriced and a little intimidating at first, but definitely a must-go if you’re visiting California

She also spent a few days up north in San Francisco, which she liked a lot more than LA. She went shopping up in LA and noticed that the customer service (and just people in general) are a lot less friendly than in Texas. Since I’ve grown up in California, this is something I didn’t notice until I moved to Texas. I definitely agree with Jinn, people in California (especially the big cities) are a bit standoffish. They’re not necessarily rude; they just tend to keep to themselves.

We swapped stories about other touristy spots in California that she visited (Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, etc.) which was cool cause we had a lot of the same opinions about these places. We both loved Santa Monica but agreed that Beverly Hills is a little too high end for the average shopping trip.

She then told me more about her time in San Francisco and even recommended a few restaurants to me. She particularly enjoyed one restaurant because of all the attractive male waiters (this cracked me up) and assured me I had to go eat there next time I was in the city. I shared some of my San Francisco experiences with her, and although it had been a few years since I’d visited, hearing about her trip made me want to go back soon.

I absolutely loved getting to talk with Jinn about California. Though it made me miss home quite a bit (and made me a little jealous I couldn’t be home), it made me so happy that she enjoyed her time there.

We ran into a few of her classmates going into the bookstore, so I got to meet some more IEP students. Another one of her classmates sat down at the table next to us, and shortly after Kristin showed up. Turns out he was her new conversation partner! So we were all introduced to each other and then continued our separate conversations.

Jinn and I agreed to meet up next week for our second-to-last meeting. I can’t believe that these meetings are almost over!