May 11 , 2003

The weather has taken a turn for the worse, with rain three out of the past five days. The 7th of May was especially bad, and as a result I experienced the worst part of my trip thus far. That evening after a late night at school spent writing a paper, I departed for home. When I walked outside I noticed that Mother Nature had given me a little present, a thunderstorm. It was raining buckets, as they say, and I had one and only one choice–to suit up in my rain jacket and head out. On the way home I had the joy of being splashed when vehicles zoomed by me, a result of the standing water in the road. And let me tell you, this did not make the 40-minute uphill journey any more enjoyable! Due to the late hour and my intense hunger, I decided to have supper at McDonald’s (this would be my first trip there). I walked in the restaurant looking like a hurricane victim, soaked head to toe and utterly distressed. Luckily the employees held true to the franchise’s slogan, “We love to make you smile,” and they promptly offered me a towel to dry my hands and face with and also an umbrella to use for the rest of my journey. Their kind gestures definitely made me feel better, and the fact that this was my first truly American food in quite a while also helped. And just in case you were wondering if the menu is the same; the answer is yes and no. While the old standbys Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets, and Filet-O-Fish are still there,

there are some notable additions including the McTeriyaki Burger and McTofu Sandwich.

The following day I had a great experience getting my haircut. While to some of you this might sound like such a simple thing, when you are in a foreign country getting a haircut becomes