Oh, beth - I talk. But it doesn't feel natural at all when I do, and then I get stuck and reverse back to think I know I'm good and fluent and funny talking about. Not the whole trying-to-built-a-comfort-zone thing.

I agree with beth. I also think this guy realizes the school year is ending and he wants to keep you in his life.

Daisy Jane. Start by asking for all three weeeks. Just be frank and say you love this job and don't want to risk it, so if they can't help you they can't help you. But it is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so please find a way to work it out if they can cause you would really like to do it. And you don't expect paid leave, and are totally open to working overtime to catchup before and after. Let them decide if they want to offer less time or no time or whatever.

Yeah, I agree with Typo here, DJ. That's exactly what you need to say.

Don't use the word "deserve" but at the same time make it clear you are not feeling entitled to this. You know you have not been there long enough to have earned three weeks of leave in a row, but it is something that is super important to you, so if they can make it work you are ready to do what they need from you in order to make it work.

Shir, I definitely understand the confusion. I'm always confused when new people like me, especially if I like them. I don't know what they're basing their impressions on. I'm always afraid it's just ephemeral, and after the initial few meetings, they will decide I'm not really worth knowing.

Like the girl I met last week at Theater Pub that I got into Seven Against Thebes so we've been rehearsing together. And when I went to see her in the ChatRoulette Show on Saturday, she said, "It's good to see you." IT WAS GOOD TO SEE ME. But will it be good to see me after tonight? We shall seeeeeee.

I also think this guy realizes the school year is ending and he wants to keep you in his life.

That makes sense.

The taxi driver on the way to the grocery store kept addressing me as "little lady." The one on the way back handed me a Jesus pamphlet with my change.

I've been freaking myself out by reading about Etan Patz. I'm not sure why I keep reading this.

Thanks. I'll give it more time. I thought 3-4 weeks will do, but probably I'm not thinking straight with the test season and all and can't really relax to being natural, whatever that mean.

Oh well. One more case where I'm the weird one. Back to the books, for me.

P-C, good luck with the girl!

I really need to start getting up the nerve to use one of the electric grocery cart scooter things. I managed to keep my shopping relatively short today, but my ankle still hurts.

Really, really, thank you guys so very much for your advice with this. For one, just getting it out of my head has helped end the "you don't deserve this, so keep your head down and don't ask" from getting out of control.

It was stressing me out to a terrible degree, making it so that whenever the topic came up between me and Jon, inside I would panic and flip out like a mammal making it look like I wasn't excited to Jon, and making me unwilling to have a conversation. Sunday I was nearly in tears over something that should be really exciting.

It seemed insurmountable until now, and now, I really feel like I'm going to get to go! Thanks!

Buffistas: Pushing me to travel to increasingly far off places by walking me through one neurosis at a time.