Graduates in Wonderland Read Online Free Page A

neighbors.
    Sometimes when I have been low, very low, I have emerged from the slump by forcing myself to go on an escapade with an outgoing friend who really listens and cares. I know that sounds too simple, but I promise it gives you perspective—­more perspective than watching TV alone. Go with me on this. Just imagine skydiving with Amélie! Or solving a complicated mystery with Jon Stewart! Or just going on a weekend road trip with Rosabelle. Does she know how you’re feeling yet?
    And you have to remind yourself that new opportunities exist, and will always exist. Remember: You can always look for a new job. But for right now, if you’re really struggling, I think seeing a therapist might be a good idea too.
    I really wish you were here. I keep thinking that if you were here, we could have so much fun. Something to cheer you up:
    I completely bombed my children’s cartoon voice-­over audition. I can’t seem to fake being incredibly happy again and again and again unless I’m on drugs. I also, apparently, do not realistically react in the way that a six-­year-­old cartoon girl does to candy and puppies. It was pretty humiliating. I’ve been bombing a lot lately. We went to a bilingual improv (anybody can speak any language) that is held in the middle of a tiny bar in one of the oldest areas of the city. Let me just say that I suck at improv and everyone, including the Chinese people who don’t speak English, felt really sorry for me. So that’s two professions I can cross off my list: voice actor and comedian.
    I know this makes me sound like a theater person, but trust me, I am still most definitely not. Remember how I was so shy in my Spanish class that I almost failed? In Beijing, I have no choice but to speak Mandarin (okay, and by that I mean miming ridiculous things like “watermelon” or “flip-­flops” or “tampon”). I have to make a fool of myself daily to get anything done, including buying food and toiletries. Because of this, I’m losing my self-­conscious shell, and it’s so freeing.
    I’ve started another Mandarin program, but I still have to wake up at 6  A.M. to get there on time. It doesn’t help that I go to bed at 2  A.M . I have sold my soul to the Mandarin language.
    But on to the big stuff.
    Astrid and I ended up in a huge fight in the middle of an outdoor technology market. We spent three hours trying to buy phones and a modem for dial-­up Internet—­no one could understand exactly what we wanted. I wanted to just go home and ask a Chinese friend to help us but Astrid’s stubborn and needed to have the Internet RIGHT NOW (we’ve been stealing it from neighbors, but they’re onto us). The air was hot and humid and my T-shirt was slick with sweat and starting to stick to my back. I was on the verge of leaning in really close to her and saying in a low voice, “I will end you.” But I knew she’d lean in closer and hiss, “I will end you first.” And she would manage to end me first. You know how intense she is.
    Finally, she was so fed up with the situation that she abandoned it for the moment. In typical Astrid fashion, she said, “Screw this. Let’s just go get massages. We deserve them.” Astrid’s the best person for escapism, as I’m sure you remember. I think that’s part of the problem, though. Every idea she has seems like a good one, and then suddenly days go by with her in one blink and you don’t know what happened to your old life. Being with her is intoxicating but exhausting. It used to be easier, because we always wanted the same things, but it’s not that simple anymore. I want my own life, and she still wants me to be the sidekick to hers.
    Let’s just say the Maxwell situation isn’t helping.
    What’s confusing is that most of the time Maxwell, his friends, Astrid, and I really are having so much