Whenever I have extended free time (like the last couple of weeks) I always have these grand plans for how productive I'm going to be . . . but instead, the time slips away and I do nothing. Literally. Unless lying around reading reddit and watching Breaking Bad counts as "doing something". It wasn't too bad the first week. I studied for the GRE a shitload, read two books, and did quite a bit of writing. Since then - zilch. So bored. Can't concentrate. Downtown Amman is wearing on me. I don't even want to go outside. I spent $7 on cab rides one day last last week just so I could go to the mall for no other reason but to be someplace Western. Never again will I fail to appreciate walking around in recycled air and listening to bad American pop music. I've been reduced to my 12 year old self.

I got this internship, right? And the guy that interviewed me said he wanted to get to know my writing, my ability to research, etc. before school started in the fall and the internship started in full swing. So he emailed me a scholarly essay and asked me for a page summary of the essay "in technical writing". Summarizing articles is not only something I'm good at, it's also something I enjoy, so I had no problem churning this out, and I emailed it to him first thing Sunday morning. This is the email I got back today:

I just forward the email I sent to you on august 9, we have the rewrite folder and the question both in formal language .CAN YOU PLEASE DO HIS TASK THEN WE WILL START OUR WORK.

The email he sent on August 9 was the original email I referred to above. This is all he wrote in the body of that email:

One page about the relation of Sustainable development and participation

Dude, I sent you that one page! Did you not check the attachments or even read my email? Specifically the part where I said "I attached the summary of the Mutamba article"? What does his email mean? Why is it all of sudden in caps lock like he's yelling at me? I don't think I've ever had more of an urge to email someone back in all caps WHAT DO I LOOK LIKE, A MIND READER? WTF DO YOU WANT???? His spoken English is really quite good, he holds a PhD, and he runs an NGO. But apparently he can't really write in English . . . or at least explain what he wants. "We have the rewrite folder and the question both in formal language." What does this mean? MAJOR LANGUAGE BARRIER ISSUE happening here right now. Not sure how to email him back without sounding like a major asshole.

Perfectionist that I am, I don't do well with not doing something correctly. And the worst part is, I don't know what the hell I did wrong. Sad face.