Was an extremely weird day. I got on the elevator this morning as always (a luxury I think I'm entitled to after a mile walk) and a guy was already on the elevator. He got off on the 4th floor, I get off on the 5th. This is what happened before then:

Guy: Are you Monica?
Me: Oh yes!
Guy: Right, are you doing a PhD with MedPharm?
Me: (thinking, "oh, he must have seen me in his lab during safety training last week) Yea... kinda. You work there?
Guy: Yes.
Me: Cool. What's your name?
Guy: Mohammed.
*elevator doors open to fourth floor*
Guy: (exiting but turning round to face me) By the way, I'm from Iraq.

And he walks away. Didn't even give me a chance to say something. Don't know what he meant by it, it was quite odd. Either he hates me/my country or thinks I might hate him/his country or thinks it might be an issue he'd like to diffuse or would like to make it an issue. Maybe it meant nothing at all.... Either way, it was my first weird American moment. I've had some strange from-a-different-country moments but not specifically American moments. Wow.

So that was an unsettling morning, after which I walked with another post grad girl to Induction Day over on St. Thomas Campus. Took some nice pics:
















It was pouring in the morning though, and I spent the day in wet socks, so I am going home to have a bath (in a lovely bath tub we have in the hall. Sweet!)