fourth finger of the left hand

I've bought a ring.  A fake ring.

No, a real ring, but a fake wedding ring.  It's sterling silver and pretty substantial--thick.  This ploy was recommended to me by someone who said that telling inquiring men that I had a boyfriend wouldn't deter them, and so I ought to wear a ring.  (This reminds me of a Nigerian New Haven taxi driver who asked whether I had any "part-time" boyfriends.  No, I replied, only full-time.)

Although getting proposed to could be fun--after all, how many times does a girl get asked to marry somebody?--I hope that this might make for less awkwardness.  It does feel funny to wear it, though.  I'm not the traditional marriage type, but I liked to think that it would be a special day when I would put something on that finger

I also want to include a link to another young woman's blog: Ryan Brown, who goes to Duke, and who studied abroad in Dakar this past semester.  She's been helping me pack.  She's also hilarious, and you should read her stuff.