mistaken

Here's my conversation from last night at church*. All I had to do was make an announcement to the girls about Summer camp.

YW Leader: Hi, I don't think I've met you before. What's your name?

Me: Alyssa. That's nice. She's being really friendly.

Leader: Oh, nice to meet you! Would you like to conduct opening exercises? 

Me: No...oh geez, she thinks I'm one of the girls...I'm the camp director for my ward. I'm just here to make an announcement.

Leader: Oh.

She then went and asked one of the actual girls to start the meeting, as I stood there contemplating the fact that I am five years older than the very oldest of the teenage girls who attend YW, and eleven years older than the youngest of them. I know I'm short and look young, but I don't think I look like a teenager anymore. Sigh.

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Then after church we went to Barnes & Noble. I was standing in the literature aisle browsing when a man came up to me.

Man: Do you know where I can find the Orwell section? You used to have a big display/section of Orwell's books.

Me: Um ... I've got no idea ... I don't work here. Why don't you try the literature section. Under the letter O. You know, Orwell. O. Pretty simple.

Man: (walks off with a grunt like he's mad I don't know where the books are in a store that I told him I don't work in)

Sheesh. I am not a Barnes & Noble employee (though that one doesn't really bother me) and I am not a teenager. I know, I know - I'll love it when I'm in my thirties and people think I'm still in my twenties, but right now it pretty much sucks to be a college graduate and often mistaken for a teenager.

*disclaimer: YW = Young Women (it's the organization for the teenage girls to get together and fellowship); Camp Director = The one who makes sure all the girls pass off every prerequisite to go to Summer camp. Opening Exercises = the person (always one of the girls) who welcomes everyone, shares a spiritual thought, and assigns someone to say the opening prayer. Ward = congregation that meets every Sunday for church service.