Part of the reason I decided to continue blogging from DC was to have a record of what I thought about the city. It's a place that I've thought for long I may like to live one day, and I chose to spend my summer here to get a good idea of what this city is all about and to see if I fit into the puzzle.
After three weeks that have passed very quickly, DC continues to befuddle me. It's easily defined as our nation's capital, the city where the president lives and where the big laws are passed, but other than that I'm still lacking a clear vision of what really makes up this place. I mentioned my confusion with the southern efficiency/northern charm quote in an earlier post and I'm no closer to figuring that out. As a Louisianan I see charm and inefficiency in the South - perhaps the quote is intentionally confusing to reflect the confusingness that is DC, sly JFK. Or perhaps it is more about perspective.
What I think I've deduced is that DC is more an amalgamation of cultures than holder of its own. Apart from the kids I worked with today, most everyone I have met here is a transplant. In a way this city is a microcosm of the U.S.: People from everywhere take up close quarters and share the ideas and ways of the places they come from. I've experienced that just with the other interns at AEI.
The beguiling nature of this city also translates to its weather. Some days this past week have been extremely hot, humid and sunny; others cloudy and chilly. Rain starts and stops at a moment's notice, making for a very frustrating start for the AEI softball team (I've decided to start playing next week to show off my mad skills), and also producing wardrobe selection confusion.
I'm catching up on my chillaxing time right now, having had a pretty busy, but fun, week. Notable excursion: Friday night we went to a Washington Nationals baseball game - aka the worst team in the Major League. One guy in our group caught a foul ball, which wasn't saying much since there were plenty to be had. I'm no baseball expert, but even I could tell they were pretty bad. The Nats and the Toronto Blue Jays were tied 1-1 at the end of the ninth, and I stayed until the eleventh, right after which there was an amazing play that won the game for the Nats - major shucks. It was a fun night, though; I liked sitting outside on the humid night and we got great seats since the stadium was half-full. As my favorite part of USC football games is the fake car race (and Traveler, of course!) the best part of the Nats game was the U.S. presidents race - people dressed up as Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and T. Roosevelt raced around the field. There's some DC culture right there.
In AEI news, the office was abuzz this week about the situation in Iran; it dominated lunchtime discussion and work assignments. I'm curious to follow the developments and hopeful that some justice will happen for the people there.
Yesterday I braved extreme heat (made a major faux pas and wore jeans) to visit the American History Museum but didn't stay too long because the crowds were redonk. I'll have to go back and see the First Ladies exhibit, my favorite, right. The tourists have started swarming in and I often have to weave through large groups on my way to work in the morning.
Today I started volunteering with Horton's Kids, an organization that works with children in a less privaleged DC community. They do tutoring for the kids during the school year and summer camp and field trips during the summer. I had a great time on a field trip at a park, and I'm planning to go on as many Sundays as I can while I'm here. Today the kids guessed I was 36 years old and told me I'd look like Lindsay Lohan if I had a little more freckles. I'll spend some more time in the sun and own it proudly.
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