Triumphant Return
I returned to DC, my hometown for the two years prior to leaving the country, and I was honestly a bit disappointed by the reception - no band, no cheerleaders, no flowers, not a shred of confetti and not even a single frickin’ balloon. Initial shock over at the anti-climactic nature of my return aside, I got to work. After a bit of confusion and a wrong number which led to a long message on some random person’s voicemail, I was finally able to rendezvous with Bridget - a fine welcoming party in her own right, as well as my buddy Chris’s girlfriend - who graciously whisked me to Glover Park and to my new home for the week, their couch.
America the Beautiful
My initial reaction upon returning to DC was one of pure fascination, it being the first place I’d visited in 5 months of traveling where I’d actually been before (discounting Seattle which I barely remember), and a place I’d lived for two years no less. But it was different now – not actually concretely different, it just felt different through new eyes. Things that bugged me before now astounded me: why doesn’t anyone smile on the buses? Why are wait staff so rude (discounting Cassandra at Café Citron who became the love of my life after jumping over the bar to chase down some delinquent on their tab and then, after bragging to us about her accomplishment, bought us a shot to celebrate her final being canceled)? And, why does almost everyone seem to drive an SUV when they only drive 12 miles at a time through stop and go traffic?
This said, there are also many good things about DC. It’s a truly spectacular city in the spring with tulips, cherry blossoms and bright green leaves soaking in their first rays of sun. I was also reminded of the extent to which DC truly is an international city, with residents and visitors from all over the globe. The streets and bars are packed with young activists trying to change the world and practice what they preach, and then there are the crabs. Oh, the crabs. These were the things that got me to half consider my friends requests for me to return to DC for good.
After running around for five months meeting excited travelers and interesting locals, I continued to long for new stories of adventures, forgetting that the real world to which I will shortly return isn’t always quite as interesting. The first thing I asked Bridget after jumping in her car was whether or not she was still at the same job which was answered with a resounding, “AJ, you’ve only been gone six months!”. I keep asking people what’s happened in my absence and the question was almost always answered with a long blank stare. After a little coaxing and persistence I’d usually get something out like a trip to Hawaii, the new kickball team, a promotion or a new pair of shoes, but generally it appeared to be the same old same old in the District. At first this started to depress me, as I continued to contemplate my reemergence into the real world, but then I began to take comfort in it. I quickly found myself back in some of the old roles with old friends and old coworkers. I was back, even if for only a week, and there’s comfort in fitting in, in your place, and being surrounded by the familiar, by those things that just don’t change despite how much you might want them to. For months on the road I longed for this place, but now, faced with it, the idea has become bittersweet. Though, I know I will eventually find it again in a new place – a new place to call home.
OK, enough of the melodrama and cliched writing already. To be consistent with previous postings I should probably go ahead and give you an idea of what I actually did for a full on week in DC. Surprisingly little of interest it turns out. I frequented my favorite coffee shop (where I sit as I type this), visited a couple familiar bars, sat by Andrew’s pool to recharge my fading tan, walked the mall, saw the Constitution, participated in a crab BBQ, met with the old bosses to talk about part-time work to restock the coffers, crashed the company happy hour, worked on my resume, continued sorting through the pictures from my adventures and saw a ton of old friends while simultaneously making some new ones. There were also a couple attempts at dancing (all failed) thrown in there, an attempt at bike repair (mostly successful) and a 2am falafel run (an unrivaled success).
Andrew, Chris and Bridget Prepare for the Feast
The Massacre of the Innocents... and the Delicious
Take My Wife Please!
So that’s DC in a nutshell, or at least my version of it. Next stop the big apple the last (planned) stop on my epic, if I do say so myself, adventure.
America the Beautiful
My initial reaction upon returning to DC was one of pure fascination, it being the first place I’d visited in 5 months of traveling where I’d actually been before (discounting Seattle which I barely remember), and a place I’d lived for two years no less. But it was different now – not actually concretely different, it just felt different through new eyes. Things that bugged me before now astounded me: why doesn’t anyone smile on the buses? Why are wait staff so rude (discounting Cassandra at Café Citron who became the love of my life after jumping over the bar to chase down some delinquent on their tab and then, after bragging to us about her accomplishment, bought us a shot to celebrate her final being canceled)? And, why does almost everyone seem to drive an SUV when they only drive 12 miles at a time through stop and go traffic?
This said, there are also many good things about DC. It’s a truly spectacular city in the spring with tulips, cherry blossoms and bright green leaves soaking in their first rays of sun. I was also reminded of the extent to which DC truly is an international city, with residents and visitors from all over the globe. The streets and bars are packed with young activists trying to change the world and practice what they preach, and then there are the crabs. Oh, the crabs. These were the things that got me to half consider my friends requests for me to return to DC for good.
After running around for five months meeting excited travelers and interesting locals, I continued to long for new stories of adventures, forgetting that the real world to which I will shortly return isn’t always quite as interesting. The first thing I asked Bridget after jumping in her car was whether or not she was still at the same job which was answered with a resounding, “AJ, you’ve only been gone six months!”. I keep asking people what’s happened in my absence and the question was almost always answered with a long blank stare. After a little coaxing and persistence I’d usually get something out like a trip to Hawaii, the new kickball team, a promotion or a new pair of shoes, but generally it appeared to be the same old same old in the District. At first this started to depress me, as I continued to contemplate my reemergence into the real world, but then I began to take comfort in it. I quickly found myself back in some of the old roles with old friends and old coworkers. I was back, even if for only a week, and there’s comfort in fitting in, in your place, and being surrounded by the familiar, by those things that just don’t change despite how much you might want them to. For months on the road I longed for this place, but now, faced with it, the idea has become bittersweet. Though, I know I will eventually find it again in a new place – a new place to call home.
OK, enough of the melodrama and cliched writing already. To be consistent with previous postings I should probably go ahead and give you an idea of what I actually did for a full on week in DC. Surprisingly little of interest it turns out. I frequented my favorite coffee shop (where I sit as I type this), visited a couple familiar bars, sat by Andrew’s pool to recharge my fading tan, walked the mall, saw the Constitution, participated in a crab BBQ, met with the old bosses to talk about part-time work to restock the coffers, crashed the company happy hour, worked on my resume, continued sorting through the pictures from my adventures and saw a ton of old friends while simultaneously making some new ones. There were also a couple attempts at dancing (all failed) thrown in there, an attempt at bike repair (mostly successful) and a 2am falafel run (an unrivaled success).
Andrew, Chris and Bridget Prepare for the Feast
The Massacre of the Innocents... and the Delicious
Take My Wife Please!
So that’s DC in a nutshell, or at least my version of it. Next stop the big apple the last (planned) stop on my epic, if I do say so myself, adventure.
posted by AJH @ 7:06 AM
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