Today is my third day in Washington, D.C. I've only had one freak-out tourist moment so far. When I saw the Washington Monument from the shuttle window, the little kid in me almost screamed. I couldn't believe how close I was to the Washington Monument - which I've seen in tons of movies. I wonder if folks feel that way about this bridge.
Anyway - it's been fun, I've only had small moments of homesickness. For the most part, it's been one mini adventure after the next. Here's a small snapshot of life so far:
Navigating Washington, D.C. without a car has been easy*. I mean, I have an advantage because a) I've navigated plenty of cities by transit before so reading maps is nothing new, b) the design of Metro is so similar to BART and c) the Metro map is so very similar in design to Boston's transit map. So all in all, it's been pretty easy to get around via Metro. BUT I'm ready for the bus and bikeshare. My boss (who is this wonderful African American woman who gets her vegetables from a CSA - love it) has convinced me that from where I'm at (which is NoMa if you're interested) the bus is far cheaper and a straighter shot to DOT than the Metro. So YAY buses!
*I have to be completely honest -- I do have to learn how to shop on a daily basis versus a two week basis. Lugging two weeks worth of groceries from the store was definitely not fun.
Returning to roommate life after an extended absence has been a little more difficult. My roommates are from France, Alabama, and Florida. The two Southern women decided to room together, which left me with the French women. Unfortunately, my allergies (and ensuring snoring) bothers my light-sleeping French roommate. And I feel awful for it - she's such a sweet quiet young woman, and I hate the fact that my allergies have turned me into a snoring monster. The these women are interesting - random facts I've found out in the past three days:
-One woman hates to tip - as in she'll drive to pick up food just to avoid tipping. Strange? Yes.
-One woman works with a Chinese conservation organization and hates it*. She constantly complains about how she doesn't understand Chinese culture. I'm not even sure how to respond to that one.
*To be fair, everyone at the organization speaks in Chinese which leaves her on the outside of most conversations.
-One woman was relieved that Hilary didn't win the presidency. She just felt that a woman president would wreck havoc on international affairs. And yes, she is a woman. I don't even understand it.
-Combined information from both of the Southern women: deer meat is amazing. Go figure.
Working at the DOT has been exhilarating so far. I can't believe my luck. Apparently, I can't give too many details because of phishing and security breaches - and I definitely don't want to be that girl. So I'll just keep it short and sweet, I get to work with a bunch of different agencies within the DOT (and a couple of federal agencies outside of the DOT) on major policies. I know, I know - that was super general and doesn't say anything at all --> but like I said, I'm not going to be responsible for any security breach.
Okay, this seems like a good ending place for now. In my next post, I plan to take more pictures - so you can actually meet my roommates (via photo) and see the amazing building I get to work in each day. Oh yeah, and I'll take some cool pictures of all the free sites in D.C.
xoxo,
Chanell
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