Back to the beginning of the week. I have the biggest crush on DC. Flying into Regan airport at night with a window seat so you can see the monuments gives me the chills every time. The combination of the city's rich history and current implications for the future make it a place that I'm in perpetually in awe of while being completely comfortable in.
Most of this email is a play by play of the week, if you're not all that interested, skip to the bottom ;) I'll get better at more frequent updates so I don't feel obligated to write about the little boring things.
I arrived on Monday night and made my way to Brianna and Kerry's new apartment in Bethesda, MD. It's an adorable place, great location, lots of space, perfect for my favorite pair of recent grads. Anyway, it was wonderful to catch up with them and spend some much-needed quality time with Bri. The girls had work early Tuesday morning so I kicked off the moderate jet-lag and headed to the city to run some errands and see some friends. The afternoon brought more time with Bri, Kerry and Allie and we met up with a bunch of others (LeahMo, Morgan, Karen, Beth and more) in Midtown for July 3 festivities. In a city of college students and young professionals, a day off of work is an excuse for a few days of fun. We ran into a ton of our friends out there, it was a great way to say a quick hello and goodbye to some people I'll be missing a lot in a few weeks.
July 4: I started the day at 4212 River Road, where my roomates now live. We had a mini suite reunion with Britt, Kyra, Caroline and myself, and it was wonderful to catch up with the DG's and friends I hadn't seen yet. As strange as it is to watch the house change hands, it is very much the natural order of things. 4212 will always be 4212, it feels the same, it smells the same, it looks pretty much the same, and I call the couch by the window when I get back.
I also made it to the dchi boys' new house near campus to say hello to my old neighbors and friends. Congrats on the house guys, its really beautiful, I know you're going to make it an AU classic and I can't wait to spend hours and hours and hours there next year!
Then it was time for downtown. Leah and I trekked out to D street northeast and walked by a burned out car and heard kids' fireworks that sounded like gunshots... until we got to the adorable new house that Karen, Morgan, Beth and Jess live in. After a tornado warning, the national mall was evacuated and we waited out the rain until the mall was reopened and we walked to the Washington monument. The mall was crowded, security guards were swarming (bag ch
ecks at all of the gates, Israel-style, but Americans are really hostile about it), the lines to the port-0-potties were astronomical, but the people were excited to be there, the music was good, we got a GREAT spot by the Washington monument and the fireworks were absolutely beautiful. I don't think there's a better way to spend Independence day.Thursday was another beautiful, albeit rainy, day. I saw some old friends in Georgetown, walked around a bit, hung out with Kristie, cooked a delicious dinner with Leah and settled down for one last wine and cheese night with my girls.
Overall it was a wonderful week, thank you all so much for being part of it and making time to say even just a quick goodbye. I can't say for sure that I'm ready for Australia and whatever adventures are in store for me in the upcoming months, but its comforting knowing that I'll be returning to all of you in a place that I love.
I'm back in the desert now until Tuesday, enjoying a few days with my family and the summer monsoons. More lifeupdating soon, with fewer mundane details, I promise.
~ Rach
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