DC, Day 4

I have been having a blast here in DC, but tonight I want to post a little blog of reflection.

I consider myself very lucky to be visiting during the Cherry Blossom Festival, especially the 100th Anniversary. Being of part Japanese ancestry, it fills me with a sense of pride to see my culture and my favorite city coming together.

And the cherry blossoms are beautiful:



But today... Today was different.

I finally caved and said that Joey and I could go to the Postal Museum. We decided to walk there form the National Museum of American History, where we had spent most of our morning/afternoon. Several blocks from the museum, this caught my eye:



I was intrigued. We moved closer.

I had no idea the Japanese WWII memorial even existed. I mentioned before that the monuments here really move me, more than I think they do other people.

This one is completely different. Mike M Nasaoka pretty much summed up the way I feel about my heritage:


I'm not related to anyone who was in an internment camp. The Japanese side of my family didn't come to this country until after the war. But this memorial was so moving to me on a personal level. I think talking about WWII in school is an awkward experience for anyone of Japanese ancestry. Maybe it just was for me. I learned to put my head down during discussions of Pearl Harbor, and learned to bite my tongue when people say that Hiroshima was completely justified. I don't want to say it causes an identity crisis, but it's certainly an experience.

And it's nice to see those who sacrificed in the name of their country remembered.







I had to sit down after seeing all this. It was... A lot to take in. I am not used to seeing things like this. And thank God Joey just sat there with me and let me experience this.

I am proud of who I am, where I come from, and most of all the country that has allowed me this wonderfully lucky life.

DC, Day 3

Hello readers.

I have few words to describe my night and how amazing it was. But I am going to try.

I will get into how Joey and I spent our day today in tomorrow's entry. What I want to say about tonight is far more important.

Tonight, Joey and I met my good friend Chad at the GWU metro stop. I have not seen Chad since graduation, which was nearly a year ago. Chad and I met when I was doing SGA my sophomore year of college, and he's been one of my best friends ever since.

Tonight we went to Georgetown.

I realize that I have fallen in love hard with most places in DC that I've seen. I become more and more convinced that I want to live here and that I could belong here every day.

Readers, nothing I've seen so far compares to Georgetown.

Chad explained to me tonight that Georgetown itself doesn't have a metro line. The area felt pretty much local. And I loved it. The sidewalks are narrow, and everything looks like it belongs. It has a lot of the comforts of home that I know, and many more places I want to explore. It... it is amazing.

We had a nice dinner of Vietnamese food, and Chad and Joey discussed their respective graduate programs. After dinner, Chad explained to us that DC has two big things-- brunch and cupcakes. I'll let you figure out which one we had tonight.

Time's up. We had cupcakes. We went to the actual Georgetown Cupcake, of TLC fame. I had the red velvet and the chocolate3 cupcake. After we ordered, we headed out to go enjoy our cupcakes with a nice glass of wine.

The cupcakes were good. Great, even. The red velvet had a nice, velvety texture-- it wasn't just chocolate cake with red food dye. The cream cheese icing was also of a good consistency. Light, with a distinct cream cheese flavor, which wasn't at all overpowering, and complemented the cake perfectly. The fondant heart was also a nice touch. The chocolate3 was also delicious. It wasn't too rich, which was perfect. The chocolate flavor was powerful, but still light. It was topped with a chocolate ganache and chocolate sprinkles. This may seem like a lot of chocolate, but the ratio was perfect, and I didn't struggle to choke down that much sugar. The glass of wine also probably helped balance everything out.

Around 8 PM, we started to head back to the metro station, but made a quick stop at Trader Joe's. There was a moment when the slightly chilly air of Georgetown hit my arms, and I was overcome with a joy that I haven't felt in a while.

I wanted to scream "I FUCKING LIVE HERE!!!!!"

Because it's hard for me to believe that. That in as little as a month or two, I could be living here, in my own apartment, starting my life. I could live in Georgetown. Or Penn Quarter. Or on Massachusetts Avenue. I could work at the ice cream shop or the bookstore or the Senate. SOMEWHERE. ANYTHING.

Maybe I'm foolish, but the world feels completely open and new to me now. I am going to start law school. LAW SCHOOL. If you would have asked me five years ago if I thought I'd see myself in DC, going to law school, I probably would have laughed at you. But now this is happening, and it is very real and exciting. Terrifying, but exciting.

Tonight I am happy to be alive. Tonight I am a million miles tall.

DC, Day 2

Oh... my legs.

Today Joey and I got up at the crack of dawn and enjoyed "breakfast" at the Days Inn Arlington, our wonderful "hotel." We left soon after to see the two big memorials we didn't get to last night, due to the overabundance of douchebags.

The last time I was in DC was several years ago. Since then, I have had a story rolling around in my head about the monuments and memorials, but I will post this later when it has been paid the attention it needs and deserves.

By the way, they drained the Reflecting Pool, and the Washington Monument is broken. HEARTBREAK:

Moving on.

We moved on then to the Air and Space Museum. If you're thinking about going to DC, you better be thinking about going to the Air and Space Museum. Here, you'll see planes, rocket ships, and in general a bunch of really cool shit.

IF YOU'RE ME. I should mention right now that Joey is getting ready to start a PhD program in physics. I am an English major who is getting ready to start law school. Our time in the Air and Space Museum was spent with me marveling at how science works, and Joey being amused at my elementary understanding of it. We still had a pretty good time, though.

After Air and Space, we got lunch, and I noticed signs pointing towards an open house at a nearby apartment complex. After running around in the rain for several minutes, we finally found the complex.

Holy crap, it was beautiful.

Maybe it's a sign that I'm from a smaller town and a smaller world than I want to admit, but there are areas of DC that make me swear I could be in Paris. This was one of those places. When I looked at the apartment, I was a little in shock. Hardwood floors, quartz countertops, a friggin' patio... And unfortunately, not for rent. For sale. For more money than I have seen in my life.

Luckily, the real estate agent was very nice and helpful, and was able to point me in the direction of an apartment I may end up renting. Given, it is a lot more than I had originally intended to spend per month in rent, but it's close to the law schools (not to mention the metros I would need to take to get there), it's in a safe area, and perfect for a young, single woman living in DC. I'm not wed to the idea yet (I've really only looked at two apartments), but I get the feeling I'm on the right track.

After viewing the gorgeous, unattainable apartment, Joey and I headed to the National Archives. Now, I have kind of a thing for the Constitution. When I say "kind of," I mean I love that document. It's hard to pin down exactly what about it I love so much, but I've been fascinated by it since I've started learning about it. As much as I would like to say that's the reason why I'm becoming a lawyer, it isn't. I just love what it stands for, how many times it's been interpreted.

TANGENT:

My last boyfriend and I started dating the last time I went to DC. I expressed regret that I didn't get to see the Constitution while I was there. Maybe a month later, he went on a roadtrip, bringing me back a pocket copy of the Constitution (which I still use today) as a souvenir. When I asked him how he knew, he said "because it's like your favorite thing ever." We had barely been dating two months. It must have been pretty obvious.


ANYWAY

Joey had to deal with my Constitutional Fan-girl-ness before we went and looked at another apartment, then went and visited The National Gallery of Art. For one reason.

Video games.


That's right, readers, from now until late September, the National Gallery is running a special exhibit on the Art of Video Games. It's a bit of a nostalgia trip, but not unpleasantly so. It was also easily the most crowded exhibit there. It gave me a big ol' lump in my throat when I realized how much it made me miss my little brother, since video games are what he and I really used to bond over. THERE ARE SO MANY PICTURES but my wifi here sucks so I'll post them at a later date.

After the National Archives and a quick dinner, Joey and I spent some time in the Natural History Museum, which we'll be returning to tomorrow. For now, I'm going to be poring over some more apartment listings, trying to get the feeling back in my feet, and reflecting on how the cherry blossoms are truly beautiful this time of year.

I can't wait to call myself a resident of this place.

DC, Day 1

The first time I ever went to Washington, I went by Amtrak train. Today I did the same thing!

Joey and I left my house around 6:30 this morning. After one major SNAFU (my dog Lance pooping by my suitcase) and one minor (Joey forgetting his hat), we were on our way to the Greensboro train station.

For those of you that have never spent eight hours on a train, let me tell you... They're long. I don't know what exactly it is about trains, but they are friggin' nap factories. I slept maybe an hour or two of the way there. Joey made friends with the old man sitting behind us who was obsessed with trains and trolleycars. So basically Joey met future Joey.

When I figure out how to post pictures on here, I will, because good lord... There is nothing like being in DC this time of year. We timed it just right too-- it's supposed to rain tomorrow so we won't get to see many cherry blossoms. But I got a few good shots for mom, and I'm hoping to update tomorrow with an actual post of substance, provided I'm not so tired.

What, you say? Smithsonian tomorrow? And apartment hunting? Oh, well... PICTURES EVENTUALLY I PROMISE.

DC DC DC DC DC

Tomorrow I am taking the 8:30 AM train to Washington with one of my best friends so I can try to start my life over.

And really, that's all that needs to be said about that.

9 Days and Counting!

I have some exciting news, dear readers. Or dear reader. There may be only one of you. In which case, hi Mom!

I am going to DC... in less than a week and a half.

It gets better... One of my best friends is coming with me!

It gets EVEN better... We will be there during the Cherry Blossom Festival!

The last time I was in Washington, it was July 2009. There were leftovers from the Cherry Blossom festival everywhere, and I kicked myself mentally for missing it. Being of partial Japanese descent, it was something I really wanted to experience firsthand. And now I get to!

This trip to Washington unfortunately isn't THE trip-- the one where I move and start my life. But this will be the start. In addition to taking in some sweet cherry blossoms, I'm going to be searching for apartments, interviewing for (and hopefully finding) jobs, and maybe having a little fun.

First!

So maybe I'm not actually in Washington yet.

But I'm going to be. Soon. I can feel it.

Maybe not feel so much as "know." I've already been accepted to law school there. I'm lining up a series of job interviews (well, phone interviews, anyway). And thanks to advice from friends (and the ever-useful www.padmapper.com) I've just about got an apartment lined up.

Really, the last thing I have to do is move.

I'm reluctant to call this a "blawg" for several reasons. First, I will only be going to law school part-time, so I'm sure my experience is going to be different than everyone's, although I have it on good authority that 1L sucks for everyone no matter what. Second, I'm still in that fear-ridden state of mind and I have doubts that I'll even make it through that first year. Hopefully this is not the case.

Right now, I'm doing my best to remain optimistic about the move to Washington and my journey into law school and becoming a lawyer. After all, it's been a pretty interesting year. 2011 was the year I graduated college, the year I got into law school, the year I (finally) got my driver's license, the year I watched the man I used to love turn into a Seth Rogan-esque caricature of himself, the year of the tsunami, and perhaps most importantly, the year I decided to write again.

Maybe it's March 2012 before I've really taken any major steps towards that last one. But I think it's time for a fresh start in a new city.

Yours always,

Ms. Gardzalla