First Impressions Or August 28, 2009

Here I am, in the same country, but a different world. I don’t expect all of my blog posts to be this detailed, but this is all still new to me, so you get a play-by-play.

FLIGHTS: Yesterday morning I flew out of Salt Lake at 8:30 a.m. While I was waiting to board a nice young guy sat down next to me and started a conversation. His name was Mark and he went to Weber State. He laughed out loud when I told him I went to BYU. I sat next to him on the flight to Denver and we talked the entire hour (he was very talkative). He told me about the first time he got drunk, his job as a music critic for a punk/ska website, and how much he loved New Jersey. Every once and a while he would take a stab at BYU and I would correct any misinformation.

Him: I can’t believe YouTube is blocked at BYU.

Me: It’s actually not anymore.

Him: Oh.

Him: I can’t believe BYU doesn’t let BYU democrats meet.

Me: Actually they do let BYU democrats meet and there are more of them than there are in the BYU republicans club.

Him: Oh.

Him: I can’t believe you aren’t allowed to stay up past midnight.

Me: We are allowed to stay up past midnight.

Him: Oh.

He was interesting and nice to talk to. But I’m also glad that we didn’t sit next to each other for another four hours. I got off my plane in Denver, went to the bathroom, and walked right on my plane to Baltimore. I sat next to a nice flight attendant who was going home. She asked if I was a student and then asked about my internship. When the flight got more crowded another woman came and sat between us. She sat on the right row because all of us had books that we wanted to read. I was reading “East of Eden” and the woman next to me was reading “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” Poor girl. She finished it on the plane and was trying her darnedest not to sob or snort out loud. She used a lot of tissues.

We got off the plane in Baltimore, I bought an overpriced (and disgusting) turkey cranberry wrap and waited for my luggage. Miraculously, it all arrived! I heaved it off the conveyor belt, carefully stacked my 40 lb duffel on top of my 50 lb suitcase. Then I started the long and arduous journey to the SuperShuttle counter. Okay, it was only about 25 yards, but it seemed very long and arduous with 90 lbs under my left wrist. As soon as I checked in I got on a shuttle. It took about an hour and a half to get to the Barlow Center, but I got here at about six o’clock. I dropped my bags, got a short tour, and went and found second-hand sheets, towels, and a pillow in the laundry room.

DINNER: Then a few of us got together and walked down Pennsylvania Ave. to find a place to eat dinner. We passed several places that looked good to me (Thai, Ethiopian, etc.), but they didn’t look appealing to the group. We ended up at a very cute French pastry shop/café in the middle of Georgetown. I don’t remember what it is called, but it was very good and vaguely reminiscent of Zupas. I got a fresh cup of strawberries (traveling makes me crave food that hasn’t been processed) and a plate of chicken pesto pasta. The restaurant itself was beautiful and looked very European inside. It had dark wood, two levels, and old wicker chairs.

SAFEWAY-GATE: We walked back to the Barlow and then some of us ventured to Safeway. We walked about ten minutes and happened upon the Watergate complex. We crossed the street (and I kept my eye out for corruption and controversy, since we were at the Watergate), and went down an escalator to the small Safeway in the basement. I bought shampoo, toothpaste, and some fresh food. We will probably go there often, I can already think of things I need to get on Monday.

With our arms heavily weighed down with bananas and toothpaste, we walked back to the Barlow center. Losing circulation in my fingers, I couldn’t help but smile in the warm, humid Washington air. I am here. I can handle this.

And it’s going to be fun.

A picture of my room. My sheets and comforter are compliments of a nice soul who left them behind because they had better things to take home.

Yes, those are my real feet.

My closets, fully stocked and fantastically wrinkled. Yes, the set up is almost identical to Jerusalem. The buildings were built about the same time...?

My cute roommate Holly. She just got back from spending the summer in Russia and graduates in December. (Her sheets are very cute and they match! ... which is more than I can say for my sheets...)