I'm not emo, just thoughtful.

It's been a month since I last posted, but it feels more like a day. I cannot believe my time here in D.C. is almost over. Walking to work today was especially difficult. I now look at things as if I am seeing them for the last time. The sight of the Capitol Building, the changing lights, the sound of my heels clicking as I make my way from Dirksen to Hart all are vivid sensations I want to hold on to. I know it isn't goodbye forever. I plan on coming back to D.C. once I get my degree, but a year is a long time and putting your dream on pause after you've seen a glimpse of it is extremely hard.
Thanksgiving is four days away. I can feel sadness growing inside me as we face the first holiday season without grandma. I'm fully prepared to label this part of my life as bittersweet. Endings and beginnings tend to stir that kind of emotion.
I guess this experience has done more for me than I expected. Everything seems so clear, as if a compass needle finally found its direction. It's scary and wonderful all at the same time. Well, this is the life I want to live, now I just have to get started.

Glee What I Did for Love Official Full TV Scene

You can't always get what you want.

I thought wishing you were older was only for teenagers. Yes, people who are 20 wish they were 21 for obvious reasons, but I simply wish to be older. Odd, right? It isn't when you think about it. Here I am, finally working in a field I love, living a fast-paced life, nearly immersed in adulthood when I realize that I am still only 20 years old. I feel ready enough --save for the knowledge/degree part-- to take on the world, and yet my age holds me back from doing so. I don't feel young, I don't look too young, but I don't fit in just yet. It's a strange transitional period to be in.

I wonder what it will be like to not have you life drastically change every 2 years. Seemingly, that has been the case since eighth grade. No one wants to be stagnant, however being in constant motion doesn't exactly have its perks either.

Do I really want to be out of college? Do I really want to be 100% adult? Surely, I will be chastised by someone older for wishing away some of my glory days, but I guess that all depends on what you define as "glory." I believe mine have yet to come.

Al

Fiesta!!!

Last Sunday I had the most profound experience in the streets of D.C. After traveling 7 metro stops or so to Columbia Heights I hoped to find Fiesta D.C. to be well worth the ride. We exited the metro escalator and walked with the "herd" a couple of blocks on a warm, inviting day. The air was fresh and we could hear drums coming from a few blocks up. I thought, of course, it was just going to be any old festival, plagued by cheap vendors trying to make a quick American buck.

Like a scene from a movie, the seas of people parted and we were mere onlookers as a frenzy of feathers, glimmer, and music shimmied by us. The fiesta parade was filled with 10+ piece drum cores, dancing women and these FANTASTIC but very skimpy feather numbers. Bam. Culture. Surrounding the parade was an endless line of grills, pina coladas, and fresh papaya. Bam. More culture. It was one of the most spectacular things I've ever experienced. As we wandered through the various smoothie vendors, smoke, and margarita stalls, I began to take note of the people around and the music; everything, everyone was Spanish (or Latino, Chicano, South American etc.) and speaking Spanish. Whoa.

Though one may feel intimidated, I felt alive and filled with complete admiration for how rich culture can potentially be. Could anyone not smile at a moment like that? Alas, my experience came full circle when hunger drove me to a small family taco stand. Nerves grew as I knew I was going to order in Spanish. Four years of French? Hell, I can do Spanish, right? Yeah, I still panicked. The phrase was simple, but the man understood and smiled. It was one of the most gratifying things I've done. Doing uncomfortable things and taking the occasional risk provides for the greatest rewards.



How extraordinary. I went home, satisfied with the most delicious tacos I've ever had IN MY LIFE. That was truly one of the greatest days I've ever had. Viva la Vida D.C.

I'm back.

Wow, I was a kid in high school once? Ha, I just discovered that I still have this blog after weeks of wanting to make another one. Well, quite simply, it's time to shed light on the crazy, wonderful, heartbreaking and beautiful adventures I've gone on and will go on soon. Though I cannot claim to be 100% mature adult (who would ever want to claim to be boring anyway?) I will admit my previous posts were quite ridiculous. I keep them in order to remind me of my deep, goofy roots.

For now, this blog will cover my time in D.C. Let the fun begin.

-Al