First Couple of Weeks in D.C.

This is my third time visiting our nation's capitol and I have such a different take of this city as a resident and without a tour group. Although D.C. has a bad rep as a city to live in, I am witnessing an urban renaissance take place across the District's neighborhoods. Many neighborhoods I have walked in are safer, even at night, than my hometown of San Jose. I don't want to communicate that things are perfect here because the poverty is quite apparent. Also quite apparent is the local population's disdain of the federal government over their lack of representation in Congress. The official motto on D.C.'s license plate is "No Taxation Without Representation," and I strongly feel their lack of congressional representation is a national shame. On the other hand, the city's residents enjoy the best infrastructure I have seen in the U.S. and the many jobs the federal government has to offer through its various offices and museums.

Here is an example of how hipster my neighborhood in Tacoma (walking distance to Maryland) is:

It's a "Little Free Library" on someone's front yard. You can take a book and leave a book at your leisure. It's just such a charming concept.

Unfortunately, at the same time, poverty is a reality here. If I walk the opposite direction of my hipster neighborhood, I don't exactly feel the safest. Many areas of D.C. are like this, one minute you can find affluence and another your heart can break over what you see.

My first week was sightseeing and I got a good deal of that in! There are a couple of interesting things I haven't checked out yet, but I'm just waiting for a weekend with beautiful weather to do so!

This past week was my first interning with World Vision. So far, I am the happiest here than I have ever been in a professional setting. First day on the job was an advocacy meeting right next door to the White House (1700 Penn) that my supervisor allowed me to participate in. I got taken out to lunch twice by staff members on our team and my fellow interns are some of the nicest colleagues I've ever had. I think I'm the only one amongst them not in a master's program and so I'm using this as a blessing to learn from their wisdom.

I'm going to check out a new church tomorrow so I hope that goes well. If it doesn't, there's another mass in the evening I will inquire about somewhere else. Last week, I went to mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It may be the most beautiful church I've ever seen, which is saying a lot considering the many holy places I've been blessed to see.

I do have pictures, but I'm afraid we may have another "Rome" on our hand where they all get uploaded at once. I'm still sorting through some of those bad boys...

Speaking of Rome, I do miss the eternal city...It's been about a year since I studied abroad there, but it's fresh in my mind and always in my dreams. I'm so happy I chose to go there last year, what a blessing. I truly hope to return there someday, but will only do so on either someone else's dime or to take my own children to visit. Kind of a random end blerb, but I am just reflecting on how blessed I have been.