The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

I started two blogs when I was in college, and both times I managed to quickly find more interesting ways to waste time that I should've spent studying. (Just kidding! Of course I spent every waking moment at Princeton in front of my books…) Life in the real world hasn't been any different; I moved to DC and began work about 1 ½ months ago, but new "adult" responsibilities have occupied my free time, and after using my computer all day at work, I arrive home and try to avoid screen time for a few hours. But finally I am ready to venture back into the blogosphere to try to recap my summer thus far.

My first "real life" experience was finding an apartment, and wow, I should not have underestimated the amount of time it would take to find a place. I probably made it more difficult for myself by avoiding existing networks and choosing to focus on Craigslist, but after three weeks of emails and two (very hot and humid) weekends trekking around DC, I became an expert at finding good listings, and I now live in a fantastic shared row house in Mt. Pleasant. Other "real life" experiences have included paying rent, buying/finding furniture, grocery shopping, and, most excitingly, reading novels! For fun!

This past week was particularly exciting given the earthquake and hurricane, but for me, the most thrilling part of this week was seeing the excited 3- and 4-year olds starting their first day of school! I've been working since early July at AppleTree Institute, but my only experience with the organization's schools thus far was driving past the four buildings that were being converted into new campuses for AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School. This past Monday, AppleTree opened its doors at 7 campuses to preschool and pre-k students, and I was happily tasked with taking family photos as children entered the new Oklahoma Avenue campus. The kids proudly showed off their backpacks and smiled widely for the camera, and then (somewhat more apprehensively) ventured down the hallway to their new classrooms. Seeing their excitement, I realized that I vaguely wished I was also heading to school, but any nostalgia was fleeting, and I was relieved to be heading back to the office later that morning.

Outside of work, I've been exploring DC and my local neighborhoods. Most of my city knowledge comes from New York City, and I was surprised to realize how different DC is from New York (and how proud DC residents are of this fact). At first, I was nostalgic for New York's crowded sidewalks and fast-paced lifestyle (and the reliance on subways as opposed to buses). But now that I'm settled in, I've begun to appreciate the quiet streets in residential neighborhoods and the friendliness DC residents (generally) show to strangers. (I do still wish I could take the metro more often, but my Twitter feed helps me get through my daily bus commutes.)

In a later post, I'll reflect more about my work thus far, as well as the DC education scene, which has already had quite the exciting summer. Bis dann!