First Week in DC, Alone

My first week in DC had some highs and lows...the biggest low of all being the fact that my stuff was supposed to be ready this week, but the truck broke down somewhere between here and St. Louis, and I won't be able to get my things for another couple weeks. This also means no internet or TV in my apartment for another couple weeks.

Highlights of the week included my Tuesday as a tourist, which included stops at the American Art Museum and Portrait Gallery and the American History Museum, as well as the Ronald Reagan Building, which is where I'll be working starting tomorrow. The portrait gallery had an exhibition on Elvis, who I've never really been interested in, but I found it really cool. Also, Elvis was hot. I never really got why he had the female following that he did, but after seeing the pictures, I get it. On the American Art side of the building, the folk art section was my favorite...lots of really interesting pieces, mostly related to religion, slavery, and oppression of different groups of the history of the country. Also, there was a large Norman Rockwell exhibition, with all of the pieces from the collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg...which leads me to wonder, why do those two men own so much of his work? I think the pieces are interesting, but really not my cup of tea.

I remembered the American History Museum from my visit when I was at National Youth Science Camp after high school. They had a neat exhibit of moveable paper books (i.e. pop-up books), and the collection of the dresses from the First Ladies is always interesting. I think that my favorite was Nancy Reagan's inaugural gown. I didn't make it through the whole museum because I was hoping to avoid rush hour on the Metro (I was still unsuccessful).

On Wednesday, I got to have dinner with my friend Mel, who was in town for an NCGA meeting. It was so nice to see a familiar face and catch up on what's been going on back in St. Louis. Mel went home Thursday afternoon, but the directors and managers from St. Louis came in for their staff meeting, so I got to see them that evening, which was great timing because that was the day that I found out about my stuff being delayed.

Yesterday I rented a car from Hertz for the day so that I could drive out to Ikea in College Park, MD, stop by a mall, and do some grocery shopping. I paid $23 for the rental, plus $5 in gas, $2 in parking, and $3 for the Metro ride to and from the airport. Now the apartment feels a little better...I got a real comforter (the best purchase of the day!), a skillet and saucepan, a few real dishes, and some baking dishes. Now I can make real food! And stay warm and comfortable at night! I didn't find a winter coat that I liked, but I will probably head out for that this afternoon. I'm feeling better about life now. The mall was an interesting experience...coming from St. Charles, which is probably 90% white, living here is completely different. Good different, but still taking some getting used to – the population is so diverse around here. I hear so many different languages every day...maybe someday I'll be able to understand some of them.

Alright, well I'm going to get back to life now. I'm hoping to be better about blogging once I have internet in my apartment, but until then, I'll do what I can!