Life in the District (kind of)

I've never had to keep a personal calendar before. In college, I had Gmail calendars for my classes and my extra curricular activities, but personal events just kind of happened. When I moved on to grad school, I had no friends so my calendar kind of looked like this:
Monday - gym
Tuesday - gym
Wednesday - gym
Thursday - gym
Friday - go to Penn State for friends and football

Nightlife in Shenyang was lively, but scheduled way in advance and spread throughout the calendar (monthly book club, dinner parties, road trips). Yes, there were times where I was shocked because I had to choose between one event or another, something you wouldn't expect in a 30-some American post in the desolate northeast. But all in all, I could keep things straight in my head.

I've had to start a personal calendar since arriving in DC. Who ever would have thought that after only two years I have more than a handful of solid friends looking to meet up over the week? Certainly not I!

Classes at FSI started on January 13 for me and although the daytime has been easy (simple certification and leadership courses before language classes start February 24), the evenings have been one get-together after another. I have friends/colleagues from Shenyang who are either in language training at FSI or back on desks at Main State, friends from my Orientation class who are transitioning to post or in training with me, and high school/college friends that I'm reconnecting with after joining the adult world. Nights like tonight (where I'm just sitting on the couch in front of my computer or reading a book) are super rare but I'm learning to schedule them in and treasure them greatly.

I'm also enjoying getting back to my workout schedule. The benefits of living in Arlington are MANY but one I'm super duper stoked about is the easy access to so many running trails. From my apartment, I am less than 5 minutes run from the Mt. Vernon trail, which runs up along the Potomac River with beautiful views of the Capitol monuments (Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, etc). Once I get my mileage and distance back up to par, I can also make my way over to Georgetown, the Mall, and the Jefferson Memorial (my favorite monument). Living in Shenyang and China in general gave me such a respect for clear air, good weather, and blue skies, all of which are here for the most part. I can't wait until the cherry blossoms start to bloom, just wait for the Instagram photo flood when that happens.

Tonight is the State of the Union address, where the President announces his thematic agenda for the upcoming year. In the past, I've paid attention to the STOU as a political science major and with general interest in the "state of the nation." But right now, after running in the District tonight with security on high, feeling the tension in the air, I really do feel a connection watching the address. There is a different feeling for me this year, being so close to the District and (finally!) so close to the start of something new. Looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.