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.

Writing and Reuniting

Earlier today, I tried to sum up my home leave in one sentence for a colleague at FSI and found I couldn't do it. Mainly because words can't describe how nice it was to come back to the US and spend time with family. While I was traveling through Hawaii and Arizona, I took notes and wrote blog entries that I haven't published yet. They're rough and unfinished and have been preventing me from writing in here more often. I let the chronology get to me for fear of going back to edit posts, but tonight I really felt like writing.

I want to take a moment to write how happy I am. Life is grand at the moment and things couldn't be going smoother. This weekend, I transitioned from Philadelphia down to Arlington, VA to my new residence in downtown Rosslyn. First of all, let me tell you how stoked I am about that. All the worries melt away when you simply check in at the front desk and move into a fully-furnished apartment, just minutes from convenient groceries, restaurants, and public transportation. Not only that, but a free 10-minute shuttle to work? Yes, please. 

The shift back to being a student was a bit of a windfall, primarily because I am so looking forward to starting Italian language courses but they don't start until the end of February. Until then, I am taking two- and three-day courses on topics like Excel, SharePoint, Coaching, Diversity Training, and of course: Covey's 7 Habits of Effective People. Reminds me of Villanova all over again! Useful courses but not the most thrilling of dialogue. In any case, walking the halls of FSI has been a blast, running into old friends from orientation and a few from China as well. Soon, I will have three colleagues from Shenyang with me in training, a real treasure to reunite with them in a better setting.

Upon reflection, I really lucked out. Two fabulous years in a hardship post that could have been difficult. Times were tough occasionally, but everyone I met and everything I did was so fantastic that it completely overcompensated for the hardships. I'm really thankful to have had the opportunity for such a great first tour experience. Looking forward, I am excited for all of the great opportunities that are still coming my way. Hopefully I'll check in again as classes continue to progress. Thanks for reading!