A Broad Abroad: La Nueva Casa de Lupe

Greetings everyone from the World's most intelligently diverse place in the world! (Take that however you will...) I am listening to the Postal Service "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight, and it is rather fitting because, Hey! I am in DC! Already said that though yes?

You can't tell but that the White House. I'm in DC!

Here are a few observations:

It is really hot here and I do not like it one bit. Seriously, ACs are heaven sent inventions. I would get right back on a plane if suddenly all the power cut out. The only time stewing in heat is acceptable is if A)Natural Disaster ---- and even then if the government doesn't do anything then...well let's just say that I have used my imagination to picture people suffering after Hurricane Katrina and there is an added layer of "reasons Lupe is pissed off at the government" that there was not a faster response. I can also imagine high execs in their air conditioned offices taking their sweet time saying "alright now what can we do about this? What is the plan?" I'm just happy that I plan to be the one in charge one day (remember Gonzalez for President 2028). B) I was suddenly transported to the early 1800's and I got to see some founders and their political progeny.
There are already some people who are annoying me {like one blonde who volunteered this morning for a "cross cultural training session" activity and A) like to hear her own voice too much B) commandeered the entire situation C) said she "felt powerful" commanding her section of people. The upside of this ridiculous display of uppityness was that the our Cross Cultural Professor said that her behavior was the result of reinforced ideals of colonialism and compared her to a white officer he had worked with in DC who was oppressing minorities.} And many people smoke here. Second-hand smoke is not a pleasant...but Toto, I have a feeling we aren't in California anymore!
However, to offset number 2, I have made friends! I knew some people doing the Washington Semester program but not very well, and now we are hanging out, hooray! Plus this group of 550 students is the most diverse group of students globally in the 63 years of the program! So I am bound to meet more international students.

Alright so enough of that. I left New York via Megabus on Wednesday at 6:50 am, which meant I got up at 4:30, was on the bus and subway from 5:30-6:10 and then said a watery goodbye to my sister. I fell asleep a bit on the freezing bus (I wore my SF Giants sweater though, Heeeeyyy!) and we stopped in Baltimore (I was singing to myself "good morning Baltimore..." from Hairspray) and then finally after 4.5 hours on a bus, got to DC. I walked to the metro (subway) and the escalator was broken. Did I mention it was raining? So I was about to start walking down broken escalator when a nice man helped me with my small luggage. Then I got on the metro, and when I got to Tenleytown-AU stop, the only escalator people use to go up AND down, was broken too. I feel so welcome DC, thanks. Then I attempted to wait for people to stop using the escalator, but when I finally did start going up (I only brought one big luggage case thingy, and a smaller carry-on sized one) my smaller bag fell and people were starting to walk down, and there was no way i was NOT going to take over the entire escalator in my attempt to carry them up, and a nice young man helped me. Thank you, whoever you were. And if you are anything like my cynical parental-unit-who-shall-not-be-named, I would like to reaffirm my status as a Feminist. I could've carried the luggage all by myself, it wasn't a matter of my inability to handle the weight.

Anyway, I get off the subway, try to use my iPhone to tell me where the Tenley campus is, because it is theoretically two blocks away, and I went the wrong way. Thrice. My hands were losing their ability to grip the handle by the time I looked up and saw that I had passed the big sign on the well manicured lawn of AU that said "Tenley Campus". Gee I feel awesome! Then I sat down next to a nice campus safety guy named Dan and then I got my keys and went to my room. Then found a friend (Chris) and went to target where I proceeded to buy a pillow, sheets, a blanket, and some sandals for the shower. Then I ate at the Tenley Cafe ----which is catered by Bon Appetit (how odd I can't ever really escape Santa Clara)----with German Marc who lives with Chris (Chris also lives with French Marc), and met Devin who also wants to be a public official. So, cool guys. Then went to bed after greeting my roomies and fixing my resume and cover letter.

Woke up for Orientation, and then had a 3.5 hour meeting with my class and professor, and had a splitting headache from not eating all day, but the BBQ wasnt till 5 so I had to wait to eat! Hungry Lupe is not pleasant. But I ate and then got attacked by mosquitos. I watched in fascination as one sucked my blood and looked very much like the Tiger Mosquito that I had read about at the Natural History Museum that is not native to the U.S. and carries diseases.... so three bites later I decided to leave, but the group wanted to visit the National Mall at night and I begrudgingly acquiesced to leaving because I was tired and wanted to elongate my nap, but it ended up being really fun. However, it was so hot I regretted wearing jeans almost instantly, and was basically "bathing in my sweat" as Marc put it.

I like me some bronze soldier.

The Californian's from the group at the WW II Memorial

This block says District of Columbia; Look at all us interns! We are gonna take over DC.

We left at 8:15ish and didnt return to campus til 12. We met some drunk freshmen, and I am positively elated that I am not a freshman, for all that I feel like one on this campus. By golly, I am a senior! Nothing particularly exciting or exotic has been consumed, except for some Rocky Road Ice Cream, so sorry Max, no really cool cuisine pics.