I have decided...

I've decided I really like Washington DC.

It's filled with bits of history and current affairs, young scholars and seasoned intellectuals, free museums, and all the restaurants you could ask for. In fact, I've noticed that DC-ites are all about three things: running, brunch, and happy hour.

At any time of day you can see people doing one of these three things. On my evening commute yesterday, I spotted no less than 8 people jogging along a patch of Wisconsin Avenue leading up to my house - and this was still during a pretty warm part of the day. The numbers increase in the cool hours of the evening and the early morning.

Along this same commute, I witness the restaurants overflowing with people out to happy hour with co-workers or out to dinner with family and friends. Everywhere I look, it seems, I see restaurants boasting bottomless mimosas for brunch or happy hour specials, and the best restaurants will be full to the brim on any given day. This reminds me so much of Spain, and I think might be my favorite part of the city so far. I loved the way Spaniards took the time to socialize, something that in my experience has always been scarce in the US adult population, but apparently I was just looking in the wrong place!

I'm more than halfway through my time here - many things have been exciting and fun, I've kept up with some of my goals for the summer (others, not so much), but I look forward to my last few weeks in DC!

1 month anniversary of adulthood

Among other experiences during my re-integration into the US, I have begun to experience what "feeling old" and "having experience" is like. I'm not sure if it's a product of some concocted ideas of adulthood that should appear when you turn 21, a bitter nostalgia at nearing the end of my time as a blissful Stanford undergrad, or if it is an actual period of growth. All of these feelings had been whirling around inside me but seemed to manifest themselves in real life yesterday at work.

The NIH hosted a graduate & professional school fair for all the summer trainees. I, naturally, came prepared with a host of questions for school representatives that were left unanswered after scouring their department websites for months. I noted all the bright and hopeful eyes of fellow trainees as I made my rounds to the booths, after all, we were getting the chance to talk to the people who have all the insider information on how to be accepted into these great programs. But as I joined the others in filling out mailing lists and asking questions, I realized that many of the students asking questions alongside me were still in high school, or at most freshmen or sophomores in college.

I commend them for learning as early as possible about what is out there - something that despite all my meticulous consideration I failed to adequately do - and I was slightly impressed with myself for knowing the answer to some of their questions because of research I had done on my own. But really, I envied there ability to walk through and simply gain knowledge. They still have no need for strategy or heavy consideration, they are just beginning.

After my experience at the grad fair and after reflecting on the current state of my life, I consider today the 1 month anniversary of my own adulthood. When I was much younger, I saw people in their 20's and thought to myself, "they must really have their lives figured out, they are twenty years old." Well maybe it's still a little presumptuous for me to actually consider myself an adult, because goodness knows that I still have a great deal to learn, but I know this feeling of uncertainty with life doesn't end in your early 20's. It continues into your late 20's, your 30's, and sometimes even beyond that. And according to The Free Dictionary (dot) com, "adulthood" is defined as the state (and responsibilities) of a person who has attained maturity. Well, I have a full time job and I pay rent. I also cook for myself and am responsible for planning all things related to budget and transportation. Sometimes I feel pretty damn adult.

But then I remember that come September, I will be back at the Stanford bubble. That I still have 1 more year of ridiculous mistakes that I can get away with simply because I'm an undergrad. All this playing adult stuff is fun most of the time, and I think I'll be ready for it when the time comes, but I can wait.

Let's back up a bit

I have now been in the DC area for 3 weeks and I can confidently say it has been nothing short of an adventure. I made it here with just over a day to settle in to my new home and began work the following Monday.

My first week as an intern at the National Institutes of Health was a bit nerve-wracking - I fumbled with my campus map trying to find my building and slowly learned what my role would be within the group of investigators I now call my colleagues. My work is similar enough to things I have done previously that I feel competent in doing what is asked of me, but different enough that I have to venture into unknown land and explore new skills as a scientist. I have a great mentor who knows how to guide me when I need help but has given me all the freedom I want and need to take on an individual project for the summer.

Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows out here – literally speaking. Less than a week after arriving, there was a huge freak thunderstorm that hit knocked out thousands of power lines all over the DC area and beyond and my house was unfortunately one of the worst affected. There was no physical damage, but we lost all power for 6 days, 2 of which registered as record high temperatures for Bethesda. We had no air conditioning, no phone service, and no electricity, which means we had no food or means of communication with the rest of the world.

Fortunately for me, I have a wonderful network of generous people who offered to help me through the worst of the storm. I ended up staying with a friend for 2 days, during which time we celebrated the 4th of July. My day was filled with friends, food, and fireworks, and despite being somewhat homeless, I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate America’s birthday in the nation’s capital.

Fast forward a week or so, during which time I settled back in at home and did a bit of city touring, and we come across my next bizarre experience.  Earlier this week I went out for a run to try a new route in my neighborhood (I’m doing pretty good with this so-called half marathon training so far). I revel in the cool evening air because it is not uncommon to have 90+ degree weather at the end of the day and suddenly notice rain drops begin to fall around me. It becomes a slight drizzle and I continue my path – I’m about 2/3 of the way done, so I figured it would be quicker for me to finish it up – but within minutes, the drizzle becomes a full on downpour. I’m not far from home, but there is no shortcut for me to take. I’m soaked from head to toe within seconds and all I can hope for is that no lightning strikes and that my electronics make it all the way home. I’m physically treading water by the time I make it back to my neighborhood, but somehow my phone and iPod made it through.

At least 20 years from now, when I’m telling my kids stories, I can officially tell those ridiculously exaggerated stories.

“Back in my day, I survived without air conditioning in a record heat wave. I had to tread water and run in the pouring rain…”

Resolve to do it

Now that I'm back in the whirlwind lifestyle that is being young, being a student, and being an American, there seem to be 1,001 things floating around in my head all at once. Between finalizing transportation arrangements for my summer job to packing and unpacking for the 8th time in the past 9 weeks, I feel like I'm a bit rusty on my ability to tackle multiple things at once. So after traveling (again) and (mostly) settling in to my new place on the other side of the country, I was inspired by my sister writing at her blog to make a list of things I want to see and do this summer.

1. Train for my half-marathon. And this time, I'm serious about the "training" part. I ran a 10K race in April but celebrated my 21st birthday a little too eagerly in the days leading up to the race. I was still proud of my finish - and didn't come in last place! - but I want to push myself to actually train for the 13.1 miles that await me in October at the Nike Women's half marathon.

2. Visit the national monuments and museums in DC. I know that 10 weeks is much too short a time to actually get to know in a city, but I hope to share some of the great sights in the area with friends.

3. Keep in touch. Being abroad made me appreciate the relative ease with which we can communicate while being on American soil. I went from a smartphone with email, texting, and calling capabilities to a small, prepaid phone that charged me 20 cents each time I wanted to make a call or send a text. Add that to the 7 to 9 hour time difference between me and my friends & family and I definitely missed being able to call or text someone on a whim.

4. Read the newspaper every day. I've grown out of touch with current affairs, partly because I've been out of the country for the past few months, but also partly because I simply have not been reading as much as usual. I want to read at least one newspaper article each day.

5. Make friends! One of my favorite things about being abroad was getting to know tons of incredible people, both through my program and through my travels. I am looking forward to meeting other summer interns and making friends in a whole new city.

6. Dabble in the art of being vegan. My roommate in the spring in Madrid was a vegan, and, frankly, most of the time I didn't even notice a difference in our meals. I do have a great love for eggs and cheese, but the last time I was living on my own, I became a vegetarian, who's to say there won't be another change? I can't guarantee anything but I think it's an interesting thought to consider.

7. Prepare for the GRE exam. This one isn't so much fun, but if I want to be ready to apply for grad schools this coming fall, I need to take my exam in October. Yay for studying even when you're not in school!

So here's to the start of summer - a summer filled with humidity, research, running, eating, reading, friends & family!

Where am I?

I've made it back to my hometown, but it somehow feels even more foreign than when I make my annual trips back from Stanford. There has been a significant amount of change, some of which feels like more drastic change in the past 6 months than there had been in the previous 3 years, but overall it still gives me a sense of comfort unparalleled by any other place.

It goes without saying that I missed the important people in my life - I'm really happy I was able to come home even if just for a short time to see my family before heading off to yet another adventure in the DC area - but leaving Madrid was still like leaving a part of me on the other side of the ocean. My only comforts are rediscovering the simple treasures I forgot existed in the US. One of the most obvious for me regards food. I was extremely fortunate in Madrid for having a host mother who genuinely cared about me and respected my choice to be vegetarian, and while she did amazing work in the kitchen, Spanish vegetarian food is not MY vegetarian food. It's not the hummus, avocado, and bean sprout sandwiches that remind me of summer, it's not the mango and black bean salad that I like to eat with chips and salsa, and it's definitely not the aloo palak Indian food that has become one of my all time favorite dishes. Spanish food is great - I fully intend on replicating some recipes! - but I missed the freedom of a kitchen.

I also desperately missed having a gym. It took my stay in Madrid to make me realize how much I took the gym at Stanford for granted. I found a great introductory deal to a Bikram yoga studio, but unfortunately couldn't afford a full membership. Soon after, I signed up for my first 10K race. Running kept me busy for a while, until I broke my toe trekking through the Spanish countryside on el Camino de Santiago just one short week after the race. My unfortunate toe kept me from walking without a limp for about a week and certainly kept me from running for at least 2 weeks after that (mostly because I never really took care of it or rested appropriately). Monday I walked into a gym for the first time in way too long and damn it felt good.

Then, of course, there is the world of smartphones, cable TV, Netflix, and Pandora that has opened up to me. A world of entertainment at my fingertips, for better or for worse.

But just as I expected, the reality of my presence at home makes my entire experience abroad seem like a dream. El Paso has a way of doing that even with my life at Stanford, but the greater physical and psychological distance between the US and Spain makes it much harder to bridge the two. Now it's on to the next chapter in m life - summer research, here I come!!

The time has come

I am sitting in my nearly empty room staring at my packed luggage, still slightly in denial that I will be flying back to the US tomorrow. My life over the past few days has only been slightly different from my usual life in Madrid - watching soccer games, going out at night, packing for my next trip - so it has been difficult to imagine that this time, I won't just be leaving Madrid for the weekend. My goodbyes to friends aren't a "see you on Monday," they are a "see you in September."

The hardest thing may be realizing that after tomorrow, I will (probably) never experience these sights and sounds again. The simple sights, like children playing in the plaza near my house or the bustle of people in the metro, make up the essence of Madrid, the true Madrid that I have lived in and not just visited. I could look back at pictures of monuments and views, but that isn't the Madrid that quietly grew on me.

After looking back at my first few posts and reflecting on my personal experiences before arriving in Madrid, I hardly know where to begin describing the immense changes I have undergone. It goes without saying that I no longer feel like a tourist in Madrid - in fact, it has become such a part of my sense of self that I am already planning a way to come back in the future.

More than anything, I am grateful to have been blessed with an incredibly supportive and enriching environment, one that has allowed for psychological, social, and emotional exploration not tied to the norms that have been ingrained in our minds as American youth. I have grown to love my host mother like true family and I credit a substantial portion of my personal growth to her thoughtfulness and understanding. I have met incredible people that I am so grateful I can now call my friends. I have thoroughly taken advantage of non-traditional learning and happy to say that I finally feel competent in my abilities to discuss intellectual topics in Spanish.

I constantly refer to our stay here as not "real life" simply because our life here - and the ease with which we can live it fully - is completely surreal. Stanford strives to create the optimal environment for us and I'm sure they want every student to experience all those things I just listed above, I am just grateful to have been one of those granted the opportunity. It has been life-changing, in every sense of the word.

So here we are nearly 6 months later, thinking fondly of my experiences and wondering what it will be like to return to the life I knew before going abroad. I guess tomorrow we will see...

Overdue! Paris, part II

My last day in Paris was like walking among the clouds.

I lost myself along Champs Elysee and the Luxembourg gardens, the Pantheon and the Rodin museum. 

I stumbled across the Latin Quarter discovering gem after incredible gem of beauty and history. I spent it unexpectedly alone since my phone credit expired just as I was heading into the city center, and though that was just one more item to add to my long list of unfortunate circumstances, I couldn't have been more grateful to be alive. 

And finally, I managed to find some internet and see my friends in Paris one last time. After touring the city at dusk, we made it to the Montparnasse tower just in time to get an unbelievable view of the City of Lights, complete with the Eiffel tower and all.

Even though it's been just over a week since I returned from Paris, it seems unreal that I actually saw and did those things I just wrote about. It's even more weird considering one of my friends in Paris has already returned to the states and begun his summer job!

And even though our adventures abroad are shortly coming to an end, I know our bittersweet goodbye is a small price to pay for all the wonderful opportunities we have been given over the past few months.