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…”