Short Bus Yellow

I had only ever heard that the beginning of fall is marked by a trees ability to paint a portrait in the sky; I am seeing it for the first time and its beautiful.

With fall comes a chill in the air that reminds you that winter is only a few weeks away. Apparently winter is serious business, shopping for a coat the other day I witnessed two women get into an argument over a jacket that I had just moments ago decided was too fashionable for me, apparently short bus yellow is the color this year.

While I eventually settled on a less conspicuous grey coat, the women’s argument reinforced the fact that it’s going to snow and snow a lot. While my friends have entertained me with countless stories of last years so called Snowmageddon, they find me a little crazy in that I am overly excited. If we come close to that amount of snow this year, your regularly schedule programming will probably be interrupted by me, walking down Pennsylvania avenue, in my boots, wearing swim trunks, and wearing a beanie, yes, ill be “that guy”.

As you can tell I find this whole idea of winter intriguing, while Texas offered me campfires and high school reunions at the chicken (Local Bar)… DC is stretching me a bit, and by stretching I mean allowing me to observe the unique, and it is the unique that keeps me writing. Now, one thing that DC has that Texas does not is hockey. Yes, you could create a valid argument that hockey is a sport in Texas … Dallas and Houston both have teams, however, unlike DC, hockey is not culturally engrained in your average Texans. Its something we might watch in between the end of college football and the start of college basketball and only if baseball is not on TV.

Like so many other things in DC, hockey is a sight to be seen. I went to a Capitols game (local team) for the first time the other night and I while I didn’t understand half of what I saw; I know that whoever invented the sport was spiteful. There train of thought was this:

• Give a few guys some sticks
• Put them on a field of ice
• Give them fancy shoes
• Tell them this is really soccer
• Let hilarity ensue

In all seriousness, hockey is something I am excited to learn more about, just like I learned to embrace cricket in the West Indies, I will embrace hockey as it will provide me a window from which to view a culture I am beginning to call my own.

Little fish, big pond

So I moved to Washington D.C. After a long and humbling job search process, I found a place at the Foreign Agriculture Service, which is a subsidiary of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Now as you might imagine D.C is a far cry from the wide-open prairies of Texas. Instead of green pastures I am surrounded by high rises and cement. I often wonder as to what exactly did I sign up for. It’s funny, as much time as I have spent in other countries I never thought I would find a place inside my own that was just as foreign. It’s a humbling experience none the less, its makes me realize how much growth potential I still have, which in my short life is something I have come to value.

Everything about this city is foreign to me, while it may still have the same amenities that I am used to there is an added element. Things such as the subway and apartments that double as a walk in closets are all new to me.

Finding a place to live in this city is an art, and really just blind luck. I did my homework, made appointments to see several places and in the end, settled on a place that was not on my list. I just happened to see a “for rent” sign while walking down the street. While I am still the proud tenant of a walk in closet, or efficiency, as they like to call them here in the city, it’s a walk in closet with character.

While the amenities here in D.C. were certainly a shock to me, nothing was a bigger shock than having to adapt to an office environment. Anyone who has ever known me knows that I do not wear a tie. Yet, office life here in D.C. requires that I own several and wear them at least four days a week. Its not all that bad, while I would prefer to be in the field, working in another country, I find that working a desk is a challenge and something that I am not good at. There is a steep learning curve for me. However, like many other task I was not good at, I will embrace this one using both the principle I was raised to believe: decency and hard work.

Aside from the office and the cultural adaptation, city life is very individualistic I feel. It’s very easy to be alone, but at the same time it’s not real hard to meet some pretty interesting characters.

I have made two really solid friends here. Meeting Lindsay in my new employee orientation was I believe, the universes way of saying everything is going to be ok. Lindsay is a girl I had known briefly as a graduate student at Texas A&M, she picked my brain about life in the Peace Corps and then we parted ways, didn’t give her a second thought, until my first day of work that is. Catching up over lunch it turns out that she is a licensed tour guide, for a guy new to this city, that’s pay dirt. Not only can she entertain me with interesting facts about the buildings that surround me, she also knows where some of the best nightlife is. Secondly, she is from Texas, so as much I am missing home, she probably is too and it’s nice to know someone who understands.

Gene Kim, the Asian economist, my friend who is always one step away from an epic story. As a matter of fact he just called and started the conversation by stating “ I know it seems that I spend all my time in bars”, I found that kind of funny, actually with world cup going on everybody has been spending their down time perched over a pitcher of beer. Really though, Gene has gone out of his way to introduce me to D.C and not just through the bottom of a beer bottle. Rather, we have been going to things like the Marine CorpsCommandants Parade which is a real treat and something everyone should see at least once in their life, you have to really appreciate friends who go out of their way to make you feel at home and these two have really gone the extra mile.

So hear I sit, with backpack in toe, ready to take on the world. Ironically I found my self in the same position three years ago as a young Peace Corps volunteer, which was one of the most defining moments of my life. If my life here is only half as rich, I believe I will be all right.