Dear Readers,
It's been a long time. Just over a year, in fact. I can't speak for your own experiences since my last post, but I can say that it feels like it's been much longer than a year from my end. I graduated from GW in May and I'm soon-to-be on the road again. I hope you all find yourselves on interesting paths as well.
The last year has been tough. In an interesting parallel to world events, it seemed that as our global economy retracted in on itself, I too was undergoing a painful retraction--a year of heightened self-doubt, uncertainty, and "ineffectual bailouts," if you'll pardon my awful analogies. Returning to GW was as daunting a prospect as I feared. Many of my friends had regrouped into new social circles and new lives (med school, work, etc.), and I found myself heavily reliant on just a few people for my closest connections. When those relationships fell through, one through a relatively painful breakup and another through an increasing divergence of interests, I found my confidence crumbling and my confidants lacking. I felt close to no one but my ever-supportive family, and my pride kept me from reaching out to even some wonderfully receptive people. My emotional isolation was mirrored--and exacerbated--by my geographic isolation. I lived in a beautiful apartment in a perfect location, intersecting three of the most interesting neighborhoods in Washington. That said, it's downfall was a lack of accessibility, which discouraged most visitors.
"Blah" you must be thinking, "What is this angsty, awful post about? Your life can't be so hard" Of course not, but as sheltered as I've been, this was my first extended experience with uncertainty and with accompanying prolonged malaise. It's hard to know how much of it was self and how much was circumstance, and the newly-minted anthropologist I am yearns to delve into the topic deeper. That's an issue I'll save for a private entry, however, and I'll move on. Suffice to say, it was a formulative year but one I wouldn't wish back again.
2008-2009 in Washington wasn't all doom and gloom, of course. Obama's Inauguration may be one of the most momentous events I'm blessed to see in my lifetime. I had some outstanding classes (made so by outstanding professors), I was accepted to 4 grad schools, and even had a frozen yogurt named after me at the coolest yogurt shop in the city, Mr. Yogato. Besides, Washington truly holds some charms that can cheer and excite even the worst Debbie Downer. Ending my college career with a summer in DC has been fantastic as well. I've finally taken the GW rite-of-passage morning commute to Capitol South metro station to intern with a non-profit near the Library of Congress. I, however belatedly, have restruck some old friendships, and I've been generally underwhelmed by the notorious heat of the Washington summer--obviously these critics have not spent a summer in St. Louis before. I am altogether satisfied that the summer has salvaged some certainty and optimism and I am ready to part the District on a good note--which is exactly what I'm doing in one week.
If I may beat my poor analogy-horse to death (stick with me!), though the economy's retraction has had irrevocably painful effects on some people, it has also exposed some inconvenient truths and stripped away unrealistic expectations, thus opening the door for new and innovative opportunities for regrowth and redefinition. On a personal level, so too has the last eye-opening year offered me unexpected opportunities and once-in-a-lifetime pursuits. Had the economy stayed on track, climbing toward some inevitable positive growth percentage, perhaps I too would feel compelled to remain on some invisible but irresistable upward trend to full-time professionalism. Instead, as the market scrambles to gain some momentum--and job hunting for college grads becomes a total nightmare--I am left to meander a bit, relaxing expectations of some methodical process, and simply find work I enjoy.
It is in this spirit, and with great excitement, that I am departing Washington DC on August 1 for a one-year teaching position in Isla Mujeres, Mexico! I will be working as a full-time English teacher at a small non-profit run by a couple from Wisconsin. I am looking forward to blogging with more frequency once again, and expanding out of the largely self-centered and tunnel-like focus I've held for the past year.
Anyway, I think I'll leave it at that for now, and just post a few pictures from the past year in Washington as soon as I get a chance. I had my camera stolen in a movie theater around Inauguration-time this year, so there are unfortunately no photos from that, but just a few of my favorites. Catch you all again soon from Isla Mujeres, Mexico!
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