Friends of the Road

All lonely and huddled up in DC, I decided to get on skype to hang out via internet with a familiar voice- or, um, screen name. A friend and I got to talking about friendship. We talked about the people we grew up with, and how much we feel that we are slipping away from those bonds of friendship. As our lives change, so do our friends. At times, it can seem so sad to leave friends behind, when you were just finally finding someone that you shared something in common with. This got me to thinking about something.

When I was a pre-teen (10? 11?) my mother sent me and a bunch of my friends to a conference for girls, where they talked about all sorts of things. The subjects ranged from exercise to sex to reading the bible. While this memory is foggy, one thing I remember is a talk a woman gave us on friendship. She said there are two types of friends- Friends of the Road, and Friends of the Heart. Friends of the Road are with you for a particular point on your journey, and then get off when it is convenient for them. Friends of the Heart are there for you always.

How much is friendship like being on the metro? People get on and off, some riding with you for a long while before they reach their stopping point. Those people are friends of the Road. But then, there are those who are with you for your full journey. They are determined to reach the same destination as you.

When I think back to the girls I attended the conference with, I try to remember what they are doing now. Once brought together by church, one has moved away, losing touch forever. A friend of the road. One is getting married soon. We don't live in the same city anymore, and although once very close, we don't speak as much anymore. She is starting her life now, and I see that while she rode with me for a long time, she is also a friend of the road.

But then there are friends of the heart. While she never attended this conference, I think of how lucky I am to have my best friend. While we aren't in the same location, I know that she is my metro car with me until the final destination. While we may not sit side by side, I know she's there. And in the end, we'll be in the same place. How lucky am I to have found one friend of the heart.

On skype, our conversation dwindled with a couple of "that's what she said" jokes, and a little grammar discussion. However, I am thinking more seriously now about how times change, and how I should readily accept friends of the road, but also let them go with the same easiness. There is nothing wrong with forming these bonds, and I'm sure that one day, we'll end up in the same place, if only for a short bit. Until then, I look around my metro car of friends, and pray that at least some of them will stay on with me.

FOLLOW UP

Last night I was visited by a mouse.

I am switching apartments this evening.

Anyways,today I began my work at the Embassy. They complained about Romanians taking their parking spots. Which is pretty funny. I like to think of Embassy Row like that part of Disney World that has the different parts of the world showcase. It's like a tiny little World within a mile radius. So I like to imagine I'm traveling through each country as I pass each Embassy.

Wish I had more clever things to say, but all I can think about is how I'm going to decorate MY OFFICE! :) Life is good. Enjoy.

Where is Beyonce When you need her?

So tonight, after a nice milkshake at local "goodstuff" I called it a "goodnight" early.

When I decided to get up and get a glass of water, I discovered a new roommate- a giant roach, sitting on my carpet. The first thing I did was scream. The second thing I did was find a bowl to put over it, and something heavy to sit on top of that bowl.

I called my brother, who informed me that cockroaches can live for months without food. While I still believe this is a lie, it got me to thinking. Thinking about how wonderful it would be to have a man around to take care of those horrid (giant) insects.

In Denmark, I would call on my wonderfully faithful neighbor Timothy Cakebread. But here in DC, there is no such man.

Sure, it is easy to say "I am an independent woman" or to sing the anthem "All the Single Ladies!" But the truth is, it is a lot easier to be a "single lady" when you are dancing in a club. What is harder is this stuff. Killing bugs. Knowing no one within reach is brave enough to help you conquer your fears.

So there it is. A vulnerable side of "Quite the Time." I am learning that there are things that, right now, I have to learn to do myself- And continue to hope that one day, I won't have to do it alone :)

I leave you with a scripture, my brother Zach so artfully crafted for this situation:

"Do not fret because of 'cockroaches' or be afraid of the 'cockroaches' in your room. For like grass, they will soon wither. Like green plants, they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord (and kill the cockroach) and dwell in the "room" and enjoy the safe pasture."

Psalm 37:1- The Bible according to my older brother.

PS- It is 2:30 AM, and the bug is still under the bowl. So if you are reading this, and live in DC, please feel free to stop by sometime this week to help me kill it. After all, I heard they stay alive for months ;)

Why Hillary Clinton Makes Me Hate the Things I Love- The Official Record

So the past couple days I have been wandering the city of DC. Over the course of these adventure, I have found myself twice stranded under some apparatus, trying to keep dry from a storm. This is just one of those stories.

Today I decided that I would go to see the Embassies. My intentions were so pure. So innocent. I wanted to go take pictures of the embassies of my friends countries, so they would know that I am thinking of them, and am always thinking of them. So I packed a sandwich, and brought my Danish flag to take a picture with when I reached the Danish Embassy.

When I made it to the the central location of the embassies, I was greeted with torrential rainfall. I ran to a bus stop, where I sat for 20 minutes waiting for the rain to pass, munching on my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yum. That is all I have had to eat (besides Goldfish crackers) all week. I am extremely bored.

So after the rain passed I journeyed to find the Danish Embassy. I passed every embassy, but had trouble deciphering which country was which, as every flag was drenched with rain, and wrapped around their poles. Every time I looked it up on my IPhone, it said that it could not route me. So I tread on. For one hour. Walking. The rain started and stopped, and soon I was covered with a mix of sweat and rain. Finally, I climbed a tall hill, which was covered on both sides of me by heavy metal fences.

Heavy metal fencing #1: The Italian Embassy. An ugly, ugly building...free from any frills, or really anything to look at.

Heavy metal fencing #2: The Danish Embassy. Side by side with the Italian Embassy. It is unfair to call the Royal Danish Embassy an Embassy. It is a compound. Frustrated with the lack of scenery and the abundance of walking, I waited outside the fence until 2 young Danish girls came out. (On bicycles, of course) I spoke with them a bit, and it was then that they told me I was standing in Hillary Clinton's driveway. Wow. So I took a picture and tried to shake off the bitterness of my aching feet. Apparently, that is why my IPhone was having trouble routing me. They were protecting Hillary, our secretary of state.

Side note: Was it also Bill's house? Are those two actually still married?

So I routed the fastest way I could, with very, very few pictures. So, sorry everyone, I promise I saw your embassy. I just don't know which one it was.

So that was my upbeat message of the day. Hope it gets better.

iPhone- takin it to the streets!

iPhone has made it possible to now blog from anywhere at any time! I'm a real 21st century gal now:)

I am coming to you now from inside the Smithsonian museum of american history. I took the metro here on this ungodly hot day. It has to be 34 degrees, and I am sitting on a bench next to two ladies I believe to be German, but in my heart I keep wishing they were Danish. I've been playing the name that tourist game based on how they dress and act. Turns out Germans are the easiest to spot.

Previous to this, I went to the smithsonian castle, which is a museum about a museum. Lucky me. I'm glad it is free.

Today I hope to see the first ladies gowns and Carrie Bradshaw's laptop. So educated, right? Glad i'm taking advantage of all these educational opportunities. So far, I see Capitol hill and the national mall as a more utilitarian version of Paris. And I don't mean that to sound snotty or in patriotic, that's just the way it is. It was designed by L'Enfant, a French designer, and looks a lot like Paris from the parks to the streets to the homes. However, dc is much more functional. While the mall that connects the Arc de Triomphe to Musee de Louvre is presteen (sp?)and covered in flowers, our national mall is miles of trampled grass and sand. To me, this is very significant to our people. Our mall has been used for protests, rallies, inagurations, etc. The thought of covering it with landscaping would be absurd and indeed short lived.

Basically, I mean to say that wide open spaces can say a lot about the people who live there. Not that one is better than the other.

K gotta go see some Americana stuff now!

The Most Ancient of Human Conditions

Admittedly, I had lofty expectations for a travel blog.

Obviously, I have not fulfilled them.

But let me tell you something- After writing my last blog, I made the decision to absorb all my experiences as the happened. I really learned that travel wasn't about the pictures I took, or what I wrote about. Other people have better pictures, better blogs, and even cooler opportunities.

What was important for me were the things I learned along the way. I began to learn that it wasn't important to have 40 pictures of the Eiffel Tower, but rather, reflect on what I felt about that object, or life, or love, at the moment I encountered these things.

Using the Eiffel Tower as an example- I always saw it as the ultimate symbol of romance. I always used to think about who I was in love with as we sat together holding hands. But what actually occurred was highly more significant to me. I was accompanied half way up the tower with my dear friend Kara Abramovitch from Canada. Then, for a couple of reasons, I went to the top by myself. I feared this situation. I rode to the top, scared of a vision of my whole life alone. Standing in a crowded elevator, (with a broken camera) there was no one to take my picture. Not even one to capture the sunset with. I was suffering from a tourists worst nightmare.

Finally, I reached the top, where I realized I was at the top of the Eiffel Tower- alone. The wind was so cold and I had no coat. While shivering, I thought of my journey here. I had traveled the way from Aalborg by myself. Heck, I had traveled all the way from Nebraska! The sun was setting, and despite my condition, I couldn't help but be in awe. It wasn't just the glowing pink sun, I was in awe this environment. I had an epiphany: It doesn't get any harder than this. I was standing in the exact most romantic spot in the world, and I was there by myself. And enjoying the hell out of it. I was suddenly glad to be without a camera. I have never studied a sunset so closely. Ignoring all the other tourists, I finally felt....focused.

I believe Primo Levi better poetically describes this ideal when he says:

"I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong, to measure yourself at least once, to find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions, facing blind, deaf stone alone, with nothing to help you but your own hands and your own head."
-Primo Levi

So although the Eiffel Tower didn't live out my cheesy romantic fantasy, it provided me with a more important life lesson. That I was capable of anything. If I was in the most notorious couple spot in the world, and I was happy with who I was- just me, Katrina- I could face my future. I could do so much without the nagging fear of being alone. That there is so much strength in being alone. And I don't mean that necessarily in a romantic way. We all seek companionship, but like Primo Levi said we MUST measure ourselves at least once to learn what we are capable of. To learn to feel strong even if we are not. Perhaps that lesson is just as cheesy. I am so grateful to have learned this, even if it means the end of a pretty cool blog.

I hope to start again, I am currently back from Denmark and on "sabbatical" in Washington DC before I start my internship at the Irish Embassy in 2 weeks. During this time, I hope to get a lot accomplished: ride my bike a lot, work on my italian, as well as reflect on the wonderful experience I have had, and dream for the future that lies ahead.