Like Sam Cooke said, "Change Gon' Come"

Quite the Time in 2009 has been a magnificent journey. But as the time passes, the air cools, and the leaves are changing colors in Washington D.C., I realize that 2009 is rapidly drifting away. Thus, a name change is called for. The new name of my blog will take effect today.

The new name is "Wanderlust." This is derived from the German word "Fernweh" which is literally "an ache for the distance." I think this name suits the blog well. Change is here.

Lots of things have happened in my life lately. Lots of things that are cause for celebration. Every weekend since I have started at the Embassy, I have attended a party. Two weeks ago was a reception for the Order of the Ancient Hiberians, an organization of Irish-American Catholic men. This was at the residence of His Excellency the Ambassador of Ireland. The residence is quite amazing. There is a (very cute) resident chef, and also, a swimming pool. I think maybe I will try very hard to be friends with the Ambassador's wife so that I can go swim in these last few warm days. Though, that scenario is highly unlikely.

I have also attended a press conference, where I was undoubtedly the youngest in attendence. One particular one was an Internet Summit hosted by the FCC. I got so much out of that. And when I say so much, I mean so much free stuff. Lots of sodas were snuck into my backpack that day. I don't know if I have made this known, but I am minoring in "Shameless Thievery." While I definitely had no idea what was going on at this conference, it felt amazing to have people think that I did.

Among my favorite activities since I have started here are the trips to the other embassies. Last Thursday night, I visited the Italian Embassy for an Opera discussion with the conductor of the Kennedy Center's "Barber of Seville." I was invited to this event through my Italian Language Club that I am a part of here in DC. At the event was an artist who takes stories from classic operas and turns them into story books for children. Her speech, though rallied through a translator, was remarkable. She stressed that opera was very important to culture, and it was important to teach children from a young age to appreciate this art form. This is right up my alley. I ate it all up, and I can guarantee that my children will have those books someday.

Friday night I visited the French Embassy for the 2nd Annual "Euro Night." At this exhibition, all EU countries set up booths with food and drink. Then, DC citizens (who spent $25 to get in) could go around and sample regional fare. Before the event started, I stopped at the Danish booth. The guys there were so Danish looking. They were all about my age, clutching Carlsbergs. My-oh-my did that bring back the memories. I found out one of them was from Aalborg, and maybe tried a little too hard to make him be my friend. But my friend request was denied, as I was a little too desperate to acquire a Danish connection.

The rest of the night was a success, passing out Irish cheeses to the masses. A Swedish hip-hop artist played, and the diplomats and I had a good chuckle over the scene of drunken debauchery. So all in all, some bonding going on. Please like me!!!

So that is a summary of what has been happening in my life. I wish I had some keen introspection to offer this week, something inspiring or thought provoking. But alas, I have none to offer at this moment. These past weeks I have been trying to catch up to myself. I am also thinking a lot about the future, and am looking into educational opportunities after graduation. With all the commotion, I and am finding it hard to stay connected with friends as my life is moving 1,000 miles an hour. So I hope that those who care to know about my life can read this blog and take comfort in the fact that I am thinking of you all, and wish the best for you.

Who needs sleep?

I probably shouldn't be blogging from the Embassy, but I have a some down-time, so why not? Especially when I have a hilarious story to tell.

So the other night I woke up my roommate Kelsey because I was screaming in my sleep. When she jumped off the top bunk fearing for her life, she woke me up.

"Kelsey! I just had a dream we were at Ted Kennedy's grave, and these lavender ghosts were chasing us!" Hilarious. Poor Kelsey must think I am insane.

But now, I too, think I am freakin nuts.

Just now I opened my Iphone's notes to add something to a list. Wherein I found a note, created by me, at 3:38 this morning. This is what the note (to myself) said:

NYC orange city clenup.

Good to know. Glad I wrote that down. WTF? Apparently, I had a very important note to take in my sleep. I am so ashamed that I am that type of person.

I LITERALLY make lists in my sleep. While I should seek help about this, for now, I find it terribly amusing. For those of you who are interested, I took a moment to look into the possible meaning of this note. What I can configure is that I had a dream about these things, and felt it was important enough to write down. So, here are some common dream meanings of a) NYC, b) the color orange, and c) "clenup" which I presume to be "cleanup."

A) NYC

The "hub of the world."

1. To be alone in New York City without any friends or companions is symbolic of being totally on your own. Whatever projects or enterprises you're facing right now are likely to have to be done almost entirely on your own.

2. The bright lights of New York City at night, especially if they blink on and off, symbolize an encouraging message that the solution to a problem you've been wrestling with will come to you in a bolt of inspiration.

Hm. Okay, I can live with that.

B)The Color Orange

Orange symbolizes drive and ambition. It is an energizing color often prominent in career dreams.

Satisfactory to me. But what about this cleanup business?

C) Cleaning

To dream that you are cleaning, implies that you are removing some negativity in your life and overcoming major obstacles. You are moving ahead toward a new stage in your life.

So I don't have much time for analysis, I would say that this dream is related to my job here at the embassy. That I am alone, and trying very hard. Which is true. This also tells me that perhaps I shouldn't be blogging at work....bye now!

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!