Our Nation's Capital

I'm in Washington DC, now, and things are looking up. I've got four out of six visas squared away, and I've been pleasantly surprised with the accommodations afforded me by the officials, there. I spent no more than 5 minutes at the Armenian embassy. I regret my sarcastic remarks from my previous posting.

I leave for Tajikistan, on Monday, now. I'll have about a day layover in Heathrow, London. I'm looking forward to seeing a little bit of the capital where my ancestors came from. For the time being, I'll spend the next few days in Washington. I'm looking forward to seeing the new World War II museum, as well as some of the Smithsonians.

I spent some time walking around alone, last night, and I couldn't help but think that people live very differently in Washington as opposed to Provo, Utah. That may sound like a no-brainer, but I was struck with how individuals' way of life fluctuates so much even within one country. It's a completely different world, out here. I sat in a smokey, dirty little Guatamalen cafe, and found myself wondering how similar the atmosphere was in there to a cafe in Guatemala. There was a little sign up that said "as of April, this store will accept no checks, credit cards, and will extend no credit to anyone, including close friends." It occurred to me that there are probably some interesting stories that led to the necessity for that little notice.

So anyway, it feels really good to finally have the bookends of my internship figured out, by now. There's a lot of uncertainty in the middle, but it will be fun to set the pace as I go.