Live from Georgetown

Here's a brief synopsis of my journey to D.C., thus far:

My dad, brother and I left Friday around 4 and got to our hotel in Fairfax by 10. It was amazing. I had my own suite with a king-sized bed and separate living area. I feared that the quality of my room would leave something to be desired in my apartment, and I was right.

We went to Wegman's the following morning--it's this huge grocery store with it's own cafe and everything. Think giant Harris Teeter/Weaver Street hybrid. I brought my camera in to document the event and left without it. Oy vey. I didn't realize until I was in Georgetown that it was missing, so I'm fairly certain that the camera's gone for good, though I still called the store in case it gets turned in. Perhaps that case I made was cursed.

Yesterday, I moved in to my apartment, which I'm sharing with four girls from New York, Ohio, Missouri and Hong Kong. The apartment was poorly cleaned and I found myself wiping down every surface before I'd place anything on it. Our kitchen floor is disgusting, an issue that has yet to be resolved.

In an effort to force us into an awkard bonding situation, the program hosted a pizza party in the courtyard that our apartments surround. Unfortunately, it was Papa John's pizza, which sent me back inside for a yogurt and some pretzel bread. (The first I've found in the U.S., courtesy of Wegman's.) I met some awesome people, but I fear I will never be able to meet everyone. Or even remember all of their names, and I hate not remembering names.

The night ended in a party at a townhouse off campus. Diana's boyfriend was turning 21, so I figured it was worth the block-long walk. I ended up bringing about 15 people along, so it was a great(er) bonding event.

Today, I volunteered at Dumbarton House for a special tour the house was hosting. I am already in love. The walk there takes me past some of the most beautiful historic homes in the area and the trees keep me reasonably cool. The employees are all so nice and the grounds are stunning. I doubt I'll get any work done with all that aesthetic overload.

A super-touristy bus tour ended the night, with a hilarious tour guide who told us such riveting facts as "we have 50 states" and "the U.S. gained its freedom from Britain in 1776." I suppose the information was for the international students, but it was hard not to feel like I was in 5th grade again.

Having crammed so much into such a short period of time, I am epically tired. I'm not sure there will be many moments this summer where I'm not, though. While I love that feeling of being fulfilled-yet-exhausted, at the moment I just need sleep.