Workin'

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Whoa whoa whoa whatta week! I can’t believe that only seven days ago I was in Seattle with my family saying goodbye. It has felt like I have been living in DC for year. Maybe it is because my first week in DC has been really enjoyable or that a vast amount of learning about DC, my internship and my new job has occurred. Or maybe it’s because a week ago I had no internship or job and not even a place to live. How much has changed.
I started my journey at 8:30 am on Saturday the 4th. My parents dropped me off at the airport and after waving goodbye to them at security I waited for my plane to come. The ride was very bumpy and upset my delicate stomach reactors that hate motion so I couldn’t wait to land and get off the plane. Unfortunately we sat on the tarmac for over an hour in Philadelphia causing me to miss my connecting plane to DC. I waited for another hour and a half for the next plane. During the ride I met a very nice man who also was looking for a new job and had recently returned from a trip to Guatemala where he was involved with microfinance projects. He was very nice albeit socially awkward and we had an enjoyable conversation. When I arrived in DC I had two main dilemmas. One was where I was going to stay for the night. I had two options- a possible living arrangement and a friend ‘s sister’s friend’s house. The even more complicating factor was that I was going to set up an interview with a hostel where I would work and live as the working pays for rent. I was interested in the living arrangement but more interested in the hostel position as I would be cutting costs and meeting interesting people travelling internationally. Because of this I decided to stay with the friend as that would be a neutral ground until I had made me decision. The second element to this decision and my second dilemma was that my luggage was lost so I would be even later getting to the place I was going to stay. I felt most comfortable going to a place that was known to someone unlike the possible living situation as I hadn’t even seen pictures.

Once I received my luggage I needed to decide if I was going to take the metro to the house or a cab. I decided to take the metro as I knew it fairly well and thought that would be the least expensive. My parents on the other hand felt more comfortable if I took a cab. Weighing this consideration, the man who I was talking to on the plane approached me and asked if I wanted to share a cab with him. Now if you have seen taken not the best images come to mind about this decision; however, the cabs were chosen randomly by an employee at the airport so I felt that it would be unconnected to the man. Plus, it would lower the price- a good compromise for my ever cost reducing mind. We drove in from Regan National airport, seeing monuments and lots of traffic and went to Georgetown to drop off my companion (unfortunately I really can’t remember his name). I hadn’t been to Georgetown area before and it was bustling on the busy Saturday night. I continued north to an area near the Van Ness/UDC metro station filled with historic old (and huge!!!) houses. The taxi driver and I found the house, I grabbed my bags and rang the doorbell. Susie, the friend’s friend, was surprised to see me as she had thought I would take the metro but she graciously let me in, offering food and amenities galore.

I was given a room on the third floor. It looked to be a post-attic renovated and was so nice. I had my own living type area, bathroom and room, very peaceful. I was a little jet lagged so I read for a long time and just focused on the exciting fact that I was in DC. I woke up really late the next day and Susie and I decided to go to the potential house I could live in. I was so excited to see the house as it was 1) My only lead for a house besides the hostel and 2) sounded like a decent location near American University where I would be interning. Susie so kindly offered to drive and come with me. The neighborhood was gorgeous, similar old houses as were in Susie’s neighborhood, until we reached to potential living place. It looked a little run down, no obvious house number. We parked and walked up the steps over old animal feces and got to the front door. I started to knock when Susie exclaimed, “No. No. You will not be living here, let’s go.” We start walking away as she comments she saw the women that rents the place/lives there and there is no way I’m living there. Unfortunately, the woman saw us and opened the door. I convince Susie we should go in for three minutes and tour. When I walk back up and see the woman I’m in shock. Her bangs are sticking back as if the curler holding them is just invisible. Her hair is also sticking out at odd angles. Over her valour pink lacoste jumpsuit obviously form a secondhand store is a legitimately tattered dirty sweater with five in long holes under the armpit and the elbow. We walk in and two things are apparent- she is a MAJOR hoarder of all goods and is a crazy cat lady. The stench of dirtiness and cats was overwhelming. The dining room table is covered in items and the rest of the house is just in disarray. No workable TV, possible no working stove (her surprise that I liked to cook was confusing) and I just felt like a dead body was being housed in some closet and would fall out on me. Simply, I was so freaking creeped out.

We tour the first bedroom that is supposed to be $800. The mattress although not filthy doesn’t look clean either. She tries to make it and is interrupted by a cat jumping and rolling on the bed. Not okay. The room definitely had good sun and looked enjoyable although still smelled. The room I was actually wanting before I arrived was located in the basement. I did not want to go down there but she became distracted by something so Susie and I headed down there really quick so we wouldn’t get a long tour. There was an open area at the bottom of the stairs and about five doors all shut. I refused to open any doors so we headed back upstairs. A current resident, five other students actually live there, came down and seemed eager to have a new person living there. Before arriving I professed a sincere interest in living there so I didn’t quite know how to say “I am entirely creeped out and can’t live here as I am afraid I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with you standing over my bed stroking your cat,” so instead I told her the location was a little farther away from the university then I was comfortable with. She seemed disappointed but Susie and I left as soon as we could so I didn’t see anything more than that.

As we were walking away I couldn’t help laughing. I think I went into shock a little bit. It was such an experience. Susie couldn’t stop saying ew and I couldn’t stop laughing. I am so thankful she was with me when I visited or I really may have lost a marble. My housing search started anew after lunch with Susie’s help looking at places on Craigslist. I also set up an interview at the hostel for the following day. I got ahold of a potential roommate and decided to be adventurous, taking the metro and bus to find her house. That was a completely different adventure. Apparently I am not good with reading bus schedules and I wouldn’t have been terribly lost without my phone for directions. But I found my way and the girl was very nice. The apartment had security, a walk-in closet but she seemed young and we would be sharing a studio; however, I decided that would be fine and asked if I could give her a call after my interview the next day.

I continued from the apartment to the Georgetown area, a 3 mile walk or so. I strolled around looking at people and shops and eating dinner at a nice restaurant. I thought about going to a bar and trying to meet people but I realized I was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed. After some more frustrating bus times as well as dropping my phone and bleeding from my blisters, I arrived back at Susie’s. My first days, and even now, I fear I am not taking ahold of all the opportunities presented in DC- that I’m not “doing enough”. This has been a theme I’ve been working on for about a year, the idea that I always must be doing the very best to be worthy. Unfortunately, this idea manifested itself into needing to get engaged with all things or I’d be completely wasting my time. Fortunately, I have learned tools to get myself out of this mindset and I realized, if I’m dead tired, I should go to sleep because I have every other night in the foreseeable future to take the city by storm. So arriving at Susie’s was a triump in its own right and I enjoyed reading and going to be.

Monday the 6th brought about my interview at the hostel. I woke up late again- something that really bothered me as I don’t like staying in someone’s house but being a lazy sloth. Susie totally understood though that my body needed some time to adjust. I took the metro to the Gallery Place/Chinatown stop and walked my way to the hostel. I was greeted by Brandon, Phil, Kieren, and Sascha by interviewers. All of them are involved at the hostel, everyone working/living there except Sascha. The interview consisted of many explanations about the house and few questions about me which was fine. As I left we set up a time for them to call me and let me know their decision. The time was a little later than I had expected and hoped for. I needed to let the girl know if I would move in with her and I wanted to get out of Susie and her husband Bill’s hair. Because of this I called back and let them know I would need an answer by 4 or 4:30. They called back immediately and let me know I had the position and could move in as soon as I wanted.
At this point everything was such a strange mix of emotions. Relief, happiness and a little fear of what was to come. I treated myself to a great salad in Chinatown the area I would soon be living in. I returned to Susie’s, packed up and said goodbye. She offered and insisted that she drive me across down and drop me and my stuff off. Through my whole stay with her I couldn’t stop saying thank you. I finally had to tell her I would be forever grateful so I was going to stop saying thank you. She responded that if her daughter was in the same position as I, she just hoped someone would do the same. Moving into the hostel was a little strange. I share a room with three boys, a lot less space than I’m used to having. We have two bunk beds, two dressers and a TV in our room. Oh and the monitors for video cameras throughout the house. Very exciting room I realize. I was given a drawer to put my things in (see the note about a lot less space) but it seemed alright. The guys were really nice and gave me Monday and the next day off from working as I had my internship on Tuesday. The rest of the week has been about learning my different shift duties. I work from 4pm to midnight two days a week and midnight to 8 am three nights a week. Each shift has about 2 hours of cleaning and the rest is checking on people, checking people in and monitoring the house. Not a hard job but the graveyard shift may take a little getting used to. Tonight is my first shift where I am very tired. And with 5 ½ hours more to go, I think I will rest my typing fingers and my eyes. Also, if my blog posts aren't always coherent, it is because my only time to write is during the night and sometimes my explanations of thoughts slip my mind.

More to come on friends and the internship! Thanks for reading.

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