Am I Grown Up? 6 Months In DC Update

Six months from today, on a sunny Friday afternoon at the end of August I arrived in Washington DC in an effort to practice my conviction and find work set in my activist passion. While it hasn't been an ideal ride, I've learned a lot, made a handful of good friends, a few I would even dare to say great, and in the end I have more or less begun to carve out an "adult life' for myself. Since I haven't done this in any substantial way since moving here, I figured I would give y'all an update. If you want to know why and how I decided to come here two weeks after returning from Uganda (and quitting a job) you can check out my slightly dramatic entry Here goes nothing....

The internship

Immediately as I landed in DC, I had a voice mail for an internship with a legislator's office on the Hill, so I quickly rushed to my friend Cassi's place, researched that representative and had my first interview since my renewed job search! First night in DC and one interview down, not bad right? I was exploring a few options aside from a straightforward job hunt including AmeriCorps, another GI-NET internship and the Hill. In the end that first interview amounted to nothing, but my first Monday in DC, I had another interview on the Hill yielding an internship starting the next day. Until December I answered phones, opened and inputted mail and provided tours at the Washington D.C. office for Congressman John Boccieri.

While in Uganda my continued struggled to decide whether I was better suited and more interested in advocating toward greater international development, promotion of human rights and an end to genocide or if I wanted to contribute through research on those goals. Quickly through my experience on the Hill, I realized my niche would ultimately be research. That being said, and while I may have offered my fair share of groans over opening mail and answering phones, it was definitely a wonderful experience being on the Hill for three months. If anyone at the Boccieri office reads this, thank you for that experience!

Housing

Rewind, so I stayed with my friend Cassi when I first arrived and for that she is someone I am hugely grateful for making this move possible. On that first Sunday, through a friend, I found a room in a house in north Silver Spring (along the DC metro red line for all those folks not familiar with the region) and while the house was a bit further out then I would have preferred, the roommates seemed nice and it was a brief walk to the rail. Before my first week was done, I had moved in and over the months have maybe myself a cozy room with extra furniture provided either by roommates or the landlord.

Job number 1

So that internship ended in December and since this is a full 6 months update you might be wondering what am I doing now, aside from living in my room in the big blue farmhouse with borrowed furniture. By the end of my first month here, I got hired to work part time at the National Abortion Federation hotline. So while I'm celebrating 6 months in DC, I am coming up soon on my first six months there. I might've never imagined I'd be working on a pro-choice hotline, but its been an incredible experience. I have always felt strongly about my pro-choice and feminist beliefs and aware that financial restraints continued to de facto make it impossible for women to exercise their full reproductive rights. Not to mention low income women who are unable to exercise these rights further feel the economic squeeze when they have an unplanned and perhaps sadly unwanted extra mouth to feed.

Can't say counseling is my strongest talent, but I've heard positive feedback from co-workers and patients. I hope its sincere because overall I love the job and really hope I am making at least a small difference for the women (and men) who call into the hotline. I can't go into too much detail for confidentiality reasons, but I've helped counsel dozens of people who have had been victims of domestic violence, been raped, conflicted morally about their decisions to have (or have had) an abortion and/or simply caught in an unexpected situation and overwhelmed by the fact they are pregnant. I have had to struggle with women to help them get funding for a procedure that irregardless to your or my feelings they believe is necessary for them to take care of their existing family, finish school or to cope with the difficult circumstances surrounding the pregnancy.

Throughout all this, I want to toss out a big thank you to the women (and men, I'm not alone!) at NAF for helping me survive and hopefully succeed at this job, but for also for becoming some of the great friends I mentioned before. Although we sometimes to cry from the horrendous situations we're confronted with or scream at the absurdity of the system we and these women are living in, y'all have some much passion for the work along with joy to the office. I have had many profound conversations associated with reproductive health, but also with my passions in international development with y'all along with many many laughs over absolutely ridiculous things. I have learned so much from everyone and from this and though I doubt I will be doing work directly connected to the work of NAF, long term, I will always proudly fight for women's rights particularly reproductive justice.

Job number 2

A few weeks ago you may have heard about (or shared in experiencing) the insane blizzards that hit Washington DC. Go figured, the life-long Texan who spent the bulk of his time outside of Texas in equally balmy Israel and recently Uganda comes to DC and experiences his first winter and it blizzards... a few times. Most people kept telling me DC winters are quite mild when I arrived. When it started to snow the first time in December, I was told this is rare for DC and that same weekend I got stuck in downtown while at the hotline and spent the night on my friend Danny's couch. (Danny, again: thank you, thank you, thank you!)

During the most recent blizzard I was at home and stayed at home so I didn't end up on a friend's couch, but we did lose power and with it our wonderful friend: heat. By the end of our snowy weekend I could see my breath almost everywhere in the house despite drinking gallons of hot tea (luckily our gas stove survived the outage) and wearing half my wardrobe.

Why am I talking about all this during the section called "Job number 2", well I wanted to add in the mention of my first real winter, but also during the fun indoors time I was beginning to hate, I got a phone from Clare at TrakServices. On a whim and out of necessity I sent my resume to a temp agency that kept advertising on a job list I subscribe to. She asked me to come interview that following Monday, the next day I was offered my first assignment and Wednesday I started. While temp work doing mainly data entry sucks (I tried to be articulate, but sucks really is the best word for it), the additional income is really fantastic.

So what now?

For a few reasons, when I arrived to DC, I started to work on my grad school search and application process. I guess a mix between job impatience, my total academic nerdiness and my renewed vigor for international affairs I wanted to get myself back in school! Starting tomorrow (March) until the end of April I should be finding out about grad schools. Meanwhile I am still seeking out and applying to various subsidized, free or paid programs overseas including a Peace Corps application I foolishly keep putting off. I keep considering directly volunteering with a local organization overseas and most seriously been thinking of returning to Uganda out of a slightly higher familiarity. I'll write more about that soon!

Of course the job search continues, though while I wait to hear from grad schools I have cooled the hunt greatly. Through more experience overseas and/or school I hope to be able to get work in international affairs for a few years and with that experience enter a PhD program to ultimately teach and research how development can be practiced in order to prevent conflict. You can read some more about that here, but I'm sure I'll be writing more about it soon.

Obviously a lot more I could write about and perhaps I will, but for now I should go to bed. Working two jobs requires me to sleep when I can! Ask me questions if you want to and I'd happily answer them and please visit DC. I may be busy with everything, but I'll make time to give you a personal tour of the Capitol among other things. There's always a couch/bed for any of you wherever I am.

Thanks for everyone who wished me well or who have helped me during my time here. I could write a whole long entry on who I need to thank and why... which I may very well do soon, but for now if you read this just assume yourself sincerely thanked!

Death of an American Icon: Hummer 1992-2010

This morning as I rushed to work, enduring the harsh cold of this particularly dramatic DC winter, I learned of the sobering news: the beast of the streets, the tamer of the wild, the car of those who dare to dream the American dream, the Hummer brand will no longer bring forth new manifestations of the beloved H2 and H3 onto the roads. We may call you an American icon, but I would be so bold to say we have lost an American hero… one not of flesh and blood, but of steel and of quickly burnt mass quantities of gasoline.

You were many things to many people and I think it is only right someone offers a few words on your behalf. While we were never directly introduced, I, your secret admirer, will take the initiative and offer this farewell. You represented a way to obtain all we wanted and desired as Americans through extravagant consumerism.

When men all over this nation asked, how I can exert my dominance over other men, the road and Mother Earth herself, you answered the call. Businessmen who wanted all to believe that while they may don the suit and tie and enjoy sushi with you on the weekdays, on the weekends they shot at animals, chopped wood and climbed mountains all from the comfort of your luxury cabin blasting Toby Keith ballads. No one could doubt their burliness, craftiness or their manhood with you by their side. Keys to unlock and unleash you were like a passport to the exclusive club of the gods!

For the past decade, young boys mocked on the playground for playing too much with the girls, enjoying home economics or failing to keep pace in PE could look to you and your promise. As long as they one day bought, leased or rented you, no one could accuse them of being a sissy or a weakling. You represented immediate strength and southern charm. Even in pockets of liberalism where elites mocked you, a man driving you drew quiet contempt and admiration. Whispers of the mysterious man bold enough to guzzle gas in this economy invoked the jealousy of lesser men and the affection of the ladies.

In the end, that promise was what made you synonymous to the American dream and ultimately cemented your place as among the great American heroes. In an age of supposed global warming and petro dictators, you proved Americans or at least the patriots among us, had the balls to give the finger to reality and charge full force toward our dreams. Saddam bombed America and you showed us the path to triumph over terrorism. The path was expensive and the refueling stops constant, but with you as our co-pilot we knew the ride would be filled with ignorant bliss.

On behalf of all Americans who will now never know the joy of instant artificial status through owning a brand new you, I say farewell secret friend. I hope the harsh words of mocking I often uttered as I parked my Toyota Echo next to you were understood as a mask covering my true feelings. May you have your rightful place in Heaven together with Ronald Reagan running over small helpless creatures.

God bless America and may we find the courage to ride forward in history without you. Rest in peace, Hummer, rest in peace.

Apple pie only wishes it was as American as you, dear friend.

Recipe-Chocolate Chip Muffins

Been thinking about adding a food element to my blog since along with everything else mentioned here cooking, baking and eating are big passions of mine. I'm going to share recipes I've created, adapted or tried and my general comments about them.

Original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Chip-Oatmeal-Muffins-12765

* are changes to the recipe, described in detail below

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar *

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon **

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted***

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup rolled oats, toasted lightly

1/3 cup white chocolate chips ****

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (next time I hope to use unsweetened for better contrast)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. In a bowl whisk together the flour, the sugar, the baking powder, cinnamon and the salt.
3. In another bowl whisk together the egg, the butter, and the milk, stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until the mixtures are just combined, and stir in the oats and the chocolate chips.
4. Divide the batter among 6 paper-lined 1/2-cup muffin tins and bake the muffins in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
5. Transfer the muffins to a rack, let them cool slightly, and serve them warm.

Comments: Overall I loved this recipe. Chocolaty like I wanted, but not overpowering. Oats give it a heartier texture, but I thought the muffins were fairly moist. Most of the negative reviews on Epicurious complained of dryness, but I didn't have a problem. Perhaps the double amount of chocolate offset dryness.

Planned changes: Next time I plan to add some vanilla (many reviewers suggested this), unsweetened chocolate rather than semi-sweet and perhaps a bit more oats. I might also try whole wheat flour, though I am a bit worried that might suck a lot of the moisture. Maybe a little extra butter and the vanilla will offset the flour?

*I used brown sugar rather than white because I find it sweeter and more flavorful

**Whenever I bake cookies (or in this case muffins) I add cinnamon if it makes sense because I love that extra flavor

***Do NOT follow the Epicurious recipe to cool the butter. I did this and while it didn't ruin the recipe, I forgot butter congeals quickly and it was a mess. I've never had to do this for other recipes and I don't see why it is necessary for this one

****The original calls for walnuts and if you're a walnut fan by all means use them. I didn't have walnuts and I don't like nuts in general all that much so I decided to use the extra dose of chocolate and went with white to add contrast and a slightly different chocolate flavor.