It’s official: I am in Washington D.C.

There’s a strange familiarity I feel as I’m adjusting to being in this city again.

On one hand, it has been OVER 3 YEARS since I left D.C. when my last assignment was finished (Jan 2018), so there has certainly been a change or two since my departure. Time can take some of the credit for this, but a pesky little pandemic you may have heard of, I think, can take more.
On the other hand, there is much that has remained the same: a couple good friends I made during my last assignment are still here, the local church body I was involved with before is meeting in the same building, and the same monuments still stand, stirring up the affections I have for this city, awakened several years ago.

There have been a couple of moments that have made my being here a reality more sensed: one was being on the Metro. The rattle of the car, the monotone announcements through the speakers, and even the smell of the aged stations and newer cars, recalled my many commutes on the beloved system.

Another was seeing the Washington Monument on my initial drive in (pic taken above). I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that view.

When I was in D.C. last, I connected with several women through attending CHBC. One being Kristen (who those who followed my last stint in DC may recognize), who was sweet enough to allow me to couch-surf with her and her roommates as I awaited the return of another familiar face on this blog, Carly (we went to Israel together!). Carly and her roommates are allowing me to stay with them during my time here, which I am very grateful for.

Anyways, back to Kristen. I needed new shoes for work, so we made a day of it, traipsing around DC. Our first stop was Eastern Market to find a place to eat.

One of my goals for this time around is to repeat eateries as little as possible. When we perused our options, I decided on Tortilla Cafe after Kristen recommended it. Granted, it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but I was soon pleasantly surprised.

The restaurant was clearly a mom-and-pop joint that produced some delicious, fresh, homey food. While it wasn’t someone’s home we were eating out of, the nature of the food could have fooled me otherwise. I have no doubt that what I ate was probably written on a tattered recipe card, scrawled in writing only a family member would be able to decipher, or was passed down through demonstration and guidance from generation to generation, measurements and ingredients committed to mental and muscle memory.

We had pork and cheese pupusas (stuffed griddle cakes) with refried beans and fried plantains.

Kristen was even kind enough to get us both horchata (sweetened rice milk) after I had asked after it in the restaurant. If you’ve ever had milk tea from a boba place, this reminded me of that! So refreshing to have while walking in the heat of the day.

The only thing that could have made it better was good company, which Kristen provided in abundance.

Speaking of good company, my friendships through CHBC were not the only things that drew me back to D.C. Another was the arrival of the Bean family!

Rusty has visited Rio several times since my moving there, from sharing at a conference SEARCH (the campus ministry I’m involved in) put on to stopping through as he drove from one place to another. When I heard that he and his family would be moving to D.C. at the same time that I would be there, I was over the moon!

Rusty went ahead of his family to get started at work, but the whole crew will be together again come June, which I am stoked about! Saturday evening, Rusty and I got to catch up over some tacos, which was rich and meaningful (meaning the conversation with Rusty, not the tacos) and I only see my time with the Bean’s becoming richer and more meaningful still in spending time with El and their kiddos as well.

Sunday, I got to attend a service at my old stomping grounds, CHBC. It was great to sing and sit under the teaching alongside this body of believers once more.

Rusty ended up coming as well, so we met up afterwards and decided it was a good idea to eat.

I got to visit another new-to-me restaurant: Ted’s Bulletin! So yummy! I can personally recommend the crab cake eggs Benedict, but I have no doubt the rest of their menu is superb as well!

One of my favorite things about commuting on the Metro is the duality of getting to a destination while being able to do other things in the process. One way I really enjoy passing the time is by reading. This week, since I’ve gotten started so early to ensure I arrive to work on time (the struggles of figuring out a new routine), I’ve spent every ride into work doing my daily Bible reading and every ride home reading another book. I’ve already finished one and am well past halfway on another, so I’m stoked at the potential that the next weeks can provide!

While Monday was technically my first day, I had to spend it (and Wednesday) doing online education modules. After a morning of learning what the acronyms R.A.C.E. and P.A.S.S. mean for the upteenth time, I was antsy to get out of the house and took to the streets.

I meandered without much of a destination, and came upon the first café that struck my fancy. After grabbing a fresh but overpriced sandwich, and a coffee, I sat on a bench at a nearby park and watched the world turn.

I was a poetically pensive mood, I suppose, because I delighted in the thought that the unsettled nature of traveling allows the freedom to savor without a schedule. As the proverbial Yoda says, “Do or do not”.

Do go into the shop. Do not and find somewhere else to eat.

Do go to the park. Do not and go home.

Do watch the children dance in the dust, the mothers bounce babies on their knees, the runners devotedly press on, the male starling unsuccessfully woo the female…or do not and listen to music, read, sleep, and the like instead.

There was a communion I felt in those moments, experiencing the knowledge that whatever I had chosen, my Lord would have been in the midst of it, enjoying it right along with me.

Admittedly, I don’t feel I have much to share on the “tourist” side of traveling this week. Maybe that is to be expected, as there were several changes and adjustments to grow accustomed to, in both living situations and work.

However, I think it is also indicative of a shift in perspective from my last contract here. I aim to be intentional with my time, as before, but this time in regards to people. God has placed some amazing people in my vicinity here and I don’t want to view the opportunities I have with them as a complimentary “bonus” to my traveling experience; I’d like them to be the focus.

Sure, it is work that has brought me here and it is important to honor that by doing my very best while at work. However, when off the clock, I want to look for ways to merge tourism and companionship; experiences with places and experiences with people.

Beforehand, and dare I say even now, I have had no issue with “dancing to the beat of my own drum”. If no one wanted to join me/couldn’t join me as I explored, I wasn’t bothered by it. I was just fine with going by myself. We’ve already seen that in this week’s update. It’s one of the things that made/makes traveling so easy for me!

However, I now see the value of seeking out others to come with or even join with them in whatever they are doing, for the sake of building relationship and maximizing on time.

Some ways that has looked this week is making impromptu freshly-squeezed orange juice (pictured below) with one of Kristen’s roommates, going to a going-away party of someone I knew briefly during my last stint, and even helping a practical stranger move!

Do I say this all to brag? Absolutely not! Only that, if you followed my blog previously and happen to notice a difference this go-round, there’s good reason. I hope you’ll stick around for it.

The plan is to post weekly updates on Sunday as before. Keep tuned in for more adventures in the coming weeks!