“I think the tough times are finally behind me. There will always be bad things, but my life is good. It is as I want it to be. It’s good.” -Sera, played by Elizabeth Shue in the 1995 film Leaving Las Vegas.
What is your travel style? I know men who refuse to check a bag for any trip shorter than 7 days in duration and will file zero complaints after staying in a Super 8 motel. “If I need anything, I’ll go to Wal-Mart.” On the other hand, I have female friends who will pay extra to drag luggage containing nothing but makeup, hair products, heels, and spare handbags in the belly of the plane for a long weekend at the beach in nothing less than a $2,000 per night villa. I would like to think most of us are somewhere in between. Now answer me this, how would your travel style change for a trip that is months in duration, as opposed to just several days? These are the thoughts floating through my mind as I place my belongings into suitcases yet again.
Completing the first leg of this new journey, I feel fortunate to say my time in our capital has been productive and enjoyable. My rent-free and fully furnished modern high-rise apartment could not have been more conveniently located. One minute walk to the Metro, and less than five to a grocery store for anything the neighborhood market on the ground floor didn’t have. The gym was decent outside of rush hour and it didn’t take me long to tailor a running route through the trees and along the creeks. But all that working out requires fuel, which is one of the best aspects of being here in the DMV.
In the District of Columbia there are approximately 185 diplomatic missions, a term used to collectively describe embassies, consulates, chanceries, and any other premises formally used by one country’s government to represent itself and its citizens in another. That means nearly 200 nations are conducting official business here, making Washington, D.C. one of the most culturally diverse cities in America. If there is one thing the people from these lands near and far have in common, it’s their craving of sustenance. I personally am no exception to this rule, and felt very lucky that I got here in time for the annual Restaurant Week celebrations.
“The two on the earth who eat are the iron worker and the king.”
Mundang proverb, Cameroon. Sourced from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
But of course there is more to Capital City than gluttony. On a cold and rainy day I opted for an indoor history lesson at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center. Located on the outskirts of Dulles International Airport and named after its billionaire benefactor, the massive 17-acre museum is home to a Concorde, a SR-71 Blackbird, the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, and the Space Shuttle Discovery among thousands of additional artifacts.
Oddly, it only snowed once despite my sojourn being in the heart of winter. We even had a couple days in the 80-degree Fahrenheit bracket. Come what may, I wasn’t about to let a heat wave keep me from enjoying the world’s favorite winter sport. After a long day of onboarding I made my way to Penn Quarter to watch a nail-biting match between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Capital One Arena was full to the brim even as the game was sent into a late-night shootout after overtime went scoreless.
Alas, all good things must come to an end. It’s time to throw some coal into the firebox and make full steam for the next phase of training. Much of the next several months will consist of proprietary curriculum restricted from photography. My written posts here will be shorter and spaced out. The gallery won’t get updated much. I’ll use the lull in excitement to expand on the past and tell some throwback stories that led to this point in life. Then, before we know it, I’ll be out on my own and things will get really interesting around here. Stick around!
The Dark Passport 