19.7.12

What do you go home to

Only on my second visit and Washington, D.C. is already making me think twice about living in California.

How that's possible is beyond me. Ever since my first and "latest" trip to the US at nine years old, I knew for a fact I wanted to settle down in either San Diego or Los Angeles when I grow older and when the time is right. In it is an abundance of Filipino communities, and clusters of close relatives live nearby that it wouldn't feel as though I'm in country not my own. Not to mention the weather; it could be as hot as the Philippines and I would be fine with it as I wouldn't want to miss the sun that much.

But at twenty, acting like a local in my dream country for a little over a month, and being fully aware that decisions on relocating take more than just similarities to one's last living space, I think my plan of moving to California was only fueled by and is possibly an excuse to easily run into the actors of my favorite shows and movies. And be closer to Disneyland, and all the other tourist attractions in the area.

Now this makes D.C. an entirely different story. I barely know anyone who lives there and the sun only says hello during the summer. And aside from the museums I have gone to and the rather political and/or historical buildings I have yet to visit, there's not much to see. That, and it can be very, very expensive. However, I just can't help but fall in love with it.

Its resemblance to Singapore—despite being in the said country for only a week—is striking, especially in terms of their effective transportation system. Should I end up in D.C., I wouldn't have to worry about buying my own car or learning how to drive; the bus and the subway takes care of that. Regardless, in D.C. almost every place is in walking distance to each other. Going to some destinations may take a longer time than the others but the one-of-a-kind view makes it all worth the trouble.

Particularly in Georgetown, where the houses and the stores are quaint, dainty, and placed too close to each other, everything just grows on you. Beautifully-made would be an understatement. In a small town you would be surprised how it can have anything and everything: a famous cupcake place here, a (twin!) sister school of Ateneo, one of the best universities in the country there, and a Christian church just a couple of blocks away. It seemed as though it was built and structured especially for me. How wonderful!

Besides, if I do get bored of D.C., I could always hop on the train and get lost in Virginia or Maryland for a day or two. But, well, I doubt that I would. There's a lot to do at the country's capital that would potentially get me preoccupied but not too exhausted to make me want to move out...

I don't know. We'll see what happens. But I really like D.C.

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