Until next time, my kind of town

You probably know by now how in love I am with the US state capital: enough that a few minutes into my first visit I made a decision to live there one of these days (I now understand what people meant by love at first sight!); too much that I can't help but swoon at the mundane sight of the letters D and C being strung together (And it doesn't help that they follow each other in the alphabet!). So I guess it did not come as a surprise to Tita Inds and Tito Chris when they asked me what I wanted to do on my last weekend in the East Coast and all I could do was chant these two letters repeatedly.

Our other options seemed either less interesting (Baltimore area) or too far away (towns in Virginia) that District of Columbia ended up being the best destination for that Saturday. The night before our drive, they gave me the task of making an itinerary and I was caught in a momentary panic as the organization freak in me goes. Aware that there still were dozens of amusing places to see, I eventually got my cool and settled with the pocket-friendly yet worthy ones.

Day at the museums pt. II

After my first day out exploring museums in Washington, D.C., I knew I had missed something. So as soon as we got back to her place, Ate Haydee and I checked online and fortunately found a very useful website that listed down the sites and artifacts that inspired Night at Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Ultimate daymaker!

The following day, after going to church, having lunch, and undergoing what for me felt like a death march in Georgetown, we hopped on a bus, rode a train, and walked straight to the National Museum of American History. Upon entrance I knew right away that it was going to be my favorite of all. A lot of my interests were catered in this particular museum and I was so amused with everything I didn't care that we lost track of time. Eventually we had to get going, swung by Natural History to snap a photo with "Dum-Dum who loves his gum-gum," took a short break at the World War II Memorial, then introduced myself to Sir Abraham Lincoln.

It had been a great weekend and although I'm currently ill because of it, I wouldn't want it any other way. My thank yous go out to: Ate Haydee for having me; Tita El-El and her family for treating us out to dinner; and Tito Chris, Tita Inday, and the kids for driving/accompanying me back and forth between MD and DC. You all made me feel very happy and blessed!

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.