DC days

So here I am, back a week later, knowing slightly more Chinese. I can ask your name, your profession, and how many people you have in your family--but since we haven't yet learned the numbers, I can't actually answer my own question. Good lord, that really is all we can say. It felt like we were learning so much all week...

But nothing I did this week was very exciting compared to James starting A-100! I am so giddy to finally be doing this together. Now it's his turn to handle some of the paperwork and bureaucracy on our behalf :)

Of course, meeting lots of new officers means I have to constantly resist the old "Well, when I was in Dhaka..." routine. Though there is a job in Dhaka on their bid list, so I suppose I will allow myself to dole out Dhaka info as it relates to actually bidding on Dhaka.

I am also having a fantastic--way better than expected--time in DC. I surprisingly don't care about living in a dull area; it's great for my commute and really accessible by metro. Today we spent the day in Old Town Alexandria, which is so frickin' adorable that you want to pinch its cheeks. We toured the Lee-Fendall Home (Lee as in the family of Robert E. Lee, who actually grew up across the street--perfect for our Civil War summer, I guess), which is great if you like your old homes to really smell like old homes.

Otherwise, we hit the opera, the Dhaka crew (partially) reunited, we're catching up on our True Blood, I continue to read the same issue of Bon Appetit I was reading a month ago (though I did just order a 1500-page novel on Amazon against my better judgment), and the process of eating so many avocados that I eventually turn into one marches forward.