Gakusei Travels

Next Stop: Washington D.C.

Today’s officially the day. We start yet another adventure in Washington D.C.

I feel like this day simultaneously took forever to come and came too quickly. I’d only been talking about going for months now, and it’s finally time to go. Leading up to today, packing was a bit of a nightmare. I think coming back from Japan and having so much stuff that it wouldn’t fit in my suitcases honestly traumatized me lol. I was so worried that my bulky sweaters and winter clothes wouldn’t fit in my three suitcases, but surprise surprise, I overthought the entire process. Everything fit in the end. Did I cut it close with the 50lb weight limit? Yes. But my bags were only 37lbs and 44lbs respectively. One thing I will always do is stuff my bags to the brim. One would think that by my third solo trip I’d learn to pack properly by now. It’s all thanks to my vacuum seal bags that everything even fit.

Due to excitement, I actually woke up way before my alarm. I first woke up at around 4 AM lol. I fell back asleep before waking up 10 minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off. My lovely parents dropped me off at the airport and this time there were no tears! For those that may not remember, when I left for Japan, I literally cried until I arrived at my layover in Detroit Cried through TSA and my entire first flight.

This time around, my mom and I held it together. I think it’s because I just feel more excited about this opportunity. Not that I wasn’t last time, but I think this experience will be way different as it will be affecting my potential future career. My parents are also planning to come visit me while I’m out here, so I need to see all that I can and try so many things to be able to show them. I’m just so thankful that family has been so supportive of me through all of my endeavors, including this D.C. trip.

Flying to D.C. was actually the shortest flight of my trips. The flight took about an hour and arrived sooner than I thought it would. I just read my book the whole time to distract from the fact I was a bit motion sick. I’m not sure if it was the nerves or the slight turbulence, but I couldn’t look out the window for long without feeling nauseous. I did catch a picture of the Washington Monument as we were landing.

I arrived at D.C. around 11:30. It was a struggle getting all of my suitcases and getting to my lyft by myself. It doesn’t get any easier even after doing it three times. This should be my sign to go to the gym because flying solo is a workout in it self. lol

So, my roommate actually arrived on Saturday. She flew in from Guam, so the internship program arranged for her to come earlier. She said she her total travel time was about 23 hours, so I’m amazed she wasn’t more jetlagged. That’s one thing I’m glad I don’t have to deal with this time. Adjusting to the 13 hour time difference in Tokyo was rough. The 3 hour difference in Los Angeles was bad too!

I’m lucky my roommate came early, because that meant I didn’t have to wait until the 4 P.M. check in time to get to my apartment. My roommate is also so sweet. She brought me a little gift for rooming with her these next couple months. We have a lot of similar interests, so I think we’ll get along well. However, since she is from Guam, she’s not used to the cold weather, but to me, D.C. right now is slightly warmer than back home. I had to downsize my winter coat to a lighter jacket, because I got hot. The last couple of weeks had been in the single digits temperature wise plus tons of snow, so the 45 degree weather of D.C was a nice, welcome change.

I was able to get unpacked and iron my clothes for work tomorrow. I then went down to the nearby Target to pick up a few snacks and things for lunch. I ended up running into one of the guys from the internship and we went to the store together. He and a bunch of the other interns who arrived early couldn’t check in, and they were mostly hanging out in the lobby until their place was ready. The apartments are actually really nice. We have a nice view from ours, and it comes with the basic essentials. The place is kind of like a hotel.

My roommate and I plan to go to the store at the end of the week to get household items, like cleaning supplies and paper towels. I did the bare minimum with shopping to get me through the first few days. I’m just glad to have my own room for the first time! After back to back summers staying in the equivalent of a dorm room, I’m so happy to finally have my own space. And it’s paid for by my internship, so I don’t have to worry about rent this time around like I did in L.A.

My roommate and I then went and had lunch together at a nearby Poke place. One thing I’m definitely excited for is to try all the different food spots and restaurants in D.C. I’ve saved several restaurants near our apartment in Google maps already, and I can’t wait to get out and explore more once I get into the routine of working.

Now, while having lunch, I realized I messed up. Somehow, I bought decaf coffee instead of regular coffee. The box looked identical and sat right next to the regular coffee on the shelf. My roommate went back to Target with me, because she needed a few items. I got it squared away, and I’m all set for my first day of work.

I got my clothes ironed. I got my work bag together with everything I need to bring for orientation. I got my lunch packed. Everything was all set by 5 PM.

It was great, because I could then just spend the rest of the evening relaxing and watching TV until I turned in for the night. I have to be at orientation at 7 AM. The interns have agreed to go to work together, so we have to leave out by 6 AM. We’ll be taking the metro. Which means, I have to be up by 5 AM. T^T.

It’s going to be a long day, but I’m truly excited and can’t wait to explore a new city and learn all that I can at this internship.