What's cooler than being cool?

...ICE COLD!

It's been relatively warmer lately, compared to the Inaug and the days it was sandwiched between. But warmer is like mid-30's, not even. So, it's still cold. I have learned and accepted the fact that I have never known cold until about 21 days ago, and that any previous use of "cold" was executed under a very naive, ill-informed understanding of the word, or just thrown in conversation as small talk. I have since been enlightened. I now know what it means to be cold. Of course, Obamsky thinks this winter is nothing compared to Chi-town. With all due respect, Mr. Prez, since I am from California and Indonesia, I believe I have every right to be a wuss.

You know it's cold when:

• You've just had dinner and all you want is a bowl of soup.
• There is no use for a refrigerator. You buy sushi in the morning, take it on the hourlong commute, and by lunchtime it's still as fresh as ever.
• Personal space is impractical. You will press up against anyone just to stay warm.
• Your face feels like it has a thousand needles in it.
• A shooting pain runs through your body, down to your fingers and toes, followed by a complete loss of sensation, and all you can think about is the movie "Alive."
• You're waiting for the DC Circulator (a bus) and after standing outside for five minutes, you begin to lose your mind and start singing "circulator, circulator, you're a circulator...OH!" to the tune of Britney Spears' "Womanizer."
• You've never been so excited to see a bus in your entire life.
• You...can...own...ly...talk...one....syl...la...bull...at...a...time.
• Your thinking becomes so impaired that amidst walking briskly with hands under your arms, you wonder "am I wearing any pants?" and look down just to check.
• You can see your BREATH.

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Good news: It snowed today! First time actually seeing snow fall from the sky in real life. Just like in snow globes and "Home Alone."

Bad news: Lost my phone on the metro. While I was waiting for the bus, it started to snow, and I was so excited I wanted to text someone. Then I realized it was gone.

Ugly news: No phone means no alarm ... meaning - it is very unlikely that I am going to wake up on time tomorrow.

Wish me luck. (Preferably through email, 'cause you can't call me.)

Inauguration Day

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."

- The 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama

10:30 am - A little late to just be leaving the house. No ticket. And only a disposable camera. But I'm not going to let that stop me.

11:00 am - Arrive at Pangea Cafe at 21st and I. Big screen showing coverage, but not really the big, excited atmosphere I was looking for. Ordered a soup to warm up.

11:11 am - See George Sr. and Barbara in matching purple scarves. Cute.

11:15 am - Bill and Hillary preparing to walk out. Her face always looks surprised/excited. Cracks me up.

11:30 am - Obama daughters walk out....what lucky kids. They'll have the best seats in the house.

11:35 am - Bush and the Republican leaders walk out. Lady next to me quietly boos. I later find out that the crowd was loudly booing. Cheney's in a wheelchair...odd. "Hail to the chief" starts playing. Hail indeed.

11:42 am - Joe Botox...I mean, Biden... walks out flashing his million dollar grin. I wonder if he ever gets tired smiling. I wonder if he's physically capable of not smiling. Dianne Feinstein walks out (announcer incorrectly pronounces it Fein-STEEN...I think they did it on purpose...FOX news...) Angeline and I comment about how disappointed we were in her not coming through with providing Pepperdine with Inauguration tickets. But we will move on eventually. Finally, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the president elect of the United States, Barack H. Obama." This is history. Merdeka! I wonder what must be going through his head. He must be craving some Topolombampo right about now. (I just really like saying/typing Topolombampo).

11:44 am - Rick Warren gives the invocation. He pauses after "our first African-American President of the United States" to the roaring cheer of the crowd. He probably saw that one coming. Applause during prayer though? Come on now. He then asks God to remind us that "we are united not by race or religion or blood but by our commitment to freedom and justice for all." Amen. Aretha in a crazy hat sings "My Country 'Tis of Thee" with her even crazier voice. Some in the audience cry. I almost want to. Then, Yo Yo Ma and others perform a John Williams piece.

11:57 am - Biden is sworn in. He does an impeccable job. Angeline turns to me and says "I wonder if they ever forget what they're supposed to say."

12:05 pm - "I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear..." Angeline's question is answered, as Obama pauses and needs Chief Justice Roberts to repeat a line. You'd be nervous too if you were taking over to clean up an eight year mess. This is further proof that the big O is indeed a human being.

12:09 pm - Inaugural address. In true Obama fashion, he perfectly outlines and sums up our nation, giving it to us straight: this is what's wrong, these are our challenges, this is what we can do, and this is what we will do. I truly hope and have faith that it is so.

12:25 pm - "This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath." How far we've come.

12:30 ish - After his speech, Angeline, Catherine, and I head towards the crowds, to feel the excitement first hand. They also need a picture to prove to their mom that they were there. We end up walking against traffic, since most people are leaving the capitol/memorial areas. Half of the United States must be here. FLOODS of people in the streets. Oceans and oceans of heads. Yet surprisingly calm and not so mob-like. I had more fear for my life at the Backstreet Boys concert in November.

1:00 pm - We had our own celebratory luncheon at Charlie Chiang's. Celebrating the diversity in this nation by being Indonesian and Koreans having Chinese food.

4:24 pm - Heard screaming and yelling in my hall, thought we were under attack. Some of my colleagues appeared to be yelling "Obama's downstairs!" but then actually found out they were yelling "Bono's downstairs!" Grabbed my coat and my house slippers, because apparently I was pressed for time. Walked outside and there seemed to be some kind of parade marching through our street, although there's no way the official parade would be coming through, since there was no kind of security or barricades set up. Walked back to my room unimpressed.

Happy MLK Day

"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." 

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

The inauguration will soon be upon us, and the anticipation in the air has been tangible ever since I got here, but only now have the crazy crowds started to come in.

It's been a long, exhausting, but eventful day. Woke up at 6 am to line up for the 2:30 pm free concert at Lincoln Memorial - the location of MLK Jr.'s historic "I have a dream" speech  - to kick off the inauguration festivities. Moment to moment, it wasn't exactly the most enjoyable, but it was definitely worth being there, and the performances and speeches were phenomenal. Absolutely unforgettable experience.

Details and pictures to come.

Decisions

It has been seven days since I landed in Obamaland, and the week was filled with directional challenges. Am I going the right way? Am I in the right place? On the wrong side of the tracks? On the wrong bus? Will the bus ever come? Literally and figuratively. This can lead to a lot of stress, obviously, but before I start to worry too much I take comfort in knowing that at the end of the day, I will always find my way home. Even when it takes a little longer and some wrong turns. Literally and figuratively.

The internship situation is still not 100% secured/finalized but I am at least now in a place where I am not worrying about having one. I will just leave it at that.

The only things that are certain in life are death, taxes, and that it's COLD. If I live through this winter to ever get back to the west coast, I vow to never again say the word cold while in southern California.

What it takes to be a nurse

Women Veterans of Vietnam

Anxiety.

Fatigue.

Compassion.

And above all, dedication.

Arriving & First Impressions

Anyong! Welcome to my DC blog! I am hoping to keep this up for the whole time I am here so those who I love and miss dearly (as well as those I don't miss that much, but may still be interested) can see what I'm up to: what I'm seeing, doing, hearing, and eating.

I arrived on the night of the 8th and have been relatively busy ever since. During the past two days, we've had a couple of orientation sessions in which we were introduced to the program, including a four-hour monument tour taking us to the main memorials, including those of the Vietnam War, Korean War, and Lincoln, all of which I've seen before with Mom and Dad when we came a couple years ago, but had no less of an effect on me the second time around. We also went on a scavenger hunt, the purpose of which was to help us learn how to get around the city. But one of the members of my team was a student who had stayed in DC the prior semester, so she knew her way around and I blindly followed, concentrating more on keeping up (those short legs of mine...I'm a slow walker.) So, that didn't really help me in the finding-my-way department. But I'll figure it out eventually. Plus, her expertise got us second place in the competition, so...what what.

The weather is, yes, cold. Unbelievably cold. Teeth-chatteringly cold. So-cold-I-have-to-distract-myself-by-singing cold. (We actually saw particles fall from the sky and bounce off the hoods of cars. I think that's called hail.) But what was I to expect? This shouldn't have been news. Having been spoiled with warm-to-cool weather my whole life has made my temperature shock a given. I almost miss sticky Jakarta air. The worst part of it though is that within five minutes of stepping inside, you want nothing more than to peel off all the layers that keep you alive outside. So you're walkin' around a store with a jacket in one hand, and a scarf in the other, and gloves hanging out of your pocket. I probably look like a mess. However, I do think it is kind of fun getting bundled up, and also seeing my breath. I get a kick out of being able to see my breath.

If I were to behaviorally categorize DC as a city, it would be organized-hectic. It has the hustle and bustle of NYC minus the g to the h-e-t-t-o. But that's probably because we spoilt P-dine kids live in the nicest part of town. And I can only imagine how crazy it will be during inauguration. It'll just be plain ol' hectic minus the organized. We were all under the impression that we had tickets to the inauguration, but I remained skeptical refusing to get my hopes up. And rightfully so, because Mr. Khalil, our fearless leader and program director, informed us that his usual connection did not come through. She usually grants him a good number of tickets, but for this particular inauguration she declared there would be no favors to friends. Apparently, Mr. Obama is so much of a celebrity that getting a chance to be within a mile of him is a hotter ticket than Lakers vs. Celtics on the floor on Christmas day. Whatever happens, I will be happy enough with the chance to say I was in the capital on the day of this historic inauguration. I'll take it.

People are very friendly for the most part. I had a bus driver let me ride for free, since I hadn't bought a bus pass yet and I waved around my five dollar bill like the dumb tourist that I am, saying that it was the smallest bill I had and was there any way he could give me change for it (even though I know he couldn't). He said "don't worry about it." He probably just didn't have the time to deal with my shenanigans and wanted me to sit down. There have been a couple iffy characters, such as a lady working at a restaurant (which will remain nameless) who, upon being asked "would you be so kind as to cut that sandwich in half?" responds by staring blankly at me for five seconds...blinking...and nodding once, all the while wearing a look of why-are-you-wasting-my-time. But, things like that have happened only a handful of times. I am proud to say that I found my way to Georgetown on a bus pretty easily. A small mishap in the beginning after getting on the wrong bus, but with my directional ineptitude I was expecting to be lost for hours.

I am still on the internship hunt, but Khalil has assured those of us who have yet to secure one (which is a good number of people) not to worry, and that the holidays create sort of a lull in hiring. He also says that he will help us all find internships within the first two weeks. So far in the history of the program, nobody has not eventually found an internship. I am trying my best to be patient, not be too discouraged about the rejections, and enjoy the city while I still have time off - but still making sure to continue applying for things in the meantime. I am very excited and eager to start "working," even if it is for free. After all, I will be gaining knowledge/experience - the only true currency in this bankrupt world. Or is the only true currency what we share with people when we're uncool? (An "Almost Famous" reference... never mind.) I look forward to getting into a routine and growing familiar with my commute. Basically, pretending to be a grown-up, all the while feeling safe under the security blanket that is this program. Of course, if I don't get hired within two weeks, then I can kiss all of that goodbye... but we're going to think positive.

Peace be with you,

Samy