D.C. Is A Huge College Campus

Monday

For Monday's CHCI programming day, we learned about various leadership skills and how neither is better or worse. I found out through my MBTI test that I was classified as a Campaigner, “true free spirits – outgoing, openhearted, and open-minded”. I found the lessons and conversations we had that day to be very transferable to real-life situations. After programming, as we were walking back I stumbled upon a family of frogs staying cool in the blazing heat wave. As I took the picture, I thought to myself how this is someone's front yard, how I wished to be the frog lying back with glasses, surrounded by greenery, not having anything to worry about. But as soon as I remembered the work that I was doing, those thoughts quickly flushed away. I find myself privileged to be able to wake up every single morning and be able to think, eat, walk, and talk properly. A picture so innocent but really for some odd reason just resonated with me, the frogs looked cool tho:3

Throughout the week Angel and I have been going to the gym that our office building offers. It's a small but comfortable gym. However, we discovered there was a Dave's Hot Chicken just a couple of train stops away, so we decided to get our workout in and head to Dave's for the after-meal. William tagged along with us, as it was his first time ever trying Dave's hot chicken and he was curious how it compared to Raising Canes… Obviously, Dave's was better, but this restaurant had the craziest layout ever. It felt like it used to be part of a theater converted into a restaurant, then decorated by a local artist who killed it! I thought the best part was the Chicken dressed as a doorman, sitting on the ledge surrounded by art. I have eaten at some crazy-looking restaurants before, and the Dave's back home is also designed quite well, but this one puts mine to shame.

Thursday

On Juneteenth, I had the day off, so I decided to run my errands and get my clothes dry cleaned. On the way to the dry cleaners, I stumbled upon this house with what seemed like a sculpture grieving or hugging itself. I stood there for a solid 5 minutes just staring at it waiting for it to move because it looked so real. I captured this picture as a goodbye, but also as a way for me to remember it forever. After dropping off my clothes and taking the bus back to Farragut Square, I noticed a large group of people gathering and holding food in their hands. I felt like I was being carried by my nose as if it were those old cartoons. That’s when I discovered the Thursday farmers market near the white house that had Mexican food. Which is so hard to locate here in D.C., almost everyone you ask says there aren't any good restaurants, mostly good Central American restaurants. I had the biggest, tastiest burrito ever. I remember I was melting like how I normally would any other day but the burrito made it worth the melt. It was good to eat something out of the ordinary rice and chicken.

Speaking of which... One day I came home from work craving sweets more than ever. I looked over and saw that my bananas were more than ripe and decided it was time to chef it up. I made a huge banana foster pancake which was so filling and exactly what I was craving. 

Saturday

My favorite day was probably Saturday, as it is like every other week. Saturday was special because it was a CHCI intern’s birthday and it was the 33rd annual D.C. BBQ competition. With friends, I went and tried out that BBQ and really became a judge. I was able to get so much free stuff from all the companies there and was also able to try a lot of yummy delicious food. I saw the Oscar Mayer Hot Dog mobile which was definitely a highlight for me aside from the food. I ended up leaving with my stomach full, bag full, and pockets empty. There was so much good food It was really hard deciding what to eat due to the fact there were long lines everywhere and vendors were selling out. I say D.C. is like a huge college campus because there is always something going on, and there is always free stuff anywhere if you look hard enough. I really have been enjoying my time here and look forward to seeing what other free stuff I can find.