Curls in the Capitol!

Coming to the capitol means commitment.

I’m generally a committed person. I follow through and I’m there for my friends and family. But in the last year I have lived in Cape Town, California, DC, and Delhi; committing to one city is something I haven’t done in a long time.

But today I committed to living in Washington, D.C. for at least the next 365 days by signing a lease in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of the city.

Everyone tells me one year isn’t that long, but when you’re 21, every year of your life has held a monumental occasion. I know it’ll go by fast, but after being a nomad for so long, it’s a little daunting to think about spending a year in one place. I’m definitely ready to not live out of a suitcase and to put down some roots, but I already feel the itch to explore again. I figure if I’m unemployed…why not? (just kidding mom and dad.)

The job hunt is daunting and all-consuming, and maybe should be stressful, but after crossing the street in Delhi, I can apply for a few jobs. I’ve committed many days to sending out resumes, and lately I haven’t been doing as many as I should, but I’m confident that, eventually, something that I like will come along.

I’m both excited and nervous about staying in DC for a year, and it will be interesting to see if I’m able to make this city feel like home after so much back and forth around the world. I feel up to the challenge, but when I find myself running into sari clad women everywhere and hearing African accents on every block, I wonder if DC will ever even come close to the adventures of living abroad.

It might sound bizarre and overdue, but a few days ago it really hit me that I am not anywhere near India. Walking through D.C., I notice how everyone is in his own world. Ipod in, blackberry on, and in a rush, everyone passes everyone on the street and doesn’t acknowledge each other’s humanity. If I wanted to, I could go days without touching another human being. Our society is so sterile, so compartmentalized, that we don’t take the time to connect with one another. This element of our culture surprised me when I came home from Cape Town, and again from Delhi, because in those places, the culture is much more physical. In India, Joyti would touch my hand or leg as we spoke, and in Cape Town Lendy was always playing with my hair or poking my sunburned skin.

India was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but the longer I’m away from it, the more I miss it, and the more willing I am to go back someday. Everyday I learn more about the gifts India gave me, and everyday my experience in India becomes more valuable. I felt I could not have survived Cape Town without previous FTC travel, I could not have survived India without Cape Town, and now, I’m thinking it would be much more challenging for me calmly to start my new life here without India. So I’m committing to trying to view DC like I did these exotic places: like an adventure with so many stories to be told.

Now that sounds like a commitment I can stick to.

Also, now that I'm in the capitol I'm supposed to be political. So go here: http://www.gavinnewsom.com/actions/petition and participate in the civil rights battle of our generation.

(keeping the curlsonthecape url because that's where the journey began, and so all of you can continue to follow along.)