16 months and counting…

The journey of moving 7000 miles, across continents, across time zones has been not an easy one but most definitely an interesting, roller-coaster one. Moving away from everyone and everything you know isn’t east, never was, never will be. A lot of people ask – do you miss home? And my answer is always the same – I miss my people but am glad that I have my people here in DC now 16 months and counting…

I have never been the one to be sentimental while writing – especially not while writing a blog, but sentiment and emotions are the core of all writing isn’t it? How does one feel coming to the land of the free, in what can be described as one of the most tumultuous and trying times for the U.S. and the world overall? It’s a barrage of emotions actually – wonder, awe, happiness, sadness, excitement, fright, love, heartbreak – I can keep going on and on and it never ends, 16
months and counting…

Coming to DC, coming to GW was never an easy choice to make and honestly, I can’t name one person for whom it was an easy choice. Going home after 15 months for a month’s worth of vacation, I missed DC. Because weirdly – DC is home now, 16 months and counting…

The people I have met – the ice cream lady at the Hershey’s at Georgetown who I stared at weirdly because I couldn’t understand her accent nor could she understand mine on my first day in DC, the professors who understood, cared and looked out for me as I settled in, in those early months, the friends I made, the friends I lost – yeah that happens trust me!, meeting the guy who helps me stay sane, the awesome people I get to call my colleagues and peers, the
confidence I have now to speak my mind ‘more’ freely, to voice my opinions ‘more’ freely, to be ‘ME’ more freely – I wouldn’t trade all of these experiences for anything in the world…16 months and counting…

….to be continued…

-Priya Lewis