Tuesday, December 19, 2006

reflections on this semester

it's my last night in washington, d.c. holy shit. i don't believe it. sure my bags are packed, my room is empty and there's no food in the kitchen cabinets, but still i feellikei'll wake up in a couple days and head for work at the greenpeace office. a bunch GOTers have left for home.. for good. to me, it's only as if they've left for a short vacation sort of like thanksgiving. michelle just packed her car and is heading back to new hampshire. now it's hit me. no more cruising on our bikes or in her car with the plastic bag-window shield which read "have a nice day." funny story was that someone broke one of her back windows all to take her adapter and dance shoes. they didn't even take the printer/scanner/photo-copier chilling in the trunk! oh well, no more.. no more sightseeing and me takingabajillion photos like a happy go-crazy tourist. no more waiting for each other to get out of work late at night at jaleo or austin grill. no more salsa dancing or getting into clubs with "our" IDs. no more hanging out with our friends, aaron and edgar. no more thrift shopping for one-dollar dresses. no more indulging chili and chocolate shakes. no more lemon grass tofu! what am i going to do with myself? it's a sad and scary thought to think of not hanging out with my sidekick, mitch. there's no doubt we had the time of our lives, and for that i'm so very thankful. she better be reading this while planning for our summer excursion in south america.

so many people and adventures have impacted my life these past several months. ah, amazing. thank you, thank you! the people at GP--especially my coordinators, amy and jon. two of the most patient people who are understanding and insightful in every way. my mentors and friends. my fellow GOTers--acclamations all around. i've learned that when--"damn, that shit's fucked up" to do something. oh, the go-arounds, the travels, the campaigns, the damn petitions and simulations. good times. my friends at jaleo-- always made me smile and really enjoy doing what i do. thanks for welcoming with warm hugs and kisses and good spanish food. friends outside of gp and jaleo --because of you, i was much cooler in the two workplace realms. thanks for good company and conversations and even at the much needed times, clean laundry. thinking about leaving dc is making me nostalgic--i'm sad about it all. at the same time, i couldn't be more happy. living in dc for the semester has brought so much light to my life--the wealth of knowledge and all-around experiences in the travels of just being in our nation's capitol, driving along the coast, topennsylvania, campaigning in florida, more campaigning in amsterdam and much more fun, the trainings and speakers, the last-minute trip and big event in new york city, the interactions with all different people at so many different locations, the established relationships and friendships, the hard work ethics, the extensive online pcc courses, the museums and monuments, the bars and dance clubs, the good food, books and music. everything. my time and enjoyment here has come full circle and i can satisfyingly saythati'm ready to go. i'm excited for home and all that lies ahead.

1 comment:

Mike said...

Con,

U R totally one of my heroes!

When I grow young again, I want to be just like U.

Me