I'm a Tourist at Home

Returning home is exhausting, probably even more so than the trip itself. Or perhaps it’s just the four months of momentum now swinging wildly in another direction despite my feeble resistance. Changing from nonstop adventure, not really knowing where I’d end up two days later, to searching for one place to plant myself for months can feel a bit demoralizing.

Then again, it still looks like I’ll show up in DC without definite housing. So, that sense of adventure is still going strong.

I've managed in the past
Credit: Ana Stojanovic, Gili Trawangan, Indonesia, 2013

Despite my reservations, I am very excited to move back to DC. There’s always something going on, and the people watching is unmatched. There are few places in the world that one can find a scruffy social activist mingling with a buttoned-up political hopeful and flashy, new-money businesspeople. The contrast isn’t usually so strong, but I’ve seen it.

Nor can most other people frequently use motorcades as an excuse for being late (I’ve only done it once or twice), visit multiple embassies in one day just for fun (Passport DC), or find drink specials based on Capitol Hill’s absurdities.

They influence everything from taxes to drinking games

After living in one place for awhile, it’s easy to forget about the quirks that make it special. They’re normal to you. But spend enough time away (it’s been over a year since I left) and you’ll appreciate it that much more. Those familiarities you came to love welcome you back, and everything you’d forgotten is now new again.

Cherry Blossoms, 2013

I’m particularly fortunate working as a tour guide - not only do I constantly see DC from a visitor’s view, but it prompted me to think about and articulate what about the city kept me around and brings me back. It's made me appreciate the place that much more.

Holi on the Quad, 2011