Last weekend I experienced my first journey outside the City since relocating here. Hesitantly and excitedly I traveled to Washington D.C. to visit two of my very best friends, one who recently moved there, and one who was visiting her little brother, a recent freshman at GWU. I say 'hesitantly' due to the fact that for the past two years I have told everyone I was moving to D.C. after graduate school, and I feared being in this city would make me jealous not to be there...clearly God had other plans, and all has ended well because I'm obsessed with my job and achieving so much in NYC (and again, I will hesitantly admit NYC is growing on me, and I halfway love it).
Surprisingly, in my 24 years of life I experienced my first bus trip, courtesy of the Bolt Bus, a so-called "bus with extra leg-room and wireless internet." Needless to say, the space was equivalent to coach seating on an airplane, and the wireless internet worked on and off in increments of 30 seconds...not to mention the guy beside me eating curried tuna out of a ziplock bag his mother clearly packed (thanks for being courteous, buddy). Each way I arrived to my destination one hour past expected, but then again, what can you expect with a $39 round-trip ticket?
The weekend was filled with great food and drinks, outings, shopping and catching up. My friend, L, was visiting the city for her first time, and I'm happy to announce she realized quickly why I'm obsessed with it. Additionally, her little brother recently began college, and is not only new to the city, but new to freedom. Wow, did I not only feel old, but missed the amazement that comes with moving out of your parents' home for the first time and feeling complete liberation (sorry, mom and dad, if you're reading this).
L and "little bro," as I'll refer to him, come from a family unlike any you'll ever meet. Likely the most laid-back, up-for-a-good-time type of family, and never a disappointment to travel with. Little bro was the energizer bunny, keeping us up until 5:00 in the morning (I can't remember the last time I did that), and L, on the prowl for "finance guys," as she referred to them all weekend (I corrected her a number of times that she's referring to my City, and "Hill guys" is the appropriate reference for D.C). But underlying their relationship is this profound support for one another that cannot be dismissed. While L is struggling to get settled into a new job, and little bro into a new lifestyle, they are there for each other through and through.
My friend, M, also recently moved to the city to begin a job with one of my favorite companies. I happened to be one of the lucky ones who graduated with a job, but M took a few months to find something. Of course none of us ever doubted it would work out for her, but when it did, it was what she was destined to do. I experienced the uncertainty of the months prior to her starting her job, and seeing her in an amazing city and loving her job meant the world to me.
I didn't quite realize how desperate I was for time with my best friends (DUFFs, as we often refer to one another), and am going through a bit of withdrawal this week. But what I realized on this trip was that no matter how far my friends live from one another, our friendship spans thousands of miles. Everything always works out in the end, it's simply just making it through that period of uncertainty to get to certainty. And no matter how difficult those times are, it's like we can come back together and it's as though there is no physical distance. Seeing one another gives us that extra kick we need to make it through.
I'm not sure if it's just the company I choose to keep or the vibe you experience in D.C. People in this city are often scrambling, working themselves to death for literally the clothes on their back, yet in the end, it all works out. They find satisfaction and happiness in their lives, and along the way they pick up those friends that stick with them through it all.
And for those of you who don't understand the title's references, don't worry, because what happens on the Hill, stays on the Hill.
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