... And So It Begins...

Since I arrived in town, and for many days before, the weather had been typical DC August - hot and muggy. But like in a movie, today came around and it was cloudy and cool. It was like summer was suddenly over and with the flip of a switch it is now Fall. 

I left my apartment early, dressed in my crisp white shirt and preppy striped tie, and rode my bike under the grey sky down 16th St. and down New Hampshire Ave. through the morning traffic and past the sidewalk pedestrians. I looked like one of those Mormon kids. Coldplay's "Life in Technicolor II" played on my iPod and filled my ears ("Now my feet won't touch the ground...") and I cracked a smile through DuPont Circle feeling good about the weather and the first day of orientation ahead of me.

When I walked into SMH 107 with Meredith, the classroom was already filled. We took a seat towards the back and I looked for faces that I knew, recognizing a few from Friday’s happy hour and also from Facebook. I wonder if and when the rest of these faces will become familiar. How many – if any – would I really get to know? Of the 50 of us in the program, close to 40 are WHC Scholars who, like me, will be living in DC for the next 4.5 years – how many will become friends?

Naturally, over the course of the day and during breaks, I was drawn back to those I already knew – at one point, Meredith, Mackenzie, Adi, Katie, Dana, Wheeler and I got together and talked about the weekend; a bit later Tim and I hung out as part of a group the went over to the Medical Bookstore to get scrubs, then over to the Bookstore for our Health Assessment books.

$400 for scrubs and books. For just one class. FML.

At the end of the day, I hung out with Adi and Erin at the bus circle, while they waited for their bus to Arlington. Adi wanted to know how to tie a tie, so I made a poor attempt to teach her. It looked like a scarf.  To add insult to the $400 textbook injury, I then had to transport these heavy bitches home with me, and as I secured them to the back of the bike, my bungee cord broke, so I had to strap them to my back. I looked ridiculous, and as predicted the climb up Meridian Hill along 16th St. was a dream come true.