So finally after visiting many other nation's capitols I decided to visit my own! I was on a little puddle jumper plane from Cleveland into D.C. and the view flying in was amazing. Just looking at the National Mall from above was so cool! There was so much to see. And the Potomac River was crazy big. Even bigger than the Mississippi.
I went to check out some grad schools and to visit my good friend Collette but I think I knew even before I landed that D.C. wouldn't be for me. While there is plenty to see and do (I didn't even see half of it in the week I was there) and the city had many charming features (like the many historic areas with row houses) I just never felt drawn to it like I instantly was to London and New York. But it was definitely cool to be alone with the Washington Monument at night, see backstage at the National Archives, and check out Thomas Jefferson's library. I hope that I'll be able to go back someday and see all of the things that I missed.
After being in D.C. for awhile, it seems my path was laid clear. I'll be headed to London next fall to start a Master's program (or should I say programme?) in Shakespearean studies. I think out of everything I did in D.C., The Folger Shakespeare Library was my fave. I don't know what it is about Shakespeare's works, but I always get a little thrill of excitement learning about them. Visiting The Folger I had a moment of thinking that maybe D.C. wouldn't be half bad, but there really is no better place than London to learn about The Bard (as I found out while studying abroad). And if I needed further confirmation, I learned on my last full day in D.C. that I had been accepted to a second program in London. Who knew that a summer studying Shakespeare could turn into a lifetime pursuit? It seems that that is indeed the case as I'll be spending the majority of my waking moments in study of the Bard and his works next year and will most likely carry that study into the PhD (if I make it that far... I think I will eventually). In any case, I'm super excited to start this new chapter in my life and have A LOT to do in the next six months to prepare... like graduate and I've already started on my massive pre-reading list for the program. Hopefully I'll have time to get it all done and enjoy my remaining time in LA and summer in Sacramento with my family!
