Commencement

I found myself in four airports today as part of a voyage that involved three flights, the last of which brought me to Washington DC for a pre-departure orientation session.

When I was in the Minneapolis airport this morning, I overheard a young boy ask his father essentially what is the furthest distance a person can go--an appropriate question for an airport.

His father replied: "The furthest you can go is to come back to where you started from."

I feel like there's a lot of truth in that statement, aside from the obvious, and it was a neat quote that carried me through today's long travels (I have been awake since before 3am) and encouraged me to recognize that distance is not the most important aspect of this summer--more so than travel for travels' sake, I have a unique opportunity not only to study a really unique language this summer, but I have an opportunity for some self-discovery, adventure, and exploration.

And so far...so good.

I've really enjoyed meeting my peers who will be accompanying me to India this summer--they are some genuinely fascinating people who bring with them a diverse set of interests and backgrounds, but it's so neat to have so much in common with them from right off the bat. After spending the late afternoon socializing with them, I went to dinner with a few at an Italian restaurant before continuing on a walk to the Washington Monument. As we were walking, it began to drizzle, and before we could continue down the Washington Mall, we were in the midst of a downpour and in desperate need of a taxi. So, most of the monuments will have to wait, but it was an evening well spent. My peers here are fabulous, and I'm curious to see how this summer will play itself out.

This is such a rambly post.

Other than that, the only thing really to report is that my hotel is ridiculously rad.

And my plane landed just as the Holocaust Museum shooting was occuring. God bless that security guard.

Sorry this isn't more substantial.

I need sleep.

Love you all. :)