For years I kept journals -- in composition, spiral bound, and French graph paper books. This blog is an attempt to get back to writing and documenting the world around me using photos, newspaper headlines, and other articles.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Main State and Georgetown

I didn't sleep very well last night.  I woke up from my first nightmare at 11:47 and the rest of the night didn't get any better.  Selim is in second grade and all I could think about is that could have been my child in one of those elementary schools.  Heart sick.

Class went well today.  Some of the concepts I think of as intuitive, but it was nice to hear them spelled out in a more academic way.  Some of it was validation for what I feel that I do already.  And some of the other things opened my eyes to my own shortfalls.  It was helpful.  I'm sitting at a good table.  It is a good mix of newbies and veterans, Civil and Foreign Service, men and women, younger and older.  Everybody has a healthy sense of humor which I really appreciate.  In the small world category, I ran into another person as we entered the cafeteria that I served with in both 2011 and 2012 in London.  Wild.

This is going to be pretty short tonight because I have homework.  I managed some of the reading while I waited for dinner, but I didn't get all of the assignment completed.

After class today, I took the shuttle that ran to Main State.  Even though I spent 6 weeks in 2011 at FSI I never went to the Main State building.  I went to the health services in one of the annex buildings, but never the big at C Street.  I had this moment of panic when I went through the door that I wouldn't be allowed in.  But I knew the security procedure and didn't have any trouble.  I'm glad I asked directions to the gift shop ahead of time, because there aren't any signs.  I made it with a few minutes to browse before they closed for the night.  I wanted a pin for my lanyard and gifts for my guys.  I bought each of them a T-shirt.

There is so much security around the building that I was too intimidated to pull out my camera while in front of the building.  By the time I was walked around the side and then behind, I did pull it out for one shot.



I continued walking up the hill past the Foggy Bottom Metro stop to pick up the Circulator at the corner of 22nd and Pennsylvania Ave.  I don't know what the problem was today, but I waited for 40 minutes for the bus to come.  Usually the wait is no longer than 15 minutes.  I didn't know enough about the regular buses to hop on the 36 or 38A and know that I would have ended up in the same place.  The Circulator costs just a dollar and you can ride it all the way over to Georgetown.  Which, in reality, isn't very far away.  But it feels like it when you are walking and it is hot out.




I forgot that the yellow line bus runs all the way up to the Turkish restaurant, Cafe Divan at 1834 Wisconsin Ave and then a bit past before it turns around.  Stupidly, I got off the bus at M street ~1200 Wisconsin (where the blue and yellow lines intersect) and then had to walk up the hill until I reached my destination.  I was sweating by time I got to there, and it was worth it.



I sat outside.  While I waited for my food, I tried to review homework with Selim over the phone.  That proved too difficult as the noise from traffic interfered and we didn't have the best signal.  I promised to call when I got back to the hotel.  The food was just as good as I remembered.  I ordered two appetizers and called it a meal -- the mixed meze platter for one with dolma, hommus, feta cheese, lentil kofte and sigara borek, and a separate order of falafel.  My order included a basket of warm, focaccia type bread.  Yum!



I didn't lick my plate.



But I managed to polish off most of it.  I did my best with the dolma.  I'm not a huge fan of the grape leaf.  I find it a tad slimy.  I wish I had asked them to substitute another lentil kofte for the dolma.  I've tried to make it at home, and it has never come out very well.  I need a better recipe...like theirs.



I knew I wanted to relax a bit over a cup of tea.



I asked my waitress for a dessert recommendation and she suggested the rice pudding.  This rice pudding is unlike Indian rice pudding or American style for that matter.  It is made from rice flour, instead of rice grains.  It is baked and cut into rectangles, sprinkled with cinnamon.  It is much lighter and almost jello pudding like in its consistency.  I ate the whole serving, even though I was full.  Oink, oink.



Speaking of pigs, right by the restaurant was this random pig thing.  I have no idea why it is there or its purpose.  But there you have it.



Alrighty, I have to get to my homework.  And then, maybe I can have a better sleep tonight.  I'll put on the basketball game instead of tornado coverage.  That should help.  So, Memphis or San Antonio, who you got?

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