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| Harper's Ferry - John Brown Fort |
As I plug along and struggle with French, I’m making a point to play tourist every weekend. At about the halfway point, my French stinks but I’m checking off the tourist boxes big time. I’ve checked off many of the Smithsonians, seen a play at Ford’s Theater and, last week, went to a podcast taping of “Stuff You Should Know” (my favorite podcast) at the 100-year-old Warner Theater downtown. I’ve got tickets to upcoming performances at the Kennedy Center and the National Theater, plus a road trip to NY planned.
Last weekend I took a road trip with a friend to Harper’s
Ferry. I thought I knew the place, but then I realized the reason it sounded
familiar is because that’s the road I turn on to get to Zippy’s house. I’m
pretty sure I’ve seen Gettysburg, but I’d never been to Harper’s Ferry.
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| Smithsonian Postal Museum |
As that’s practically the first thing I’ve done with someone
else, I had a blast. We walked a ton, up and down the hill and in and out of
shops. Honestly, if I didn’t like my job so much I would aim for working at the
National Parks Service. They have so many cool sites to explore! I’d gone to
one on Saturday in DC – the old post office, which is now restored and a Waldorf
Astoria hotel – and Harper’s Ferry had a few. The docents – or whatever they
are – know their stuff. We happened into one cute little storefront and randomly
arrived three minutes before a presentation. The presenter knew his stuff – he discussed
the battle for an hour! And today, I went to the Capitol and gleaned knowledge
from the guide there. (That may not have been NPS, but you get the idea.)
I still have three months to go but my “must do” list is
dwindling. There is plenty to do here, though; that initial list is mostly the
main touristy stuff. Although I’ve done a few off-the-beaten-path-type things,
there is just so much more here. Washington.org is a fantastic site and I need
to remember to check it before Thursday to plan the weekend.
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| Museum of African Art (made with old gas cans) |
Work-wise, French is awful for me but I’m plugging along. I’m
well behind the curve but my hope is that one day it will all fall into place. The
language is so lyrical and I just can’t tell when one word end and another
begins. Essentially, I have to visualize the words and the read them and I’ll
hear something like “con-gee” and think it’s the one word for “time off” but in
reality, it’s two words meaning “when I.” I just cannot tell because it flows
together, almost musically. (I mean, not when I speak, but basically anyone
else.)
It’s like the song “Blinded by the Light.” No, the lyrics
are not “wrapped up like a douche, another rumor in the night,” but that’s what
I hear because I can’t pick out the words. It’s only once I get the lyrics –
err, the transcription – that I’m like, OOOH! It’s “Revved up like a deuce,
another rumor in the night.” NOW I hear it. But no matter how many times I hear
it (and trust me, I replay these things 5-10 times) I cannot pick out the words
until I see them in print.
In no way do I hate it, but it is sucking away at any bit of
self-confidence I had. This is, quite literally, my job right now and I am
pretty awful at it. It’s hard to accept being awful at your job. It’s not a
feeling I like, for sure.
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| View of Capitol from old post office |
It’s a slog, for sure, but time is marching on and I’m just
hoping everything comes together in the last two months. I am so ready to get
to post, mostly because I want to be good at what I do again.
Meanwhile, I am also ticking off the boxes of logistical stuff I have to do before I leave. New passport, check; visa application, check; vaccines, check. The next big hurdle is buying a car. I was hoping to buy Zippy’s but that doesn’t look like it’s going to work out so I’m looking in the DC area. Luckly, cars are cheaper here (guess it’s the inventory) but holy cow, prices are incredible. I thought I found a hybrid that would work but then I read that shipping hybrids – especially used ones, which is what I am looking at – is touch-and-go so that’s not going to happen. I don’t plan on making a move for another month or so, but I did learn yesterday that one of the dealers with some possibilities is only a mile away, so that’s walkable. I may stroll over there in the next week or two just to lay eyes on the stuff I’ve been looking at on Autotrader.com.
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