À la fin

I'm sitting at my desk on the second last day of work, thinking back to my very first day at this office at the end of January. I wore the same suit that wintry Monday morning as I walked into the Longworth House Office Building, hoping this experience would be worth the extra semester in Paris that I had 'sacrificed' for it. Today I can only laugh at my naiveté. Each experience is unique and distinct in itself and though I wouldn't think twice about living in Paris once again, I cannot undermine all that I have learned these past 4 months on the Hill. Therefore, I am convinced that I made the right decision, given the available choices and my circumstances.

Washington, DC has been a gracious host and over the past few weeks, as the weather improved and the greenery spread like an epidemic, I find myself wanting to stay just a little bit longer. This past weekend I had visitors from NYC and we spent most of our time in the sun – lunching on the grounds of the French Embassy, walking around the memorials, napping on the Mall, and window-shopping in Georgetown. We had our TWC commencement ceremony on Monday afternoon with speeches and a slideshow that went on a bit too long (and painfully repeated the same song thrice). I came away with one word – 'connect'.

I took off from work on Tuesday and Wednesday to hit the museums and boy, what a great idea that was! I spent most of Tuesday at the Holocaust Museum, taking in the intense and immense permanent exhibit. I was deeply moved by the images and installations but what almost brought me to tears was the small room at the end dedicated to the ongoing genocide in Darfur. It is hard to stomach that after the world has seen such horrors during the Holocaust and other ethnic cleansing campaigns, something like this continues to unfold. While we continue to mourn those who were brutally murdered some 60 years ago, the casualties of genocide grow every minute of everyday. The following quote by Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran Minister and early supporter of the Nazi regime who was later imprisoned for opposing Hitler, captures the consequences of looking the other way while discrimination and racism prevail in society:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist,
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist,
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew,
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.

With a heavy heart, and the gruesome images of the Holocaust fresh on my mind, I wandered through the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It certainly had a lot on offer, but at the time, it did not quite help my mood or the weak but persistent headache that had begun to nag me. On Wednesday I visited the National Gallery of Art, the National Portrait Gallery, and the National Archives. Owing to the mid-week, mid-day lack of crowds at the National Gallery, I actually ended up getting a private walk through the collection highlights with a museum guide. We talked about the architecture of the building, Calder's installations, and all the major works by artists from Picasso to Matisse, Rothko to Pollock. At the National Portrait Gallery they had a special exhibit on Katherine Hepburn, with all four of her "Best Actress" Oscars on display (she still holds the record for most Oscars won by an actor in a leading role). The National Archives was a quick walk through but you see [very faded] originals of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights and a surprisingly dark and clear Magna Carta from 1296. So that was it for sightseeing!

Tomorrow is my last day at work and the evening will see some sad goodbyes and frenzied packing. I know I will look back on my time in DC as a rich learning experience, having discovered things about myself and the working world that I probably would never have been exposed to till much after my graduation from college. I have made new friends and professional acquaintances, I have learned to speak new words in new languages, I have surveyed the artistic and cultural offerings of the Capital and sampled its culinary hotspots, I have led tours and taken a couple too, I have worked hard but also taken the time to think, explore, discover, and enjoy, but most importantly, I have grown. Thank you for accompanying me on this journey.

Till we meet again,

DC Diaries

Penultimate

Week 14 has arrived and though I always knew it was coming, now that it's finally here I'm in a state of panic! Of the 3 P's my life is supposed to revolve around (portfolio, proposal, paper), in reality it's revolving around a fourth – procrastination! But I am confident that everything will be in order by this coming weekend so I can fully enjoy Week 15, spending time in museums that I still have to visit and restaurants I still need to sample. Of course I shall also go to work, but only on Thursday and Friday ;) My supervisors thought it only reasonable for me to want to take a couple of days off to pack up and do last minute DC things, and there was no reason for me to reject their suggestion!

This whole deal with Reverend Wright hogging headlines is so (as New York magazine would say) lowbrow. The controversy has undoubtedly hurt Obama even though the Reverend's behavior this past weekend should convince anyone in their right mind that this man is suffering from a severe case of mediatitis.

Last evening we had a great time in class playing a game of imaginary international geopolitics. I was the King of Saudi Arabia, who fell victim to a nuclear trigger happy Iran, while the Americans (led by none other than President Obama, House Speaker Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott) lame ducked their way through the unfolding chaos in the Middle East. That was our last "academic" class of the semester since we're going to dinner next Tuesday.

All else is ça va. Its 12:57 a.m. and I think I will end right here. I promise to be doubly entertaining next week!

Crooked Teeth

I hear in my mind, all of these voices

I hear in my mind, all of these words

I hear in my mind, all of this music

(And it doesn't break my heart!)

Spring is in the air, Regina Spektor is [stuck] on my tongue, and I'm getting ready to say goodbye to Washington! But not without lots of last minute sightseeing, event attending, Capitol tour giving, and working! Last night I volunteered with Asia Society at an Indian Classical Concert (Dagar Ensemble) that they organized in partnership with GWU's Sigur Center and the Indian Embassy. Tomorrow there's a performance by Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, on Friday there's a Korean Film Festival, and on Saturday I'm going to the National Symphony Orchestra at Kennedy Center.

At work, things are busy as ever, with no signs of a new Staff Assistant and very strong signs that I may be filling two roles till my last day on the job. But I must confess it does makes me feel important, more needed, more wanted, more appreciated [and more exhausted] ;)

Over the past week we've had so many constituents visiting DC and all the tours I did for them have kept me on my toes (literally!). Since architectural trivia is just flowing out of my ears at this point, why don't I give you guys a virtual tour of the Capitol?! Here goes...

We descend to the basement of my office building (Longworth) and take the tunnel to the Capitol. Here I mention how networks of tunnels and a mini subway train connect all the House and Senate office buildings to the Capitol and in turn, to each other. Also, visitors find it interesting to observe that we have every service under the sun available right inside our office buildings – bank, post office, cafeteria, barber shop, supply store, dry cleaning etc. Next we stand on line from anywhere between 5 and 55 minutes depending on the season (this is high high season), and once security is cleared we proceed through another long tunnel (this one adorned with art made by high school students from around the country – winners of a competition aptly titled Artistic Discovery) and arrive at the Columbus Doors.

These doors were originally installed as doors for the House chamber in 1863 and were then moved to the front of the Capitol in 1871. They are 17 feet tall and weigh about 20 tonnes – a product of German craftsmanship (Munich) from 1860 depicting events in the life of Christopher Columbus.

Next we proceed into the crypt, which lies directly beneath the Rotunda and the big dome of the Capitol. The Crypt was intended to be the final resting place of George and Martha Washington but both of them passed away before the Capitol was completed and hence were buried at Mount Vernon. The significance of the crypt doesn't end here though – the star at its center is also the geographic center of Washington, DC from where the lines that demarcate its four quadrants (NE, NE, SE, SW) shoot out.

The next stop on the tour is the Old Supreme Court Chamber, which was the meeting place of the Senate from 1800 to 1808 and then the Supreme Court from 1810 until 1860. It was also the site of the first presidential inauguration (Thomas Jefferson) in 1801. It is important to note that seven of the Justices' desks and five of their chairs are originals from about 1850-1860. The Willard Clock on the back wall was installed on the instruction of Chief Justice Taney, a stickler for punctuality, who had the clock set five minutes fast to ensure the proceedings took place in a timely manner. It still functions today and will definitely be five minutes ahead of your wristwatch!

We take a flight of stairs up while gawking at a beautiful crystal chandelier (14,000 cut crystals), which is originally from Czechoslovakia but was purchased by the Architect of the Capitol at an auction in 1965 for a mere $1500. The gasps continue as we enter The Rotunda, by far the most impressive room in the building. The dome above your head is approximately 180 feet (18 stories) tall. The painting on the inside, done by Constantino Brumuidi, is called The Apotheosis of George Washington and as the name suggests, depicts his ascension to the rank of a god. The thirteen maidens surrounding him are believed to represent the original 13 states. The Brumidi Frieze that wraps around the wall of the Rotunda is another awe-inspring painting that looks like sculpture.

It traces America's history from the landing of Columbus to the discovery of gold in California. Of the paintings that adorn the walls of the Rotunda, four are done by John Trumbull, who when told he couldn't sign them, found an interesting way to be identified in each. He actually painted himself into each of them, always placing himself fourth from the frame or fourth from the American flag and looking in a direction opposite to that of the main subject/source of action. Trumbull spotting is certainly my favorite Rotunda pastime ;)

Right next to the Rotunda is Statuary Hall, which, true to its name holds lots and lots of statues arranged against its walls. Each state is required to send two statues to the Capitol and many of these are displayed in this room. However, this was also the former meeting place of the House of Representatives (1800-1857) and was sometimes known as "The Oven" because it would get really warm in the days before air-conditioning was installed (or existed even!) There's a curious acoustic quality to this room that is better demonstrated than explained, so I won't ruin that surprise here!

The last stop is usually the House Gallery, where we sit for a few minutes and if we're lucky enough, catch the House in session. It's always great (after all that history!) to see where the action actually takes place today. I suggest if you're planning to tour the Capitol, try and be sure to select a date and time when the House is in session.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this brings me to the end of my virtual tour. Your compliments and gratitude are being telepathically transmitted to me! Even though I did such a fabulous job, please contact your Representative's office for the real deal!

Till next week,

DC Diaries

Overload!

Internship Defense Letter, Program Specific Analysis, Civic Engagement and Informational Interview write ups, a final draft of the term paper, an Honors Thesis prospectus for next semester, a weekend in New York, and taking over my Supervisor's duties – to put it mildly, over this past week my life has been turned upside down! The tragedy is that for now I'm spending more time thinking about all I have to do rather than actually doing it but I can't be blamed for hesitating to take a leap into this ocean of work!

I walked into the office last Tuesday only to find out that my supervisor had found a new position on the Hill and would be gone by the end of the week. To replace him, there would a fresh application and interview process, which could take at least a couple of weeks if not more than a month. Hence, when everyone looked around to see who could fill his shoes till we found a real replacement, all eyes settled on me! I did already know what he did and had assisted him over the past few months, so in some sense it wasn't an irrational choice. But hey, he was paid to do all that work and I'm a mere intern! My one privilege, I got his desk and chair, much more spacious and comfortable than mine! And they told me today, that if I were graduating at the end of this semester, I would most definitely be hired as his replacement. A case of bad timing then, I guess.

My mom just called me and after talking to her for about 30 minutes I feel completely drained of energy and the will to do anything (no offense to you maman, I'm sure you feel quite the same). Back at home in India my sister is being difficult about her college decisions, there's a hundred other problems that I need to address here in the U.S., no one is too happy with the way things are going, and I really just want to hit 'Quit.' But I know I will go to bed soon and tomorrow will be a new day, renewed optimism, and recharged batteries. Hopefully I can actually get started on some of the things I need to accomplish within the next 1-2 days.

I also have a lot of DC sights to see before I leave (only 3 and a half weeks to go). But at the rate that my "Things To Do" list is growing, I think I'm only going to get to see them if and when I ever come back to visit. The weather is excellent and this would be the perfect weekend to do some serious sightseeing but when you've got a thesis prospectus to write and a portfolio to put together, there's no time to tango around town.

I'm off to bed now in an attempt to rise early and burn all this negative energy on the treadmill.

Cherry Blossom et Crêpes au Citron

(this title rhymes with the appropriate application of a french accent!)

A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. I think this last weekend is best described in pictures. Feast your eyes folks!

From Martin Luther to Mira Nair

Its 6:25 p.m. EST and I'm home, in my jammies, sniffling, sipping my Yogi tea and happy to be typing on my own baby Mac once again! Outside, raindrops fall from the high heavens – April showers, they say, bring May flowers. But what of the cherry blossoms? They're probably falling to the ground as we speak, and to think I didn't even get a peek :(. Week 10, Blog 10 Ladies and Gentlemen. Just another 5 weeks to go and I'm starting to think I should get down to some monument visiting and museum surveying. Someone from class the other day told me that the Holocaust Museum has a waiting of 2-3 months, which I cannot wrap my head around since I've been to a lot many museums all over the place and the worst wait has been no longer than 2-3 hours. I am very keen to visit the Holocaust Museum, having heard great things about it, and now in a position to compare it with other Holocaust memorials I've visited (especially the ones in Germany). Maybe I can use some Congressional "pull" to get in?!

This morning there was a ceremony in the National Statuary Hall in the Capitol, honoring and remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the eve of the 40th anniversary of his assassination. I listened intently as the Speaker of the House, the Majority Whip, the Minority Leader, and Dr. King's very own son (among others), spoke about his life and work. But 40 years later, I think we are still struggling with many of the issues Dr. King attempted spent his life addressing. Racism is far from being "rooted out" and though segregation under law has been abolished, cultural and social stereotypes that plague our thinking are widely subscribed to by almost all members of society. Perhaps the November election will tell a different story, maybe America will have its first Black president, but while I cannot discount the importance that landmark moment will have in history, I can certainly question why in a country such as this, based on liberty and equality, welcoming one and all, how come it took this long?

As I watch the Hillary-Obama scuffle unfold on the idiot box, I cannot help but notice how the media and the candidates' campaigns demarcate everything by racial, ethnic, or economic parameters. Hillary has the Hispanics, he has the Blacks, Hillary has the low-middle income working class, he has the intellectuals and college goers. My colleague at work just started a blog last week and wrote about the compartmentalization of American society, protesting how it was implied that all Asian Americans under 25 think the same way, or Hispanic women over 50. Since reading that, I've kept my eyes and ears open for such references and there have been plenty just in the last two days, most coming from mass media sources.

Earlier this evening I did my informational interview with the Executive Director of Asia Society, Washington, an organization that I would like to work for someday (hopefully at their Bombay center). He was very candid about his experiences in the non-profit sector and told me that I had a long, hard, road ahead if I wanted to make my way up this ladder. For me, I've always had problems narrowing down and deciding what it is that I want to commit myself to (academically or career wise). Hence I am currently pursuing two majors and four minors, and have college work experiences ranging from the Study Abroad Office to a museum and a Congresswoman's office. Although he strongly advocated gathering a wide variety of experiences, he did say that internships are only good for deciding what you don't want to do. So where does that leave me? I'm afraid I am a soon to be "Jack of all trades..."

Before I sign off, I shall applaud myself for getting my Burma paper draft in on time despite all the technical difficulties and applaud my sister on receiving acceptances and scholarships to excellent schools and my mother for being a tireless crusader to ensure we have the best possible life experiences. We are one happy family, perhaps happiest when in different corners of the globe (corners of a globe?!) ;)

Till next week,

Rattan

P.S. – I just watched this on You Tube and I think its worth sharing, especially interesting for fellow lovers of the cinematic arts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXJmT-zDbH8

My Computer Strikes Back!

This is the email I wrote to my Program Advisor last Thursday which should also explain why my Wednesday blog comes to you today and has no pictures of Cherry Blossom or happy feelings attached.

Hi Sweeta,

I will try my best to make it this Monday for the Portfolio Workshop and the Korea Panel. I know I owe you a journal but my laptop died last evening and now I have a thousand things to do but no way to get them done. I have an appointment at the Apple Store this evening so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they can fix it. My 10 page paper draft is due in Tuesday's class, my blog was due yesterday, and my journal was due on Monday. Basically, I’m screwed. Also, I have no back up so if they say the hard disk is gone I end up losing all my research, all my documents since I started college, more than 7000 photos, my music, my life!

And if you thought it couldn’t get any worse, my flat mate Nay's keyboard broke the other day so now none of us have functional computers in the apartment. Our third flat mate had a desktop which was acting up a lot so he took it home over Easter weekend.

This really is the worst time for my trusted machine to turn its back on me!

A very distraught, yet dramatic,

Rattan

The “Genius” at the Apple Store was clueless when it came to diagnosing my white baby’s ailment. It just wouldn’t turn on and he didn’t have any tricks up his sleeve to revive it. “This will have to go into repair,” he declared as my heart sank. How long will it take? What about all my data? I have a 10 page paper due next Tuesday…all my research, my draft! Zilch. Nada. Lesson learnt: Technology can turn its back on you when you need it most so don’t invest your all in it (I wish).

So, my computer is in repair, I paid $150 to have them back up my data since they couldn’t guarantee that it will be on the machine when it returns. On another front, I talked my flat mate into buying a Mac (even after he saw what happened to mine – but hey, if I had a Dell it probably would’ve happened two years ago and so far I’ve had very positive experiences with Apple Care).

My time at work is being spent juggling between real work and using the available computer to catch up on email and sometimes even facebook. Sorry Boss :-/ I will tell you more about my weekend and why I still haven’t been to the festival in Wednesday’s post (which will, if I can manage it at work, come to you more or less on time).

Tchau

Half-Way Home!

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the cherry trees will soon be in bloom! The causation/correlation effect between the weather and my mood is more apparent than ever at this time of year. The spring sun brings a smile to my face and the fresh air fills my lungs as I walk, walk, walk everywhere. From The Washington Center to Dupont Circle to Adam's Morgan to Farragut Square to Lafayette Square to Chinatown…. this past week I had D.C. covered on foot! It's the best way to feel the vibe of a city, to get oriented, get some exercise, and escape the metro. Try it folks!

This week also marks our entry into the second half of the D.C. semester. While Easter weekend is poor compensation for Spring Break, I'm taking the time to head back to New York and stock up on bagels and Bollywood (family and friends too :))! I enjoy my periodic Hindi film and the easiest place to catch them is in Manhattan. Also, Bubble Tea. Tried some in Georgetown but they flat out refused to serve it up hot (everyone always refuses at first, but my New York spot always agrees to do it hot on my insistence that the tapioca globules DO NOT melt in hot tea).

NY "everything" Bagel + Wasabi cream cheese + Lox = Breakfast Bliss

Hot Bubble Tea

Bolly "Masala" wood

Oh, and by the way, I decided to abandon Part 3 of the brunch series since the weather is now nice enough for you guys to do some exploring and get back to me on what you think is the best D.C. brunch. Enough about edibles.

The week has been productive and fun at the same time. I have continued my patronage of the Alliance Française by renting French films, books, and magazines as regularly as possible. I am also deeply engrossed in what I am compelled to call one of the finest books written in my lifetime, Gregory David Roberts' "Shantaram". And please don't ask me what it's about because one, I cannot put it in a nutshell and two, I insist you delve into this one and discover the "magic" for yourself!

Book of the Year

Yesterday, I had an excellent interview/chat with the Advocacy coordinator at the U.S. Campaign for Burma. I had originally sought a 15 minute appointment with her to get some expert opinion for my foreign policy recommendations paper on the unfolding political and human rights crisis in Burma, but our conversation went well over an hour and she gave me information and insights I could not have obtained from reading reports and articles. I also spent about 5 hours at Tryst in Adam's Morgan on Monday afternoon, reading vociferously for the quiz we had in class last evening, and discovering that I could indeed read, sip tea, and listen to music all at the same time. Way to multi-task!

Our Chief of Staff just decided to close down the office on Friday, which makes me happy but also throws off my plans since I set up an informational interview at 4 p.m. If I had known we were going to be off, I would've scheduled it for next week and left for NYC on the morning bus. Actually, I'm going to try and re-schedule NOW!

Oh and I have 45 minutes to get to the D.C. Cares Orientation - time to turn on multi-task mode once again (been doing that a lot lately)!

Bon week-end!

Float On

Making my way up to Adam's Morgan (it's a bit of a walk from the Metro), I worked up quite an appetite and went on to realize that the key to really enjoying a brunch is being hungry enough! Here's a peak of what that truly lively neighborhood has to offer on a Sunday afternoon:

1) Perry's
1811 Columbia Road, NW. Washington, DC

Let Perry's be your one culinary splurge in the Capital! I don't know what makes this place the perfect spot for Sunday recreation, but its location (18th Street & Columbia Road – the heart of Adam's Morgan), eclectic menu (mac&cheese meets sake toro meets duck confit), and the special drag brunch on Sunday mornings give it a flavor that you're not going to find anywhere in the vicinity. Did I mention they had rooftop dining (the weather is visibly better now), and plenty on offer for more "new age" (read vegan) food preferences?

2) Lauriol Plaza
1835 18th Street, NW. Washington, DC

No Brunch survey is complete without atleast one Mexican joint in the mix. I considered talking about Oyamel again, but since I already recommended it to you in my first blog, I'll give you another spot to add to your ever-growing list of "much check outs"! Lauriol Plaza gives you the option to choose, there's everything from seafood and shrimp, to Spanish sausage, and English muffins. I strongly vouch for the Mahi Mahi Mazatlan but the Huevos Rancheros brings together a lot of my favorites (beans, cheese, eggs, and fresh fruit!) in one helluva mouth-watering combo J. If you have any room left for dessert (c'mon, you can share it with your friend(s)), dig into some homemade coconut ice cream!

3) Mezè
2437 18th Street, NW. Washington, DC

In my continuing quest to find you the best cuisine from all corners of the globe, I think Mezè is a must for every lover of chickpeas and kebab (me)! Their weekend brunch runs from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and includes Boreks (Anatolian rolls), Gozleme (Turkish crepes), and a Cantaloupe Berry Boat for the fruit aficionados. This joint doubles up as a bar/lounge in the evening and even has a special "Eat Late" menu. So if you can't make it to brunch, bring your friends here after work and lounge around. The music might make you want to break out those new moves, and the Turkish cocktails and beers will only add to the authenticity of the experience!

That's all for Brunch Banter this week, but Dupont Circle is next in the line of fire!

I can't close without expressing my disgust with Spitzer and his sleazy ways. It just really pains me to see his wife standing there next to him, while he publicly owns up to his actions and consequently resigns. To think that he has three teenage daughters, all younger than I, who have to deal with their father's infidelity, go out every morning and face the world, read the hostile headlines, and watch their mother in such anguish...it really breaks my heart. The Republicans and the media are having a field day with the whole thing and it is rather unfortunate that someone's personal failings make such gripping tabloid fodder. Well, who can say the man doesn't deserve it, but can the wife and the children be spared?

Blog 6

I started off this blog as the first in a two part series covering the best brunches in DC. However, the events of this evening compel me to sideline the food talk for just a bit and give you some idea of how it feels to be in the same room as Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, and David McCullough. Yes, one of the perks of being a Congressional staffer is getting to go to all these events on the Hill, your ID being your free ticket to most. And boy, I lucked out this evening! The morning update said HBO would be doing a pre premiere screening of their new miniseries "John Adams" starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney, exclusively for Members of Congress and staffers. What I did not know was that Tom Hanks is the producer of the series and that it is based on two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough's biography of the same name. The icing on the cake, they were all in attendance (except Laura Linney) and the Cannon Caucus Room served as a perfect 'historic' setting for the series to be showcased. HBO replicated the frame of the famous painting entitled Declaration of Independence that hangs in the Rotunda of the Capitol and used it around the projection screen. The episode itself was every bit as gripping and historically sound as all of HBO's other ventures in this genre of film. Both Giamatti and Linney provide powerful, poignant, moving performances, supported by an outstanding cast. The attention to detail and the effort to re-create exactly the conditions that prevailed at the time are reminiscent of "Rome". All in all, it was an evening that I will not forget anytime soon. Enjoy the photos and don't forget to tune into the TV premiere on March 16 at 8 p.m.

Man of the Moment - Paul Giamatti

Cannon House Office Building

This man needs no introduction

Cannon Caucus Room










David McCullough

And now, ladies andgentlemen, THE blog…

Brunch Banter, Part 1

Inspired by this week's promise of sunshine and mild weather (which I'm hoping will continue over the weekend), I decided to make this aBrunch special (I had previously warned you that that at some point this blog would become a forum for the foodie in me!). Surprisingly, DC has a wide variety of offerings that would please any budding gourmand, but remember that brunches are more expensive than breakfasts or lunches (duh, they're both) so be prepared to shell out anywhere between $12 and $20 depending on variety, type and quantity of food, and accompanying drinks (the champagne will not flow if the cash doesn't!). If you play the game right, brunch can be your one and only meal of the day which makes a $15 tab sound somewhat justified. Due to the sheer volume of places to check out, and the convenient clustering in various neighborhoods around the District, I've divided this feature into two parts. This week we'll look at...hold your breath...Georgetown!

GEORGETOWN:

1) Café Bonaparte

1522 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. Washington, DC

My blatant French bias shouldn't come as a shock to any of my regularreaders, and hence, this tops my list of brunch spots. Dig into the sumptuous crêpes (Suzette, St. Germain) and galettes (Capri, Mirabeau), a meal-sized salad (Marie, Niçoise), or even just the mouth-watering desserts (Cigar Chocolat, L'Exotique). The special brunch menu consists of divine French pastries and creatively named omlettes, each containing a unique mélange of ingredients and flavors (the Rembrandt is a personal favorite).

2) Filomena

1063 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. Washington, DC

This may just be the best deal in terms of value for money and the sheer variety of offerings. The restaurant has a very homely feel to it, they beckon you calling it "the home of your Italian grandma" and you'll see why. It's been around forever and is frequented by a mixed crowd from all over the tri-state area but the biggest draw is definitely the authentic home-style Italian cooking. And as a general rule, when the biggest draw at a restaurant is the food, you know it's a good place to go! At $17.95 you get an all you can eat brunch buffet with an excellent selection of salads, breads, pasta, meats, desserts, soft drinks, tea, and coffee. You can be sure you will be served only the freshest of foods and that you can plan to stay put throughout the entire duration of brunch (11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.) to pace yourself well enough to get at least a taste of everything.

3) Old Glory All-American BBQ

3139 M St., NW. Washington, DC

French (down), Italian (down), but what we were lacking was an All-American brunch spot to dig into some French toast (ironic) and spicy Bloody Marys! That is exactly what is on offer at Old Glory with the stuffed French toast being my personal favorite (sweet cream cheese, bourbon peach caramel, bacon strips, and sliced fruit - hell yes!). You are strongly encouraged to try The Big Breakfast (burrito, home fries, corn on the cob, fruit) which is a steal at $11.95. Quench your thirst with a fresh squeezed fruit juice or the much talked about Bloody Mary. This brunch has the potential to throw you into a food coma so don't plan to accomplish too much (rather anything) that Sunday afternoon!As for next week, no prizes for guessing, I shall bring you the best from Adam's Morgan and the Dupont Area. For now, I sign off leaving you with enough to chew on...quite literally!

A Week in Words

It's really hard for me to sum up this past week…trying to come to terms with Dada leaving us, yet still not being able to get my head around the fact that he's actually gone (I think it will only really sink in when I go home and find him missing), trying to keep up with all the demands of "normal" life – work, class, assignments, events, social interaction – with my heart not quite in any of it. This Wednesday evening I feel strangely exhausted and it's not sleep that I'm lacking.

I'm a month into the Washington experience and there are some things I am quite sure of – DC doesn't quite make it to my list of favorite cities, there are no "DCers" because no one is really from here and does not become from here within a few months of living here (which, I believe, is quite the contrary in the case of New York). The Metro is clean but expensive and under-utilized (in other words, I can deal with genetically mutated rodents and trash as long as I can ride for $2 and go anywhere, anytime). I know you think I'm just a New York snob and I'll even admit to it but I really wanted to give this city a month to redeem itself and though it has the museums and the monuments and some cool hangouts, it's the basic culture here that doesn't appeal to me.

This notion of culture is hard to define, very fluid, and transient, and has little to do with the number of cultural happenings or the amount of cultural diversity that exists here. It's something about the people, the way they walk their walk, talk their talk, and contribute their city's image as a whole, an image that is projected to the world and an impression that is left upon those who visit or move here. In the world view, New York epitomizes America, the American dream embodied by those skyscrapers that serve as headquarters to the financial bigwigs, the Statue of Liberty holding out the promise of freedom and liberty, welcoming everyone to this land of immigrants, even Times Square, the epicenter of crude commercialism and brash advertising stunts. But to a New Yorker, there is New York City and then there's the rest of the country – Times Square doesn't find a place on your mind map, the skyscrapers are just office buildings, one of them being your workplace, and the Statue of Liberty was last visited years ago when you had cousins visiting from Timbaktu. The culture of the city lies on its streets, in its filthy subway stations and on its 'pre-historic' train cars, each street corner's donuts-and-coffee man and halal chicken-and-rice cart is a vendor of the city's culture, the blank stares, the unwritten rule of don't look anyone straight in the eye, yet the feeling of security, a sense of safety when surrounded by the masses. And everyone knows how un-representative of America the masses and mentalities of NYC are.

Switch to DC – in the worldview it's the Capital of the U.S.A., home to the White House, Mr. President and his aides (the 70+ white male crew), Senators, and Congressman (and some Congresswomen too). For all its institutional strength, the city has little to offer in terms of a sense of warmth and security, the masses are missing and anyone who is even mildly economically privileged lives in Virginia or Maryland, drives a car, and scoffs at the metro system. By night, the offices are closed, the streets are deserted, and the homeless seek shelter just outside La Maison Blanche. I'll give it some points for Georgetown and Adams Morgan but those two alone cannot make up for the severe lack of life elsewhere. DC is mostly a 9-5 city that seriously lacks an all-pervasive, common, binding culture to hold it together before breakfast and after dinner.

Its time to talk about something rather interesting that I attended last Friday on The Hill. I got to work at 9 and there was an email about a Bible study class by the Chaplain of the Senate. Quite intrigued by this, I decided to attend and find out what it was like. The turnout was pretty good and the Chaplain was a charming, witty preacher and talked about how evil creeps into our lives and how we can avoid being tempted by it. We read passages from the Bible and he supported them with anecdotes from his life and the lives of others he had encountered during his career. Now, all that is well and good but I'm curious to know why there is an Office of the Chaplain of the Senate when there is supposed to be a separation of church and state? Also, if there is a Chaplian of the Senate holding Bible study classes, is there a Rabbi of the Senate or an Imam of the Senate? Food for thought…and investigation!

This evening in the House there was a performance by a Latin Grammy award-winning artist from Colombia, Petrona Martinez. I suggest you check her out on YouTube, she is 69 years old but her onstage energy is amazing and the music is a unique blend of African beats and sounds with Spanish lyrics. I went to a reception after which wasn't really memorable save the chocolate dipped strawberries!

Tomorrow I start my French class at the Alliance Française here. It's only two hours a week but I am in urgent need of it since I've been back from Paris for over a month now and have missed the language (and slowly started to lose it!) There are a bunch of great francophone events at the Alliance and around which are all on their website. I'll try my best to make it to most, and I will most certainly take advantage of the library's DVD rental department. After Oscar night, I can't wait to watch "La vie en rose," so that will be my first rental (unless someone else took it out – very likely). Anyhow, I have a long list of "Must Watch" French films that I will work with till I find one that I really, truly like. So far almost every French film I've watched has been awfully predictable, lacked originality and substance, and bordered on boring. I think I'm ready for the treasures now!

My foreign policy paper on Burma requires some serious reading, research, and interviewing – all of which I need to get to this weekend! How does life get so busy? Oh Wordsworth, you were so right –

"What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare?"

In Memory

I awoke to the sound of my sister's sobs at the other end of the telephone. "Dada died this morning," she said and I could not believe what I had just heard. For both of us, sitting thousands of miles away from home, we feel helpless, overcome with grief and a terrible sense of loss. Till today we had been proud, fortunate, blessed to have all four grandparents, each of who has played such an important role in our upbringing. And then so suddenly, so unexpectedly, without any form of warning or notice, we are forced to come face to face with what we know is inevitable and are yet so ill prepared to deal with. As Dada's last rites are performed in India, I cannot help but think back on all those happy moments we spent together – learning how to putt in his front garden, resisting his "forced" second helping of everything at the dinner table but then just giving up and chowing it all down, trying to understand and share in his pride and love for that good old Fiat, grocery shopping at Jagat Singh and Punjab Stores, making fun of the Johal family sleeping syndrome, hearing "thand pai gayi" everytime we hugged, encroaching on his wardrobe, even trying to get a word in during one of Dadi Dada's infamous bickering sessions… In the midst of all these tears, this pain, and the array of emotions I seem to have no control over, my thoughts are with Dadi who has lost her companion of well over 50 years. Last month, the day before I left India, as we all lunched together on "chana-kulchas" in Dadi's bedroom, Dada looked healthy and happy, his cheeks rosy and his skin glowing in the abundant sunlight that streamed through the room's many windows. He promised to take good care of Dadi and a grand reunion was scheduled for May...when Mannat and I do come home this summer, and for all these months in-between, the memory of Dada will constantly be on our minds, and we will miss his presence deeply. May his soul rest in peace. The only consolation, if any, that we can offer ourselves at this point is that Dada lived a full life, saw his grandchildren quite grown up, and did not suffer on a hospital bed during his final days. He left us just how he would've wanted to – quickly and quietly, following his daily routine, in his own home. But that hardly numbs our pain. This past weekend, my mother's cousin passed away in New Delhi as she was undergoing treatment for a recently diagnosed cancer. Her children are only a couple of years older than me and I can't even begin to imagine how they feel having lost their mother so suddenly, and at such a young age. Her immediate family is in my thoughts too, may God give them the strength to get past this. I'm sitting in my room, watching the snow fall outside; the flakes glide to the ground, enveloping everything in a spotless, white blanket. I want to be buried under this blanket, and when I awaken, I want all this to have been an ugly nightmare that sends shivers down my spine but can be quickly forgotten over the early morning cup of tea. However, I know this is no dream, that an irreversible loss has occurred, and that when I look at the starry sky tonight I will think to myself – "Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy."

When Work and Weather act Wonky!

It is positively disgusting outside – those itsy bitsy high velocity, low intensity, party popping, never stopping raindrops that freeze when they touch down, coating every square inch, causing you to slip and fall even before you can even think – urgh! Such are the adverse conditions we are dealing with here in DC while the New Yorkers 'enjoy' mounds of crunchy white fresh fallen snow, and a white valentines!

So strange that all week I seem to have things to write on this blog but by the time I actually get down to typing it, my brain goes into 'sleep' mode. Honestly, I just want to get to the two final episodes of HBO's Rome (Season 2). Any followers of the show would know exactly how I feel at this critical juncture (for the uninitiated/not so intuitive – I feel like abandoning this blog and popping that DVD into my comp!). Before you form any impressions (i.e. he would abandon creative communication in favour of ogling at the idiot box?!) let me make it clear that I AM NOT some TV junkie, actually I DO NOT watch TV at all. Even if I really wanted to follow a show, given my extremely unpredictable schedule with its minute-to-minute changes, I never really could. Being home at the same time, two weeks in a row is quite impossible. Hence I allow my friends and family to 'gently coerce' (paradox?) me into watching the truly exceptional, usually by way of DVD. Last Christmas (Dec 2006), my darling friend Inna visited me in India, bringing me Rome Season 1 and that's when I got hooked...

Went to an excellent panel discussion yesterday titled "Re-Calculating Annapolis," and I thought the ideas thrown around by the panelists were markedly different from the usual rhetoric on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The consensus, if anything, was that time is not on our side and what is required is fast action addressing the plight of the hundreds of thousands of Gazans who are living in an "open air prison" with something like 80% unemployment and 70% dependence on aid from international organizations. A situation as hopeless as this would only breed fundamentalism, and the threat of radical action arising from this region has the potential of triggering a full scale war in the Middle East. I won't go into the specific recommendations that were discussed but I'd be happy to talk about them with anyone who's interested...I took diligent notes!

Today, however, I was assigned the cumbersome, mind-numbing task of data entry that I performed as per command but struggled to conceal my misery! Every half an hour or so, I needed a 5-10 minute breather, some food for thought, just to ensure my brain was still performing its thinking function and had not turned into some mechanical reading-typing-clicking apparatus. I made it through today but there's just another gazillion responses to log :(

One 'victory' this week – I managed to take the placement test at the Alliance Française French Institute, DC and register for a class there, starting February 25. It's been three weeks since I made that transatlantic voyage back from Paris, but I think about it every single day...from the petit café and pain au chocolat for breakfast to the sheer variety of architectural styles on display just en route from my apartment to class (I almost completely abandoned the metro after the first month...Paris is meant to be enjoyed on foot!). Well i've been feeling the need to re-kindle my relationship with France but being in DC the best I can do is Alliance. I'm hoping this will keep my language skills alive and well-exercised and possibly further my written and conversational capabilities. Goal: Achieve fluency before graduating college.

I formulated some hefty goals for my TWC Learning Objectives Statement, I think I need to print it out and stick it on the fridge just to remind myself of what i've promised to accomplish. You know what, I'm going to take them on with the greatest amount of positive energy I can muster and see where things go from there!

Hmph...I think for once in my life I'm running out of things to say (Don't you get the feeling that today is Marc Anthony's day?!). So I'm going to put my virtual pen down, only to pick it up exactly where I left off, next week, same time, same place. Hence lets cut to the chase –

Happy Valetines Day! Happy Presidents Day!

This weekend I'm off to New York City...hope you have something better in your kitty ;)

(ok this really has got to stop NOW)

Tchau Tchau Tchau








My notion of "Health Food"













Lazy Sunday leads to Busy Monday!

A Washington Week

"Why don't each of you tell me about a uniquely Washington incident you witnessed or experienced in the past week," said Professor Henderson to kick off our U.S. Foreign Policy seminar class last evening. Like all of the Professor's other questions, this one got me thinking. And I concluded that I'd had a week packed with "Washington experiences" – for one, I work in the U.S. Capitol complex (only in Washington!), I attended congressional briefings and committee hearings on issues ranging from the current electoral crisis in Kenya to threats to U.S. security, I watched Super Tuesday coverage like my life depended on it (I guess in some ways it does!), I heard social and political activist and ex-presidential candidate Ralph Nader speak at The Carnegie Institute, I discussed and debated diplomatic and military strategies for the U.S. to pursue in Pakistan (the foreign policy course again), and I gave the best condensed city tour to my friend Julie who had an 8 hour layover in DC, flying from New York City to Sao Paulo, Brazil!

Lunch time walk around work

Ready to give Julie a condensed yet comprehensive dose of D.C.

All my Ralph Nader pics came out too dark to put up but I do have this one of the Carnegie Institute's ceiling depicting the lunar cycle.

Mom made it her business to forward the link to this blog to a bunch of family all over the globe and I actually followed in her footsteps by forwarding it to some of my friends :) She also told me that my profile photo looked like it had been taken through a "special effect lens" and though i'm not quite sure what that means, knowing mother she probably just doesn't like it too much. Well, sorry to break it to ya here mommy but whatever's on now, stays. Unfortunately this isn't your conventional instantly editable, adaptable, updatable blog – it is administered through The Washington Center and although we are offered complete freedom in terms of choice of subject matter and expression, I personally have no access to my blog to make changes. I think its an interesting photo though, mostly because there's a story to go with it. It was taken less than two months ago in Fès, Morocco just a couple of hours before my flight back to Paris. I am in the courtyard of a 'medersa' or Islamic theological school where, shortly after this photo was clicked, I had an hour long conversation with a student about Islam, Christianity, religion in general, the existence of God. While I was looking around he sat there singing verses from the 'Qur'an' and when I was done and sat down for a personal, pensive moment he approached me to find out where I was from and what had brought me to that most enchanted of cities, Fès. Conversation flowed but the fast approaching moment of departure compelled me to cut short our back and forth, leaving him with only my email address. With all the action that ensued in the latter part of December and the entire month of January, this whole episode was buried deep down in my oversubscribed memory bank until just the other day when I logged myself into MSN Messenger only to discover a new friend request – one of those "magical" technology moments :)

I just received an email from one of my high school teachers, Kenyan by birth but living and working in India. He is in Kenya right now, witnessing first hand all the post election rioting and violence on the streets. He is scheduled to fly back to India soon and I hope he makes it back alright. However, I am deeply concerned about his family and friends who reside there, in the midst of all the unrest and instability. Sitting in a briefing room in DC listening to an expert sum up the conflict and suggest a course of action is quite literally a world away from living with it unfolding in your own backyard.

Last Friday as I browsed through the racks at Barnes and Noble, "Into the Wild" by Jan Krakauer caught my attention. Sean Penn's new movie with the same title is on my must-watch films list but as a general rule, its better to read the book before/instead of watching its cinematic rendition (as always there are some exceptions – "The Namesake" for one). About a 100 pages into the book I'm finding it really hard to put down. I am not going to give anything away but I feel obliged to share a snippet. In the words of 24 year old Christopher Johnson "Alex" McCandless:

I'd like to repeat the advice I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

Read his words once again.

Till next week,

Rattan

P.S. – For my local food buffs, Oyamel (http://www.oyamel.com/) at 401 7th Street NW is a must try out (I say Sunday brunch is a good time to go). This 'cocina mexicana' is a haven for everything authentically Mexican from fish tacos (Pescado Mexicano) to cactus, guacamole, and even grasshoppers!

Reflection, Expression, Transmission, Transition: Week 1 in the Capital

I just got my suitcase! After a week and a half on the phone with baggage officials at Continental Airlines, three change of addresses (Paris to New York to Washington DC), one incorrect bag being delivered to me, some shopping in moments of desperation (I had no underwear!), and losing almost all hope of being reunited with my belongings, I have today been, to say the least, pleasantly surprised. Well, the suitcase is broken and I still have an account to settle with Continental, but those things can wait till this sudden surge of positivism gets me through writing this all-important first blog.

Friends, acquaintances, adversaries, enemies, even stalkers (now I’m just flattering myself!), welcome to DC Diaries! We all made this journey to the nation’s capital looking for something. Personally I’m here because after spending six months in Europe “studying” abroad, I couldn’t bear the thought of sitting through 15 credit hours of class each week and working in an on campus office. I was looking for a transitional experience, something novel that would be different from both the study abroad experience as well as the rut of conventional college. This is where I find myself today – early to bed (midnight, 1 a.m. latest), early to rise (6:30, 7 a.m. latest), suited, booted, and seated behind a desk in a Congresswoman’s office on The Hill from 9-5. It’s been three days since this routine started and I’m already starting to doubt my capability to perform at a desk job. My system demands movement – eyes and ears (fine, I confess I can’t really move my ears, but I know someone who can!), legs and feet, even do the unique Indian headshake (a non-committal side to side wobble that could be interpreted as a yes, a no, a maybe, an I don’t know...!) So tomorrow I shall consider it my right to periodically get up, walk around the office, through the corridors of the building, and perhaps even catch some fresh air outside. I wonder if anyone ever thinks to walk through the beautiful gardens surrounding the U.S. Capitol – they’re there to be enjoyed and I plan on doing just that (Sun God willing).

This isn’t my first time in DC – I was here just over two years ago for a conference but never really got to do the sightseeing bit. I still haven’t and now that I’m here for a while, I know I won’t get to it till the very end. I’ll panic just when I’m about to return to New York without having visited the Lincoln Memorial or the National Gallery of Art and then there’ll be some whirlwind monument visiting. I have, however, observed some things with my city scanning, closet urban planning eyes. As a city, there is something inherently inorganic about Washington DC. It is a place that was identified by political leaders and developed by architects and planners to be the capital of the United States of America. Yes, it is indeed situated on the banks of a river and that may cause some of us to confuse its origins with those of the other great capitals of the world – Rome, Delhi, Paris, London, even New York City, but the creation of Washington DC is all too recent and well documented for any such ambiguity to exist. However, that certainly doesn’t mean there isn’t enough to do here, or that it lacks culture, character, or class (Dubai anyone?!). My trip to Georgetown over the weekend revealed some breathtaking houses, interesting shopping, a thriving university campus, and a wide variety of excellent culinary options.

(The jewel in Georgetown's crown...and my potential Grad school!)

(THE Exorcist Stairs--comfortably tucked behind a gas station.)

You will notice that this blog will very quickly turn into a food forum and I shall bring you my DC resto recommendations, suited to all kinds of tastes and tantrums. That stems, of course, from a personal obsession with food that seems to find its way into everything I do. I will try my best to keep it from becoming psychobabble, though oftentimes it is what we say in a thoughtless moment that is most interesting and amusing to others.

Basically, I’m hungry for comments – curses, disses, praise, criticism, appreciation, applause, expressions of boredom, disgust, or just plain frustration – any form of attention really. Need I say/ask more?

Eat to live. WRONG! Live to eat ;)