adult messes (Part 1)

I've been living in Washington, D.C. for approximately two weeks now, and my life has been flipped upside down. The kind of upside-down that is reminiscent of Alice falling down the rabbit hole - lots of weird falling kitchen items, and reading books without pages, and having my dress flutter over my head when I least expect it - I'm trying to figure out how to be a "city girl" and the experience so far is laughable.

I'm quite fond of lists, and since I've been lazy and haven't written a single word about my internship experience or what it's like to live with 16 other 20-somethings who are from all over the world, I shall chalk up the last two weeks in a series of lists! And then, maybe, just maybe, I will write something of substance from here on out. No promises.

- The first week, I was a nervous wreck. I tried to casually introduce myself to the other 20-somethings, and that didn't seem to be working for me. I've come to realize the people under this castle roof are like frozen eggs...hmm, that's kind of weird. They are like frozen onions! You have to take a butcher knife through seventeen layers before they crack a smile or talk to you in passing through the hallways.

- These people are from all over the world. Let me see if I can remember all the places: Uganda, Bangladesh, Russia, Texas, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Oregon, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, New York City...and I'm sure I'm forgetting some places.

- When you place people from all over the world in one house for an extended period of time, hell often breaks loose.

- Like during the first week, Laura (Rhode Island), found a cockroach in her bedroom and we all flipped out and went on a cockroach hunt. There are ten bedrooms in this place. They could be hiding anywhere, you know.

-  Fact: I am a neat freak. Another fact: Nobody else in this house is. Which means that when people use the kitchen they leave jelly smears on the island, and toast crumbs on the counter, and dishes piled in the sink, and dirty pots on the stove, and big bottles of whiskey and vodka on the dining room table that sometimes find themselves on their side and leaking stale liquid onto the hardwood floors....

- So, my OCD clicks in and I become a freaking maid.

-Conversation between Lipy (Bangladesh) and I from the other night:
Lipy: Aeriale, why do you always do their dishes?
Aeriale: I'm actually not an intern here. I'm getting paid 8 dollars an hour to clean up this house and to supplement that income, I prostitute on the corner of N and New Jersey Friday nights.
Lipy: ......
Aeriale: Yeah, yeah, I have problems, okay?
Lipy: You're making them lazy, you know.
Aeriale: No, they were already lazy. I'm just reinforcing negative behavior. I have OCD okay? I NEED CLEAN DISHES.
Lipy: *Shakes head*

- It took two weeks, but finally, some of the 20-somethings are starting to warm up. I've figured out the key! You sit at the dining room table while Leena (Uganda) is sitting there eating her plant food (I live with mostly vegetarians. I need more cow in my life. I've actually been eating tofu and enjoying it. My senses are screwing with me, hardcore) and watching some dating show with millionaires trying to hook up with other millionaires and stimulating conversations happen. Since I've been deprived of television for two weeks (because these people are always watching BET and CNN, two stations that I could care less about...) I sit down and am immediately engrossed.

We have a productive conversation, which goes like this:
Aeriale: Wow, she's really into him, huh?
Leena: Yep.
Aeriale: She only likes him for his money.
Leena: ....they are both millionaires. They both love money.
Aeriale: Oh, yes. So she likes him for his witty charm?
Leena: *Slight huff and rolling of the eyes* She obviously likes him for the sex.
Aeriale: How can you tell?
Leena: .....we can change the channel if you want.
Aeriale: No, I'm good with -
Leena: *Changes channel to CNN*
Aeriale: Yeah, so you work for a congressman, right?
Leena: We all work for congressmen and senators.
Aeriale: Sweet. I really don't know the first thing about politics.
Leena: *Standing up, hands me the remote* Yeah, so you can have this. I'm going out.

-It was definitely a start. I mean, I even got to control the television for .5 seconds until other people came in and started talking about the news. I live with 16 future politicians. And I have no idea who congressman so-and-so is. This is a bad thing.

This is just the beginning. I'm definitely more comfortable here now than I was two weeks ago. I'm a cooking fiend (believe it or not). I go out with Lipy and Laura and Enid on the weekends and we talk like we've known each other forever. Sometimes it's a bit rough. But mostly, it's enjoyable. It's like college all over again - and then there is the internship....