Scott and I sit on the north steps of the National Portrait Gallery in Chinatown. We have a 360 degree view of the area: the Verizon Center to my left, MLK Library to my right, the Gallery to my front, and restaurants to my back. The sun is shining; summer is nearly here.
When I first conceptualized OneWord:City, my intention was to better understand DC’s culture through the observations, stories, and experiences of others. I wanted the blog to be community-centric—less a diary of my experiences or a platform for my narratives. On Saturday, I went to a salon near Dupont Circle. The conversation I had with my hairdresser—a middle-aged entrepreneur from Vietnam— made me think of the word I use to describe DC—ambitious—and prompted this post.
“I do some writing and I recently began a project where I ask people to describe DC in one word. I would love to hear your thoughts—can I interview you?” I ask David, my Uber driver for this morning’s trip to the airport.
Lindsey and I walk to her dorm room at Catholic University. She is a student; a senior, majoring in Psychology. We have been friends for eight years. Initially meeting through her sister, and my friend, Emily, we spent our teenage years together in a small, rural town in Maryland and have remained close since. Continue reading “Government”
At the Takoma Park Busboys and Poets, Jihanne and I sit at the bar. After listening to Ken Ilgunas detail some of his journeys hiking 1,700 miles along the proposed Keystone XL pipeline route featured his new book, Trespassing Across America, we begin the interview.
“One of the defining things about DC is its transience.”
“The person who was taking my laundry could literally be my boss.”
Humans are complex beings; we have a wide range of emotions; we have dreams and aspirations, innate needs, and conflicting desires. We are products of our evolutionary biology and our environments. Through the process of hearing Desmond recount his story—leaving his home so suddenly to flee to a resettlement camp with disease, uncertainty, and instability—I constantly wonder, ‘but what about happiness? Did Desmond ever feel happy—did he ever experience joy and laughter—in his bleak circumstances? Was there anything to take him away from feeling fear or sadness?’ Continue reading “Games and Exploration”
In many ways, Desmond’s life has embodied the words of ancient Chinese philosopher and poet, Lao Tzu: “the journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step.”
One should not be defined by what happened to you in the past. Whatever you put your passion to, you can do it.
Voices of the City 
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