Reflections Week VII

Today as I was toying with the idea of doing some homework, but ultimately deciding I would go to Turkish fest and watch the sunset on the Capitol steps, I started to reflect on how many cultural experiences and opportunities each weekend in DC has held in the past few weeks. From attending festivals in Adam’s Morgan to enjoying jazz concerts and sipping Lebanese hot chocolate, or even just a night at the Ethiopian restaurant, being in the midst of a whole new city constantly confronts my mind with new thoughts and ideas on a much broader level, which encompasses so many areas of the world. Different philosophies and traditions constantly challenge my views in life to have a new depth and be influenced by a more varied set of experiences. Pursuing new stimuli and being able to grasp new opportunities in a big city has opened up a life that I consider a blessing. While some may choose to stay in a small hometown out of fear, experiencing new cultures and meeting new people has made me realize that our shared experiences, and even our mutual friends from other states (it has happened!), is an interconnection that makes the world seem much smaller than it can feel. I passed the words “Past is Prologue” en route to the Capitol, and the phrase further clarified the way I felt when moving, changing schools, and making new friends. Sometimes it might be hard to imagine life after a big transition, yet a past life is just a chapter that leads to new chapters, but still influences the way in which they will be lived, all the same.