Washington D.C. and Co.

I have now been in the U.S. for two months. I came back on May 4 from a three year adventure in Asia. Two months in, I still miss the other side of the world.

I'm currently sleeping in and around Washington D.C. Houston was nice because I had lot of family and friends to see, but it was still Houston. I tried to leave Houston for 18 years, and even the idea of going back causes elevated stress levels. There are just some places, no matter how gussied up with amenities and perks (free rent, run of a big kitchen, good old friends), that don't speak to you. They don't inspire your soul or spark your spirit. Rather, they are a marker to remind you of where you've been, to help you take stock of how far you've come, and to push you into your next adventure.

So I flitted off to D.C. for a spell. So far, it's pretty eye-opening. I've been delving into long-held family secrets, finally putting a very tumultuous chapter of my life to rest. The chapter of finding out where I come from started three years ago in Saigon and has ended up in Virginia. I am learning something new everyday, still, but the big ones are being laid to rest.

Like how poverty and war and separateness do not doom a marriage. Resentment, lies, and power struggles do. Or how it's not about what you're fighting about, but how you dealt with the other person that really matters. And sometimes getting what you want may not be a good thing; while other times, it's everything. You just never know with the future.

On a different note, friends from Vietnam have found their way to D.C. and it's nice to see someone smile while they are encouraging my wanderlust behavior. After all, they're nurturing their own.