We are trying to make it a point to savor DC while we are here. Saturday we went down to enjoy the famous Cherry Blossom Festival. It was amazing to see the millions of blossoms. We have many cherry trees near our apartment but it doesn’t compare to hundreds of trees being all together. People were swarming everywhere. I am scared to see the July 4th crowds after seeing the crowds over the weekend. In addition to the Cherry Blossom Festival the Smithsonian Kite Festival was also taking place so we caught a glimpse of some kites on our walk in.

After walking around the tidal basin and seeing the beautiful flowers we met up with some relatives at Union Station for dinner. We are really enjoying having my extended family relatively close-by. When we return to DC between posts we will look forward to baby Jackson getting to know his relatives!

Today I had a behind-the-scenes tour of the Washington Dulles airport as part of our consular training.  Since my job for two years will be to issue visas, the tour showed us what happens once the individual arrives in the U.S. with the visa.  In Customs, there are 2 major sections, the Primary and Secondary.  The Primary is where the passenger deplanes and gets his passport stamped.  From there, he picks up his luggage and then goes through customs.  If the customs officer thinks the passenger might be hiding something (like fruit or diamonds), then he goes to Secondary where his luggage is rummaged through.

I didn’t really get to see anything interesting when I was in Primary.  But during the Secondary part, I saw a customs official find two “drug paraphernalia” pipes that a guy had hidden under his Dr. Scholl’s cushions in his shoes.  And a guy have to pay duty because he brought in a bunch of shoes.  That was the extent of the excitement.  However, when we go to Bogota, I’ll have to spend a couple of days in Miami’s airport doing something similar.  So maybe I’ll have some better stories.

I recently finished my training on non-immigrant visas (NIVs), of which the most common are tourist visas.  It was a tough section to learn because there are 22 visas, everything from A-1s (diplomatic visas) to U visas (victims of criminal activity) and so, so many in between.  And a week ago, I completed the section on immigrant visas (green cards/legal permanent residents).  An interesting fact is if you’re from the Philippines applying for a particular type of family visa, it won’t be processed unless you submitted it before November 1, 1984!!!  This is due to quotas.  Can you imagine waiting over 20 years to get your green card?!  I think that shows how much people value living in the U.S.
Starting next week, I’ll finish up my consular training with a section in American Citizen Services.  Examples of these are if a relative dies overseas, or you need a lawyer, or you get thrown in jail in Tijuana.  (25% of all Americans arrested overseas are arrested in Tijuana!)  Another fun fact.  Embassy Kathmandu is the only U.S. embassy that has a morgue on the grounds.  That’s because the Nepalese generally cremate and don’t have a need for morgues.  Supposedly the only other morgue in Kathmandu is operated by a Dutch who also runs a Mexican restaurant, which I’d suggest you stay away from if you’re ever in the area.

Since we have been in the DC area we have been shocked at the lack of southern hospitality.  Many people we have encountered are very impatient and even quite rude. One afternoon, I was going to the local Michael’s craft store. I entered the double doors in the front and headed towards whatever crafty thing that caught my eye first.  As I went through the door just after a larger woman came out she literally yelled at me that I was going in the exit.  I didn’t know if I could get over my hurt feelings after being yelled at by a complete stranger. I can understand if I had impaired her large body from passing through the doorway but my walking through the wrong door had no impact on her personal life! In the same week I was snapped at by the owner at the Omaha steak store, honked at at least 6 times and almost got hit a few times in our grocery store parking lot because “yeild” is not explained in international driving books.

Another thing that we have noticed on a daily basis is that the DC area has a NYC complex when it comes to driving.  Meaning that they love to honk! In NYC you can typically tell why someone might be ticked off but in DC everyone honks even when there is no apparent reason why. The driving scene is interesting enough because so many of the drivers are new to American driving or new to driving in general because they have immigrated. The mix of impatient northerners and foreigners makes driving quite unpleasant. In TX there was a certain restraint that we used when interacting with other drivers because of the fear of handguns…without that fear here it is more difficult to not honk back! As mentioned above, we have almost been in quite a few accidents in the grocery store parking lot.  Instead of checking your rear view mirror and slowly exiting your parking space, it is very typical for multiple people the launch out at the same time and spend the next 5 minutes honking and yelling at one another.  Because people honk unnecessarily we have found that people ignore honks when they are actually needed when they are about to hit someone…specifically us on numerous occasions!

I was in TX last week visiting family and I was shocked to be immersed in such “niceness”. I am aware that we are all human and that Texans too can be rude but for the most part we can at least pretend to be nice even if we are saying things like “bless his little heart” which basically means “what an idiot”! I went to HEB with my mom to get groceries and was bombarded by 3 friendly girls working the checkout line. They asked me how my day was going, asked 3 times if I had found everything I needed , made small talk about the live crawfish that had just been  stocked and offered me help with my groceries.  Coming from VA I didn’t know how to respond. I asked my mom what was wrong with them. They had to have been in training with camera watching them. She thought this was the usual. At our store, the clerk rarely makes eye contact, hisses if you ask a question and makes you sack your own groceries if you comment on the spring weather!!

Despite the severe lack of southern hospitality, we are thoroughly enjoying the emergence of Spring in the north! The forsythias are in bloom as well as the daffodils and pussy willows (Seth was introduced to pussy willows just the other day). The cherry blossoms are starting to peak out of their buds. The cherry blossom festival starts next weekend and although we might encounter rude people at the festival we are sure to enjoy the beautiful flowers.

I think you get the point! Even if you aren’t from TX, try to be extra sweet today. If you feel inclined to yell at someone going in an “out” consider the fact that they might just be a nice, pregnant woman that forgot to read the sign!  They aren’t likely trying to ruin your day!