Part of the Neighborhood in Washington

Just being in Washington, D.C. last weekend made me feel important. If importance was a limited quantity in a place, you would think that Washington had used up its quota on all the politicians and activists who live there permanently, but I guess they had a little left over to share.

Although I'm about as much of an outsider as one could possibly be, I knew my way around. The last time two times I went to Washington, I was looking for work and wearing heels that were far too high for schlepping from interview to interview. This time I was wearing pink, backless sneakers as I made my way to the corner of 18th and K. Last time, I was in agony and it was icy. This time, I was in control and the one who would be asking the questions.

I conducted the first information interview for a new research project. That I had the oportunity, and a great excuse, to get away from campus for several days a month before spring graduation stands as great on its own merits. That I am excited about research and could roll it in with an official trip for the university made me almost happier than I could bear.

My visit to the program at American University is probably the closest I'll ever come to the pharmaceutical-company-wining-and-dining experience. The wine was good, the meals superb, the desserts exquisite and the accomodations in the Hyatt Regency Bethesda luxurious. Even the weather cooperated, and I was hot. All of my clothes were wrong (Think Texas at 90 degrees already and Washington temperatures in the low 80s and 40s at night. I thought I would be cold.) Who would have expected a used-clothing store across the street from the Bethesda Hyatt?

Maybe while I was in Washington, I numbered among those a presenter at the conference I attended called, "people who think they are important." I know she meant the people who demand a member of congress's time (she's a former scheduler for two members) and treat the staff with disdain. But maybe there's another interpretation of the phrase.

When I walk confidently on the streets of the U.S. capital, know my way around the metro and get to eat in the restaurant where I first tried Ethiopian food almost a decade ago, I think I'm important. Somehow, I managed to travel to Washington enough times to have a history with the city. I've had the opportunity to serve and learn enough about international development programs to have become passionately interested in testing the assumptions that underly their strategies. People agreed to answer my questions this time.

This is not the sort of important that tries to push people around. Instead, it is the confidence to hold my head high. It is the confidence that I have something to offer, even in Washington.

And it was awfully fun to fly in right before class on Monday with just enough time to pick up lunch at La Madeleine (a chain that has a store in my Bethesda neighborhood, too) and eat French country potato soup at my desk before class.

And before the big pile of grading fell on me.

Gym Source