My Souvenir from Holland: Delicious Cheese!

The beach of Scheveningen

 

At the Chef’s Ball we were welcomed with a lovely gift bag from Art and Soul restaurant.   The goodies included chef Art Smith’s cookbook , his signature spices, and a nice travel coffee mug I use at the “maze” for my morning coffee.   We danced until 4am until we were forced out of the hotel and to rest to keep up with the rest of the weekend.

 

On Monday, thanks to the generosity of a friend, I found myself 300 feet from the Capitol, in a contained sitting area to witness President Obama reaffirm his oath.  It was my first time witnessing the event, which I thought was well executed despite the thousands of people present.  I got emotional watching Vice President Biden reaffirming the exact same oath I took 12 years ago as a commissioned officer, administered by a fellow Puerto Rican, Justice Sonia Sotomayor.  After living in Brussels where Belgium spent 18 months trying to form a government, there was no celebration of this magnitude when it finally happened.  

I am a believer everything in life comes at the perfect time.  Being able to witness the inauguration and the celebrations which accompanied it was the perfect way to welcome my repatriation to the United States.  This country may not be perfect, but it is amazing to see the evolution of it.  In my opinion no other country has evolved so rapidly.  How every year,  more barriers are removed as we see our President reaffirming an oath in a Capitol Building which was erect with the hands of slaves. 

All photos except last courtesy of Carla Sanchez

This marks my 3rd year as a blogger. It all began in January 2010 when I decided to start my former blog, Adventures of a Puerto Rican Girl in Brussels.   It became a narrative of my life in Belgium and travels throughout the world.  It became a diary of my life as an expatriate in a country which gave me six wonderful years of learning about life, culture, love, food, and everything in between.  I enjoyed documenting about my solution to world peace through Oktoberfest and wearing my heart on my sleeve as I wrote about my broken heart.  The blog also became a place which inspired me not only to embark in new adventures but to accept new challenges.  It made me not only honest with my readers but with myself. 
Yesterday, I went to the DC Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to change my driver's license.  I officially became a New York State driver August of 1995 at the age of 17. Since then, I managed to keep my NYS license while living in Japan, South Korea, Belgium, and Germany.  In a way, it was a link to home. A home I left at the young age of 17 to pursue my dreams, see the world, and experience a life beyond the snowy hills of Western NY.  Yesterday, the DMV clerk made me shred my NYS license. He told me "just let it go".  Although it was a tiny sliver of plastic, it meant so much more.  I was saddened to see this 17 year link to my past go through a shredder.  At the same time it gave me a sense of optimism.

It also made me reflect on how challenging it is at times to let go.  Some things are trivial such as a license or an item of clothing. Others are deeper.  It can be a friendship or relationship which does not fit anymore.  When I was planning my move from Brussels to Washington, I had to make a lot of decisions about the things I wanted to hold on to and others that needed to go.  At times, it seems easy to say "throw it out" until the moment of truth comes.  I recall carefully packing a Leffe beer glass my friend Jaime "acquired" at Place du Luxembourg in Brussels sometime in 2007. When I opened the box in DC, the glass was in pieces.  As I threw it away, I acknowledged the memories Jaime and I created that night did not leave with the broken glass.
It is symbolic that I am starting a new year with a new identity card. It is a permanent reminder not only I have moved back but I am part of a community here. I am part of the community of Bloomingdale, where you can see a diverse mix of social class, race, and ages.  A place where Wanda, my front door neighbor organized a holiday block party and introduced me to the neighbors.  Some neighbors have lived there all their lives and some have just joined.  As much as I miss Brussels, I have chosen not to have an attachment of my former life.  Just as the Leffe glass, I’ve chosen to remember the nice memories. Sometimes we get caught up on “back in XYZ, it was so much better” or “that place was so much nicer” or “that person was so much better” without taking the time to be present and truly appreciate what is in front of us.  The things I threw out or sold in Brussels gave me space to welcome the new things in my life.
In Puerto Rico, we have a tradition of mopping the house New Year ’s Eve and throwing the bucket of dirty water outside at midnight. It symbolizes cleaning out all the negative things of the prior year and starting the New Year free of bad energy.  This year, I performed my new take on the ritual. With my Dyson vacuum cleaner in hand, I vacuumed throughout the whole house. My Dutch boyfriend at first witnessed in curiosity (or maybe horror) but later joined me in ritual.  Shortly after midnight, under the cold DC sky we emptied the canister of dust on the street.  I figured it would be more civilized than a bucket of water. I don't want my neighbors to label me as the "crazy Puerto Rican" just yet.  As the dust particles flew in the cold DC wind, I manifested  2013 will bring us good health, love, success, and fortune. 

Some have said moving is one of the most stressful experiences in life next to divorce and death. I don't like the word stress so I will use the word challenging. As I write this on a mattress sitting in the middle of the living room in front of a television which uses a Rubbermaid trunk as a TV stand is testament that moving is challenging.  I am fortunate my friends are renting me their home, but it doesn't discount setting up a home has its moments.
When I decided to move back to the US, I decided to sell all my furniture for a few reasons. One, my move was not being paid for by my employer. Two, I did not know the dimensions of my new place before leaving Brussels. Three, I believe there is time to get rid of the old and bring new energy to this chapter.  Although it has been fun to look for new furniture and decorating ideas, I have to realize this all takes patience.  Just as a the perfect couch takes a month to get delivered, I have to recognize getting accustomed to my new life takes time.

My current humble setup

Last week I had a sad birthday week. I spent my first Thanksgiving weekend home in ten years at the hospital with my father, was locked out of my new home for two days, and to top it all off, packages I ordered from cyber Monday were stolen from my porch.  The day of my birthday I thought of my fabulous birthday parties in Brussels and couldn't help but feeling lonely.  Thankfully, the weekend turned around Friday when I joined the girls of SpicyCandyDC for a fun blogger night out at Recess.  The happiness fully returned when my dear friends Jaime and Mike arrived from NYC for much added housewarming support.

Getting in the Christmas mood....

Jaime has been my friend  for sixteen years. We were roommates our senior year of college. We lived in a very basic apartment which included an "acquired" couch from campus. Now as adults, we found ourselves setting up my Christmas tree in my empty townhome. To cure my birthday blues, they took me for a Belgian meal at Brasserie Beck. For a moment it cured my homesickness of my beloved Brussels. As we ate the oysters, I was reminded of the many dinners Jaime and I had at Belga Queen in Brussels during her many visits to the Kingdom. We concluded the evening bringing down the guest mattress to the empty living room and watching movies, in a similar setup as our college days.
I was naive to think I was not going to miss Brussels the way I do. At the same time, I have to remind myself how I felt the first months at my apartment in Rue de l'Amazone six years ago.  The loneliness soon will fade away.....

My madrileño friend David asked me to write on this blog comparisons between new and old world. Before moving to Belgium, I always walked on the line of American and Latino due to my upbringing both in Puerto Rico and Upstate New York. Six years and total European assimilation later, my views have become tridimensional. This is where the term 'Ameurorican' comes from.
I have to start the series discussing the holiday season. Growing up in Puerto Rico, the holiday seemed all about food and decorations. My dad killed and roasted full sized pigs in our backyard. My mom and aunts made tasty pasteles to share throughout the season. The "parrandas" (friends who come to your home playing live christmas music in the middle of the night) were always fun. We set the tree on thanksgiving evening and took it down sometime mid January after Three Kings Day. We wrapped the palm trees which hugged our home in Christmas lights.
During my high school and college years in Upstate NY, I wrestled my brother in the snow and ice skated with my friends downtown. We shoveled snow some new year mornings and had big Christmas parties with my family. So big, we organized a secret Santa. On Christmas day, my dad plays his guitar and sings parranda songs from Puerto Rico.

My parents bringing PuertoRican flavor to Upstate NY Christmas

In Belgium and Germany I fell in love with the Christmas markets. I loved how the Schloßplatz in Stuttgart came alive with little wooden huts filled with food, nutcrackers, and wooden gifts. I can vividly recall the smells of Gluhwein and bratwurst mixed in the crisp cold air of the Schawben Valley. In Brussels, I loved the market in Saint Catherine, with pieces of all the cultures: warm kriek next to oysters and champagne followed by paella.

Manneken Pis all dressed up...

All these memories I hold very dear. That is why I can't accept what I have come to see this holiday season in the US. I arrived October 22nd to find Christmas decorations in shops. What I found even more appalling is the fact stores opened on thanksgiving night. Some of my relatives had to cut their holiday short as they work in retail. I always found Black Friday ludicrous, but this thanksgiving shopping unsettled me. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday as it is about giving thanks and sharing a meal with family. If there is a shopping activity I'm going to indulge on, it will be cyber Monday. All the low prices from the comfort of my own home.
As I reflect on my holiday memories whether it is in the new or old world, I reflect on the intangible things shared above, not on the material gifts received. I don't remember what I got for Christmas when I was a kid (or 2009 for that matter) but I remember singing Jingle Bells in Spanish with my Aunt Lucy when I was 10, getting body slammed into the snow by my brother at the age of 16, getting tipsy with Gluhwein at the Köln Christmas Market with my best friend Jaime in 2010. I relish beautiful memories which did not involved leaving my friends and family mid thanksgiving to buy presents. Those moments of simple laughter with the ones you love are truly priceless.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

After a sad last post on my Brussels Blog, it is time to be open to new things in life. After three years of chronicling my Euro adventures in Brussels, I now start to chronicle my new adventure: my new found life in Washington, DC. Many moons ago (seven years to be exact) I lived on the beltway. So many things have changed since I left to Seoul in 2006 followed by my six years in Brussels and Stuttgart. My departure of Brussels was a tough decision, as I loved my life in Europe. In many ways, I feel I have also become European as I assimilated to my life there so well. However, there is a time we all must come home.
I arrived on a Sunday afternoon and was working the following morning. My place of employment does not have the best parking, but it has the most convenient perk: its own metro stop. Hans, my 3 series is somewhere in the Atlantic, making its way home and it's comforting to know DC has a great metro system. That is one good thing over Brussels already!  I am glad I don't have to stand in those unpleasant traffic jams on General Jacques and can catch up with my reading on the train. The walk to the metro is pleasant in the Bloomingdale neighborhood, with people actually saying hello to me as the walk by. The first few days I found it weird (as those who have lived in Brussels can relate) but now I'm with the program.

Snapshot of my New Neighborhood....

 Assimilating to my new job was not that difficult.  I will definitely miss the booze at the NATO parties though and my multinational colleagues.  My place of employment is huge, but I am happy to say I made it to the gym without getting lost, which was progress from the last time I was there, where it took me an hour to return to my office! I'm glad to reunite with old friends for dinner and drinks and get more acquainted with the city. I went to El Centro for happy hour and was delighted to have mango margaritas for $6 with a friendly bartender and $6 tacos. It was no Place Chatelain, but it was a nice atmosphere to reunite with my blogger buddy Carlis from SpicyCandyDC and Kim, friends from my days working at Kenneth Cole in 2002. Moving can be emotionally challenging, but I'm grateful to have friends in DC giving me shelter, love, and emotional support.
Now this is my life in the Nation's Capital.  I'm looking forward to discovering my new city, decorating my new home, making new friends, getting to know my country better (next stop:Austin), among other things. I hope you follow me along in this ride!