Washington 2.0

I think every WAIPist has a shared experience here, but for me it feels like I’m getting a second chance at Washington. I graduated high school in 2010 and left for the Army a few weeks later, and somehow along the way I ended up here at Walter Reed. The Army post closed and merged with the Naval Hospital, so there were no barracks for me. The Army put me up in what my 1SG called “The Taj Mahal of Barracks” in Silver Spring, MD. All the guys were in their mid-20s, and I had just turned 19, so I spent my free time site seeing. I went to every museum, every monument, every attraction. I always wandered around, wondering what it would be like to actually have access to Washington and not feel like a tourist despite living here for almost 2 years. WAIP has given me a different perspective on places that were already familiar to me. I used to walk by the White House fence, and today I’m friends with a person on the FLOTUS staff. I remember irrationally having a distaste for the street lamps at L’Enfant Plaza, so of course, today my 9^th floor office at Battelle overlooks them (humble brag). I felt so disconnected from politics, and today I can’t escape it. I attend Senate Committee hearings and sit a few feet from my heroes (and a few villains). When I was in the Army I spent my free time riding the Red Line from Silver Spring to Washington, only enjoying it in passing. Today I feel connected to the city, and I’m doing everything I wish I had done the first time I lived here. I’m also of drinking age now, so I’m discovering more every weekend. In fact, It’s 9:21 pm on Friday night—I’m going to go discover some more. Thanks WAIP.

Jose