The World is My City

Last night I saw a man get shot. Right in my own neighborhood.* So today, to protect myself from being hunted down by the shooter himself to keep me from talking, I took off and traveled the world, along with a couple of other interns who saw the shooting with me. We went first to Japan, then passed Saudi Arabia and Thailand on our way to our next stop, Ethiopa.


From there we continued on to Bangladesh, where we got ourselves some henna tattoos, and briefly looked a bit at Pakistan.


Next we arrived in Nigeria. Here we found ourselves immersed in loud, indigenous music. We were surrounded by wonderfully happy people dancing in native costume, and could smell tantalizingly good food where ever we went. The whole time I thought to myself, "Self, remember that Nigerian man who once proposed to you? If only you had said yes, this could be your life."



But alas, it was not to be, and so we continued on for a final stop in Malaysia. We figured that at this point it was probably safe to return back to D.C., so we trekked through the jungles of Bangladesh, encountering a lost dog tag...

...on our way through a bamboo field.

We did, however, get slightly sidetracked when we accidentally stumbled upon a Buddhist sanctuary. The receptionist insisted on giving us a tour, and took us through enchanting hallways, passing rooms within which we heard mysterious chanting and saw beautiful shrines and candles. After finally arriving back at Dupont Circle in D.C., we decided our adventure merited a good, hearty meal, so we treated ourselves to the Cheesecake Factory out near where we go to church.

It was a delightful meal indeed.
Now we rest safely back in our home here in Washington, D.C. I believe our extensive travels today were enough to throw the man off our tracks, so I no longer feel concerned for our safety. Tomorrow I shall go to church in peace.


*Although occasionally (perhaps even rarely) I believe in leaving things unexplained, in this case I thought it best not to worry people. Last night I watched the movie State of Play. In the opening scene two people are shot, one killed. The bridge under which they were shot was literally right outside the doors of the movie theater I was in, just minutes from where I live. So, do not fear, my neighborhood is quite safe, although seeing someone get shot in it in a movie even was slightly unsettling.