So over it

I am ready to move out of my shared house. I'm glad that I lasted this long, but the time has come for me to find a new place. My goals for moving into the house were to save money and to prepare me for the transition to living in a hut or tiny flat somewhere in Latin America. Now that I've decided to postpone the Peace Corps, I no longer see a need to continue to live in house with five other people nor to share a bathroom with two guys.

So, once again, I have to look for an apartment or shared house. I hate the search in DC.

The good news is that I've decided that I will stay in DC for at least 4 more years—though problably 8 (the full two terms of Obama's presidency…). I am hopeful that I will be able to work for the administration and even more hopeful of future Hill opportunities. I want to gain as much political experience as possible so that when the time comes to pursue a career in academia, I have a lot of real world experience to bring to my studies and to the classroom.

Given that midterm timeline, I've decided that I want to buy a house. It's crazy to think of all the shocking rent that I've paid over the years that could have been used to offset a mortgage payment. But back then, I had no reason to believe that I would still be in DC after 9.5 years. I always wanted to live abroad, go to school in Cali, or settle in NYC. Every year, I made plans to leave DC (grad school, Peace Corps, teaching english abroad, etc). But my desire to see how far I can get with a Hill/Administration career, trumps everything else right now.

And I can't see myself living anywhere else than DC for the long term. Sure, I'd love to live in NYC, SoCali, Europe or Latin America for a few years. But no other place provides the academic and professional (environmental policy), cultural and social stimulation and opportunity for growth that I feel I can get from DC for the rest of my life. Plus living in DC, NYC and Europe are always a short bus/plane ride away.

Floyd is very happy to hear of my decision to settle down in DC and buy a house. As he noted, I'm a modern, independent woman.

I secretly long to be buying a house with a husband. But I don't have a husband, or a boyfriend for that matter. So, I need to provide for myself and stay to the path that will make me the most happy. That means that I will buy a house and adopt children when the time is right—regardless of if a significant other is or isn't in my life. That's what being a modern woman is all about. I reluctantly, yet respectfully, accept such opportunities provided to women today.

I have a 2-3 year plan to get myself in a house in DC. I have a lot of research to do and a lot of money to save. And I definitely need to talk to my family and friends for advice. I'll be 30 in two years. So, for me, the time has come for me to take charge of my life and establish the sort of life I want. I no longer want to wait around for a man to change the trajectory of my life. I will set it for myself and hope that one day I will meet him along the way.