Good Morning Washington!

I feel human again after exactly eight hours of blissful sleep, hopefully I don't have to deal with any jetlag (think it has a good effect on me though, woke up at eight and wasn't tired at all) this time.

Yesterday worked out well, I didn't have to pay any excess luggage fee, and on the flight I had a bad middle seat but two for the occasion perfect neighbours - one Swedish (= no small talk. I am boring but I hate when all you want to do is sleep and you have a seat neighbour who keeps talking to you) girl my own age (= enough space for everyone) on each side. I tried to sleep most of the time but managed to watch Lukas Moodysson's Mammoth, which was much better than I expected.

I had to change planes in Chicago (which is a detour, but my ticket was incredibly cheap) and yes, I passed the queue and entered the USA through the "diplomatic/military travel" line. My moment of glory was a bit shattered however when a middle-aged woman quickly walked past me as I was waiting, alone, for my turn, without even looking at me or apologizing. I wanted to scream "Hey! I was here before you and I have an A visa as well!", but she was Swedish and I was afraid she would be from the embassy.

With a bit of delay I landed at Washington Reagan which is just outside the city centre, and took a taxi to my future home. First impression of the city from the car window: just as I expected it to be - monuments monuments monuments. After walking around a very large apartment complex with two suitcases and a computer bag so heavy I still have red marks all over my shoulder, I managed to meet up with a woman from the embassy who took me to my apartment, where I am sitting now. I am sharing it with two other Swedish embassy interns, of whom I've met one so far. They arrived before me and have moved into the two very large and almost luxurious rooms (normal, I would have done the same had I been first), one of which has a private bathroom and a wonderful view of the Kennedy Centre. My "room" is small and pretty much a part of the living room, separated by two curtains. I absolutely don't mind living here but as we all pay the same (high, but probably fairly cheap considering the location) rent I will make sure we do switch rooms at some point. Overall the standard is very good, we have a 20 m2 terrace, a large living room with TV and dvd, a fully equipped kitchen with a dishwasher, and nice familiar IKEA furniture (I have the exact same small table in my room that I had in Sweden and in Groningen, this time it is red. The building itself looks and feels like a hotel, and it seems like mostly young people live here. We are on the fourth floor, and with my crappy sense of direction I obviously did not remember how we got to the room. It took me ca 15 minutes to find the exit (which, apparently, is on the 2nd floor, not 1st, not "B", "C" or any other letter. Anyway, I think I will like it here!