Day 977: Washington, DC and… Mexican Food?

I’ve been reminiscing about food again.  


I don’t know what my problem is… maybe it’s the large amount of curry I’ve been eating over the last seven month… perhaps it’s the fact that I’ve started to really enjoy the burritos, quesadillas, and fajitas at the Islamabad American Club… even though… there is something… not… quite… right about them.  


I don’t know.  


I think there is some strange alien creature inside me who NEEDS Mexican Food... and that alien is crying, because he knows that come July, just before the whole Schutz clan heads back to Atlanta for our much needed Home Leave, we’re going to spend two weeks in Washington, DC for some training classes… thus denying my alien belly the amazing goodness that is Authentic Mexican cuisine.    


Now, I could be wrong, and please God I hope I am, and someone PLEASE point me in the correct direction, but I have yet to find a quality Mexican restaurant in Washington, DC.  


Sure, I’ve found some passable Tex-Mex chains like Chevy Chase, but my problem with chains is that they’re a bit too much Tex and not enough Mex.  But, I also own the fact that I’m picky.  


The last time we were in DC, we stopped at an authentic looking ‘Mexican’ restaurant complete with an authentic looking ‘Mexican’ menu… with some other Latin offerings, like paella.  


Now, the inclusion of the paella was a red flag.  You see, most ‘Mexicans’ running ‘Mexican’ restaurants in Washington, DC aren’t really Mexicans.  They are normally Central and South Americans pretending to be ‘Mexican’ because it’s a more popular cuisine.  In reality, Central and South American’s have very different diets and for the most part they don’t understand Mexican food… which is why it’s so hard to find authentic Mexican food in Washington, DC.


So, to be safe I went with the Seafood Paella.  I figured if Paella was on the menu I should stay away from Mexican dishes and since we were on the coast the seafood should be good.  Well… the paella was over salted and they used frozen seafood.  Yeah… it wasn’t good.  There is just something about chewy mussels and scallops that just don’t do it for me.  


However, I fared much better than Serena who went with the Burrito.  And I know what you’re probably thinking… Burrito’s are easy, how bad could it be?  Well, Serena’s Burrito came stuffed with dry over cooked chicken and bit of raw carrots and broccoli.  That’s right… RAW BROCCOLI!  


Listen, carrots are bad enough, that’s what we’ve come to expect when eating ‘Mexican’ in Europe… but raw Broccoli?  That’s just strange!  Am I wrong?  Have I been out of the States for too long?  Are raw broccoli burritos all the rage these days?  I don’t know about you… but that’s just plain old gross! 


I don’t know… I’m starting to think I should cut European ‘Mexican’ chef’s a break… because I’ve had a LOT of bad Mexican food overseas… but NONE has been as bad as I’ve had in Washington, DC.


And for that… my alien belly weeps.

Day 110: Almost Time To Go

Man, I really need to start writing more. The time is just flying by. It seems like I left Atlanta… well, not yesterday… but not that long ago… and here I am, almost a 3rd of a year has passed. And we are still in Washington, DC.

Crazy.

But, that number is quickly dwindling. In six days we will finally be moving on to our ultimate destination: Serbia. It is all very exciting. But so much to do. So much in fact, that it will be impossible to complete everything on my to-do list. Oh well, if I don’t get it done in the next 60 days, it wasn’t worth doing, right? Or at least, I can do it in two years when we come back.

Hmm. When I started writing this, I thought I would have more to say… but I don’t. Sitting along in an apartment (Serena and Gray are out of town again) in Washington isn’t nearly as interesting to me as arriving in Serbia. It’s kind of like Christmas as a kid… it has almost been two years since applying for this opportunity… and now, finally… the day is approaching. But, it still isn’t real. The surreal feelings that had had when I first arrived in DC have long since faded and now, simply put, this is what I do… but unfortunately… actually getting on a plane and going has eluded me. In six days… the time will come… and I am sure I will stop sleeping sometime in the next four days.

Oh, some great thing since I last wrote. Halloween! We had a wonderful Halloween this year. Grayson has become obsessed with superheroes and on a trip to the stop picked out the coolest Batman costume I have ever seen. For those that know me… you know that Batman is my favorite superhero… but, please keep in mind, I was not on this shopping trip and had no influence over Grayson’s decision. But I will say that I must be doing something right when it comes to this fatherhood thing.
So, yeah, dawned in his Batman costume, Grayson went trick-or-treating for the first time. It was really cool. He was so excited. Anticipating the night like it was Christmas. For about a week before the big night, Grayson was obsessed with practicing. He would pick-up his little pumpkin candy bag and close himself in one of our bedrooms and shout “trick-or-treat!” It was very cute stuff.

The apartment complex we are in allowed residents to sign up as “trick-or-treat” houses and then we picked up the list and went out for the night of our lives. Now, I will say that trick-or-treating in an apartment complex is kind of weird… we all have very well lit interior halls… to it didn’t really have the “feel” of a real Halloween, the Halloween of our youth, running around dark neighborhoods. But, Grayson didn’t care… he was simple interested in a five day sugar high. Which he got.

Take care,
JohnPaul.

I can't believe it's fall already! The high today was 67. The trees will begin to change anytime. I love this time of year.

My friend, Julie, visited with her daughter last week. They drove my VW up from Atlanta and then flew back. We spent last weekend in Baltimore for a wedding of one of JP's 50 cousins. We have another to attend next weekend. Then I think Gray and I will fly off to Indy for a last visit before we leave. It will be nice to be home for a while.

Apparently our neighborhood in Belgrade gets foggy and spooky around mid October. Too bad we'll miss Halloween there.

Yesterday Grayson and I walked into our building with a friend. A man had entered the elevator and was holding it for us. Grayson reached the elevator first and stopped outside the ope door. He looked up a the older man carrying a grocery bag and asked, "Are you going up or down?" Of course he was going up because we were on the first floor, but that is beside the point. It was really cute.

Grayson is really big. And he'll be 3 in four months! My goodness. There's no going back now. We just treasure him--one silly phrase, look and bruise at a time.

Finger Picking Good

A couple of weeks back Grayson really wanted this penguin toy at a toy store in the mall. There were three little penguins that all took turns climbing up an automatic escalator and then back down again. Grayson loves escalators so his fascination made sense. I just didn't feel the need to spend $15 on another plastic toy made in China. Not that I have anything against China, but you know what I mean. Eventually all of this stuff just gets thrown into the same pile in the same room and it may as well all just melt together.

Well, JohnPaul spotted a Grayson-sized guitar and saved the day. After two days at home two strings were busted (both oddly at the hands of JohnPaul), but it's gotten some good play time. And a guitar store is across the street so re-stringing the little guy has joined my official to-do list.

Green goggles day



Does T-Rex dig goggles (Smithsonian Museum of Natural History)



Goggles in the day time...



...and goggles at night

Julia Roberts loves a guy in goggles!

More Goggles

Goggles in the Oval Office

Goggles

I don't know exactly when it began or why, but Grayson's obsession with goggles over the last weeks has only slightly waned in recent days. At first we thought he was idolizing Phelps like the rest of the nation, but every time he saw a photo of Phelps on a magazine cover he'd say, "Look, it's Dada!"

Grayson; Stuck Somewhere Between Georgia (U.S., People!) and Serbia

Different Playgroup, Different Day

Today Gray and I joined in on a Foreign Service playgroup at a park here in Falls Church. You guys probably don't know, but a previous client of mine is here with her husband. He is in Urdu language training right now and they leave for Chennai, India in October. When she was in labor at Northside I found out that he had passed the FS Exam and was really excited for them. At that time JohnPaul had also turned in his application, but it was still a distant dream for us. Anyway, I contacted her to find out where they were when we got the notification that he was officially accepted. As fate would have it, she and her (now 14 month old) son arrived here to meet her husband 8 days before Gray and I arrived.

We had dinner down by the grills the other night and today I hitched a ride with her to playgroup. There were three other moms there. One's husband an FSO (Foreign Service Officer), one's husband with DS (Diplomatic Security) and another husband is with USAID (United States Agency for International Development). One of the moms sells Arbonne and is coming over to give me and my friend a mini-makeover tonight. I am looking forward to that though. Makeup is on my list of things to stock up on so I thought I would give it a whirl. Plus she and her family were in Nairobi the same time that I was there, so conversation should be good.

Fly like an eagle, into the future...

A cute pick of Gray outside of the bird exhibit at the National Zoo on Monday 8/11.

D.C. Adventures (Serena)

Gray and I arrived Saturday morning. Short and uneventful flight. I am just happy to leave the stress of "finishing up" in Atlanta. I know we aren't in Serbia yet, but in my mind we are just stopping through D.C. for a nice long vacation before our flight out in late September.

The weather here has been unbelievable. We were transported through time to the beginning of a beautiful fall on the East Coast. High of 80 degrees, cool and dry breezes. Downright chilly evenings with the windows open. Okay, back to reality. I know it's just a fluke and that the heat and humidity of August is on its way back beginning tomorrow, but to me it was like a secret welcome to my new adventure. This is the weather I live for every year. And it was waiting here for me upon my arrival-a brief whisper to comfort me and let me know that I am on the right path. Enough about my obsession with temperate climates.

Gray and I have conquered the Metro and are armed with our maps. We've been to the zoo, the State Department building, Albert Einstein and managed a long stroll through Georgetown (most of which he slept through). I haven't been to Georgetown since I stayed for three days right before flying out to Kenya for Peace Corps in September of 2002.

The exterior of the apartment buildings resemble barracks, but the interior gives way to modern comforts and our two bedroom is pretty spacious. Plenty of room for visitors (hint, hint) with a large second bedroom with full bath. Grayson wears himself out daily thanks to the pool, playground, tennis courts and sand volleyball court on site. It's nice and we will settle in just in time to pull up our tender roots and re-plant a bit further away. Looking forward to it though!

Day 16 – Post Assignments

By JohnPaul

Okay, I know… I haven’t written in a while… but I thought I would wait until I have some real news. Here it is, short and sweet.

We’re going to Belgrade, Serbia!

Day 5

By JohnPaul

Whelp… today was the last day of the first week… only five more to go, maybe. The catch phase here is “Well, it depends”. As you can imagine, the world being such a big place, although there is specific training… once you get to post things can be different. Ah, the adventure!

Our pack-out is Monday, which I can only imagine will be an adventure of its own. Being that the moves couldn’t schedule us until the 28th, I have completely lucked out of having to deal with those logistics. But, Serena on the other hand? Well, I can hear the anxiety in her voice. Imagine putting everything you own into piles: Unaccompanied Air Baggage (which will meet us in DC), Temporary Storage (which will join us at our first post), and Permanent Storage (with will join us when the adventure ends… however long that is). My hats off to Serena for taking care of that for us. I can’t even imagine.

Speaking of Monday, our bid list is due on Monday. Bids are the list of possible posts in order of preference. I went ahead and turned mine in today. I feel a whole lot better getting that out of the way so I can stop obsessing about it for the weekend. Belgrade is my number one… I have been telling the others in my group (all bidding on the same locations) that if they bid Belgrade as their number one I’m going to break their legs… but being a fairly nice guy, I’ll make sure I get them to the hospital. You know? You have to keep karma balanced.

Although, the others don’t seem to be as lucky when it comes to knowing what they want. I’m a pretty decisive guy though. Tonight a group of us are all getting together to watch videos about some of the posts on our bid list. About half of my orientation class are living in the same complex, and being that I have a one bedroom apartment (the rest have studios) I have been nominated to host our little party. This is perfectly fine with me… I can just stay in my room. Which is awesome, because I am so drained… and with the hectic schedule… stress of starting something new… the anxiety of not knowing what is still to come… and not having my family here to share in the adventure (yet)… as let me to start feeling a bit run down. Today was a half day though… and I have a weekend to chill. All of us here staying at the Oakwood complex seem to be feeling the same way and plan to stick close to home… no exploring DC.

I’m hoping after this first weekend I’ll feel up to venturing out. Both sides of my extended family live in the Baltimore area and I want to get out and visit. But this whole thing is still very new. There is a lot to process. I’m looking forward to rest. Doing laundry. Getting my footing in DC. Once the first full week is under my belt, I think I’ll be ready to take on the rest of the city.

Take care everyone!
-JP

Day 3

By JohnPaul

You know? Most times when I post things like this I have posters remorse. For those that know me well, I am a raw emotions kind of guy. But when I post… sometimes I feel like I have said to much, or that I come across kind of strange. But then again… that’s just me. Who I am. Brandon, thank you so much for your comments. I avoided checking my blog yesterday out of mild embarrassment. But you kind word have driven me to continue posting with my normal rawness. I hope that we stay in touch. I am just as interested with the misadventures of my friends as I am with posting the misadventures of my own life.

I have to admit… I miss Grayson a lot. Not to say that I don’t miss Serena… but as some of you know, we spent a lot of time apart when we were dating… nothing like three weeks… but being adults, we know that this separation is temporary and for the benefit of our family as a whole. But Grayson? He doesn’t really understand. The nice thing about it is the fact that he can talk on the phone these days. I’ve talked to him every day and heard him say “I miss you dada” and “Love you to dad”. It melts my heart. Yesterday, when Serena asked him if he wanted to say “hi to dada”, he took the phone and simply said “I miss you dada”. That kind of thing from a 2 year old is hard to hear. As we talked he wanted me to come home… but I told him about the new house I was setting up for him. The complex we are at has a playground and a swimming pool… and I told him that when he comes, we are going to swim all day. He started to giggle. Of course, I can’t see what is going on on the other end of the phone, but Serena told me after that Grayson was about to “break down” until I started talking about the swimming pool and playground. I miss him more than anything. Today he took the phone to tell me all about how his went to Chuck E. Cheese. It was a great story… you should have been there.

I know this transition is hard. I know that this new life style is going to be a hard one for Gray to adjust too… but I truly feel that we are doing the right thing. Having spent over 25 years out of my 30 in the same place, I feel honored and fortunate that I will be able to raise my son in a global environment. The world seems like a big scary place sometimes… but as technology becomes more advanced, the world is becoming a much smaller place. This transition might be hard… but in the end it will be great. Great for Grayson. I am excited to see the kind of man he becomes.

Don’t get me wrong though. I love my home. My home will always be Cobb. A place that has given me so much. This change was not an escape… but an opportunity. An opportunity that I would not have had if it wasn’t for where I came from and the sacrifices my family made more me. Those things I will always recognize… and my home I will always miss. But, an adventure I have always craved. And that is when we now have.

-JP

PS: Belgrade, Serbia is our number one choice… say prayers or send out good thoughts… whatever you are into.

Day 1

By JohnPaul

Greetings from Washington, DC! Or as I like to call it… Yuengling Country! That’s right. For those of you than know my taste in adult beverages… it is plentiful here. If I hadn’t been in orientation all day I would think that I am on vacation.

For those former colleges of mine from Cobb out there… if though thought our one day orientation was rough… try three weeks. Lol. It’s not that bad though. It is all very informative… stuff we need to know. But sitting in one place for a long period of time can be hard. Especially for me.

Today I got my list… that would be my list of possible posts… forgive me for not posting them here, I am not sure of protocol… so I would prefer not to post publically. If you would like to know the options, please email me.

The whole experience today has been pretty surreal. Am I really doing this? Most of the orientation class (around 60 people) is former military. Just about as many have overseas experience… and who am I? A theatre guy with an attitude. Many times today I had these “pinch me” moments. Am I really doing this? Is it real? Am I really on this bizarre vacation and at the end of the week will I be back at the Mable House? Don’t get me wrong… the Foreign Service is what I want. More than anything. I am just dumbfounded that I am here.

I’ve been making friends though. The other 12 OMS (office management specialist) are great. We come from all different back grounds… and you would all be proud. When we had to introduce ourselves, with our group of OMS, to our Career Development Offices I said: “May name is JohnPaul Schutz, I have worked the last seven years in arts management, I married a former peace-corp volunteer, and I am here because of a ‘what the hell moment’”. And what a moment it has turned out to be. No stone unturned, right? You never know unless you try. And as the days go by I am sure the feelings I have will subside.

It is amazing how powerful the entire experience is. First thing this morning we were sworn in. It was actually surprisingly emotional. I have never sworn an oath to my country more than the obligatory morning pledge in public school. But for some reason, taking the oath today, I felt empowered. It is a very different life that I am about to embark on. What got me even more is when an Ambassador addressed us this afternoon stating that we are all there for a reason… that we poses the skills that the country needs. That for each of us in the room there are countless people who want our seats… he went on to recognize the fact that when he joined the foreign service twenty-plus years ago that the world was a different place… yet in all that is going on in the world… we were willing to step up to the plate and serve.

For those of you that know me well… pats on the back are not exactly what I need… it’s nice… but they are not something that keeps me going… and furthermore… I was not expecting the amount of pride that I feel when presented with the fact that I am serving our country.
It’s a scary world out there… I know that. But, this is where I am supposed to be. It is a crazy feeling.

-JP