sweet summer sunshine

Or perhaps since I am a resident of Northern Virginia it is more apropos to title this entry "sticky summer sunshine" ;) June was a good month in the Lere casa.  Milestones reached.  Sighs of relief were breathed.

After six months of evenings and weekends clocking the needed 200 hours of study time and a nauseating number of practice exams and flashcards I took my licensing exam.  And passed.  I was nervous enough about not passing that I could count the number of people who knew I was taking the exam on one hand.  My boss exclaimed, "I can't believe you didn't tell me!" To which I responded that the fact that I didn't nicely lays out on platter some of my personal intrapsychic dynamics about failure, shame, and anxiety.  It was a huge, huge relief.  I had decided that I didn't want our summer to be colored by having it hang over me.  I wanted it knocked out before we had company.  Before our vacation (that's another story for another day. . . stay tuned :)  I was so glad I did.  Never mind that every time we move I still have to go through a very very harrowing licensure process, but the exam part was at least done for-evah.

The week following the exam victory we got to celebrate Philip's graduation from National Defense University's College of Interational Security Affairs.  In many ways graduation was bittersweet because the end of what was an incredibly year of being submersed in academia in a way that was unbelievably fulfilling, challenging, and intellectually engaging marked the beginning of getting ready to transition back to Afghanistan.  We felt like we blinked and the academic year had passed.

We were thrilled to have the chance to have a post-graduation, post-exam weekend with my aunt and uncle and cousins Annika and Nico at the end of the month.  I was so impressed by these kids.  Here's the thing about DC (well, one of The Many Many Things) - to see stuff, you have to walk.  A lot.  The metro system is good (though I avoid it LIKE THE PLAGUE.  I have come to abhor public transport.  I'm convinced it does not save time and much much prefer being in my car BY MYSELF.  Waiting for buses, waiting for trains, crammed like sardines with other sticky people, touching things that are home to a bajillion microbes, um thanksnothanks), but there aren't real great options to get you close to seeing most of the monuments on the Mall.  So we did a lot of walking.  In the sticky heat.  I'm an adult in decent shape, and I was tired - so these kids with legs half the size of mine?  The fact that they were superstars was all kinds of impressive to me.  We ate lots of delicious comida, did The Usual DC stuff, and also hit up the Spy Museum and went to church at the National Cathedral.  Brad and Sara.  What can I say? We just love them to bits.