People of Washington DC

I've met some more people this week... stories from Washington DC:

I was thrilled to meet three delightful Londoners who are participating in the Atlas Network think tank MBA program, but I feel awkward sharing stories about people who I'm now Facebook friends with. However, one of them instantly invited me to his birthday party which falls over my next visit to London, another bought a round for us all at the hotel bar, and the third helped me fabricate a creative story about the origins of my pocket watch necklace. Londoners are pretty much my favorite.

Zecharius is the friendliest barista I've ever met, working at Au Bon Pain. While I placed my order, he introduced himself. He proudly told me he came from Benin (West Africa), and that he's been in the states for five years. He is one year away from finishing his bachelors in civil engineering, a skill he knows he can use in any country in the world. None of his family is in the states, but he's not sure whether he will return or not once he graduates. I asked if he's always this friendly, and he said you never know who you'll meet. So true.

Ahmed is the slowest cab driver I've ever seen, frequently going under the speed limit. He's from Pakistan and works a full time job in Fairfax, but he also drives for Uber on the weekends. At the risk of being obnoxious, I kept asking him to speed up, explaining that I was going to be late for the opera. Although his English was perfect, he couldn't seem to understand the concept of speeding up. Nonetheless - with some prayer - I arrived at the Kennedy Center just before the opening number of La Boheme.

On an average week, I meet 5-10 people randomly, most of whom I will never see or talk with again, and 10-25 people in a professional capacity, most of whom I will encounter in the near future. These profiles are just a snippet of their many stories.

People Watching from the Cafe

Of all the joys of working from a coffee shop, people-watching is one of the best. Here are a few people who passed by the window in the rain. [Location: Maida Vale, London]

First, a gentleman passes by with a large umbrella in one hand and a leash in the other, with a Chocolate Labrador on a end. The lab refused to follow his owner, stubbornly stopping wherever he wanted. The gentleman almost dragged the lab across the street against his will. They disappeared around a corner.

Then a younger man passed by, walking briskly with his hood up, holding a leash to a small, cream colored spaniel. The spaniel bounced alongside, entirely infatuated with the taste of his leash. I'm impressed how the dog simultaneously managed to chew the leash, bounce incessantly, and stay by the side of his owner. After a few minutes, they came back past the window with a full shopping bag.

Across the street, a thin, silver-haired, middle-aged man wandered down the street with a caramel-colored pitbull. The man wasn't bothered by the rain. While he technically was walking his dog, it seemed much more like the dog was walking him, not due to the dog's size or strength but the indifference of the owner.

A number of people passed quickly in black business clothes and overcoats and dark umbrellas, with their heads down. They're not appreciating the weather. I don't blame them.

The window where I'm sitting has a large overhang over the sidewalk, so a number of people stopped for a moment in the shelter. They would have a quick smoke, use their iPhones, or drink a coffee, wishing they had remembered to bring an umbrella with them today.