Choosing Your Home

I've lived in DC proper since 1997. I've lived inside the Beltway since 1987. I've lived in the general orbit of DC (distant surburbs) for most of the last 35 years. It feels like home. As an Army brat, that matters. Growing up, we moved on the average every 2.5 years.

(Side note: never ask a military brat "where are you from?". That question is virutally impossible to answer.)

So, my internal meter of "normal" is set to "DC".

Several weeks ago, I got into a chat with a young man who was trying to get people to sign an Amnesty International petition here in Brisbane. He was also an American and he said "So, what do you think of Brisbane? It's a shit-hole, isn't it?".

I was surprised at his rude bluntness. I suspect what he meant was "geez, I thought they'd send me somewhere hip and fun like Sydney or Melbourne! But noooooooooooooo, I get this f***ing backwater. How will I ever be able to brag about this when I get home??".

(OK, I don't know if that's what he was thinking but it definitely could have been. Maybe he was just trying to bond over hip bitchiness.)

I told him that I actually liked Brisbane, a lot. I explained that, coming from DC, I had plenty of experience with self-important cities and that I was definitely enjoying a more laid-back town.

It's the truth. DC is so serious and self-important and earnest and hustle-bustle and outta-my-way-I'm-saving-the-world-here! It can be sweet and lovely and gentle too but that's not my dominant memory of DC right now.

I chatted up another local recently who talked about visiting DC and being surprised that a DC local referred to DC as "the most important city in the world". Admit it, DC'ers, that is how we think of DC. The United States is the richest most powerful country in the world. DC is its capitol. Therefore, DC must be the most important city in the world.

This Aussie had never heard that about DC before and thought it was, quite frankly, laughable.

Take a walk down any major thoroughfare in downtown or around Capitol Hill. What expression do you see on most people's faces? Is it open? Is it smiling? Is it curious? Is it intense? Is it angry? Is it sharp?

When I walk around Brisbane, I see more light-heartedness. I see more open-ness. (I also see more youth, which sometimes makes me feel a tad ancient.) I feel a lighter mood in the city. I see more people simply enjoying themselves.

Hell, they built their own beach in the middle of town!

Brisbane is not perfect. Some of that laid back way comes because they're more homogeneous. I think Australia, and Brisbane, still have struggles ahead of them around racism and immigration. It's easy for me to chill out here because I fit -- I'm upper middle class, I'm white, I'm married, I'm straight, I'm Christian.

Still.....

I'm finding it hard to imagine giving up the kind of vibe this city has and returning to the DC vibe. I find myself wondering if there isn't somewhere else that would be a gentler fit for me.

Don't panic. I'm still planning to come back to DC in July or August. I am simply becoming aware that there are other options.