I have lived in Washington D.C. for almost a month now and one thing is for sure, I love this place. In my short time here, I have grown accustomed to many things that were very new for me. As I learn more about D.C., I am finding a crazy amount of differences between here and Oklahoma each and every day. Throughout my short stay, I have found that the majority of things that I absolutely love are here in D.C. and not in Oklahoma.

1. Pret A Manger

I never knew what Pret was until my second day of living in D.C., and it is safe to say that I was a committed Starbucks addict. But this organic coffee place changed everything! I am now a Pret addict. To me, I think it tastes better than Starbucks, but better yet, it is cheaper than Starbucks, too. The café also has food and the food is just as good as the coffees and pastries.

2. Brunch

Weekend brunch is the highlight of my week and I basically plan my entire weekend around it. In Oklahoma, my “Saturday brunch plan” was basically me waking up at 2 p.m., going to IHOP and then taking a nap. But in D.C., brunch is a full day’s worth of activities. You wake up before noon, get ready, go to brunch and then spend your day shopping or sightseeing in the area the restaurant is located. Then, I learned that there is such thing as bottomless brunch, and that is actually the best thing that has ever happened to me.

3. The Metro

I have never seen an underground public transportation system until now. I was hesitant to try it out at first because it’s muggy down there and it stinks, but it is more convenient than anything else in this city. If the weather isn’t great or you need to travel somewhere far, the metro is perfect for that. You can travel all throughout D.C. on the metro, and it is cheap.

4) Free Activities

There are so many free things to do in D.C. and that make me, and my wallet, very happy. I have been to many free museums, concerts and art galleries. D.C. might be an expensive place to live in, but all of the free activities make up for it. Every weekend, there is always something to do and I have never gotten bored.

5) Happy Hour

I didn’t realize happy hour was actually a thing until this summer. Although I can’t celebrate with half-off drinks, I can still socialize. I honestly think happy hour is built into people’s work schedules. It doesn’t matter what day of the week it is, there will always be half priced drinks from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. This is a trend I will definitely take back to Oklahoma with me.

6) Walking

I have never walked so much in my life. On a normal day, I walk at least five miles. In Norman, I think I would walk five miles in a week or so. It was hard adjusting to the fact that I no longer have my vehicle, but now i like it that way. Since I walk everywhere, I get to see thing that wouldn’t normally see inside a car. The traffic here is awful and it actually is easier to take a walk than take a taxi.

7) Food Trucks

There are food trucks galore in D.C. They park along the curbs of the parks every day for lunch time. There is every type of food you could imagine. Food trucks are perfect for grabbing a quick meal and having lunch in the park and it is the perfect time to get out of the office and enjoy some fresh air.

8) Humidity

My hair does not appreciate the humidity here. It can be a cool 70 degrees but the humidity will make you sweat as if you just ran 10 miles. I have gotten to the point where I don’t even straighten my hair anymore because it is just going to frizz up anyway. But oddly, sometimes the humidity feels good, and it gives me an excuse to not do my hair.

9) Georgetown

This area is only a short walk away and has everything I could ever want. I fell in love during my first trip to Georgetown. It has the best shops, restaurants, cafés and dessert places. Although I am very happy I found Georgetown, it is dangerous to my bank account. There are so many places to shop that time really does fly by when you’re spending money. For anyone who has never been to D.C., I highly recommend you take a trip to Georgetown.

10) The Culture

Everything about D.C. is completely different than Oklahoma. The looks of D.C. are different, the buildings, the people, the way of life. I haven’t seen any similarities between Oklahoma and D.C. I have met people from all over the country and I’ve realized everyone’s not so different after all. There have been more times than not that I have gotten lost, and strangers have stopped to help me find my way. There have also been times when people weren’t the friendliest, but I’ve learned if you open up to them, they will return the favor.

11) My Experience

Living by myself in such a different place has been unexplainable. I have learned so much about myself in this short time than I could have ever imagined. There have been many times when I wanted help or guidance, but I had to learn to get through it on my own. I truly believe I can do anything I desire and accomplish any goals I set for myself. Living so far away from home has been one of the best experiences I have ever had.