1. Just because I live five minutes away from the best cupcakes within a 20 mile radius, does not make it acceptable to eat one every single day of the week. (Although, if you do, I promise I won't tell).

2. YES, rats are real. NO, they do not come out at night and make gourmet French cuisine. They are gross little vermin that come out to feast on whatever we humans dropped on the ground during the day. They live in the same bushes that we walk past on way to class every day..watching..waiting. (P.S. squirrels are really just daytime rats...same with pigeons). 

3. and on the 8th day, God created brunch. Brunch isn't just a special activity for when your parents come to visit or what you do on Easter weekend, it's a culture. Every Saturday and Sunday literally hundreds of restaurants and cute cafes open their doors for 4 hours of glorious breakfast and booze. WHO WOULDN'T WANT THAT? Mimosas are the nectar of the gods (maybe this is a little too religious?), but maybe not, because in DC, brunch IS a religion...and by religion I mean that's where we go to worship on Sundays. 

4. Exercise is like "a thing" here. If you aren't in with the "6 AM run around the monuments", Soul Cycle, or yoga crowd, then you are seriously missing out on an imperative part of being a hip DC local. 

5. There's SO much more to DC than the National Mall and Capitol Hill and GW campus. DC is one of the most cultured cities in the country and it has so much to offer. Whether you are getting crafty at the Eastern Market, getting outdoorsy at Dumbarton Oaks, or getting artsy at the Phillips Collection there is always something new to find in this amazing city.