As I finish packing up the last of how little I own, I reflect on my short stay here and marvel at the people I've met in such a short amount of time. Before I arrived I knew a couple of people. My homeboy Devin Johnson moved here to attend and recently graduated from Howard University School of Law. None of this would have been possible if it weren't for him.

Also, I had some friends from North Carolina A&T. Tiffany Davidson is one of my friends who I wish I had spent more time with. When I first moved into my empty apartment, she saved me from having to sleep on the hardwood floors by coming through with a comfortable and a pillow. I promise I'll return them one day. Rasheed-Ali Cromwell is another Aggie who lives here. We met several times in an attempt to get on the same sheet of music with our business aspirations. One day, perhaps, we will work together. There is no doubt, though, that he will reach his goals with his business ventures.

Mainly, though, I know I wouldn't have made it for more than a week without my aunt and her husband, Jo-ann and Darryl Giles offering me a place to crash at their pad. The cooking was phenomenal, the house is huge and the HD wide-screen TV was perfect for watching the Redskins games. And how many times did I subject Darryl to picking me up in the hood because the bus didn't run down to Ft. Washington that late at night?

One of the things I love about DC is the diversity of the people you meet. Like when I lived in Atlanta, many of the people I've met are not born and raised here. Huda Abdi Aden is a Somali, born in Saudi Arabia, raised in Connecticut. Patricia Rogers is from Liberia. Merlyne Nougues is a Haitian-American. Gadril is from Senegal. Irakli is from the country of Georgia. Anjon Roy's roots go back to India. Brandon Dorsey was born in Trinidad. David Rivera is from Nicaragua. Felipe Andrade is from Brazil. Greg Hsieh is from Taiwan (I think). Lou Nbangchang, the poker king, is from Thailand, where he was a monk. And the beautiful Ginny, she is from Utpoia. All the cab drivers are from Ethiopia or Pakistan.

My good friend Tiffany Johns is from Philly. She lived around the corner from me and has been a true delight. I'll never get over the scene of her and her boyfriend, Mark, dancing at Cada Vez to some Prince music. Mark is also one cool dude.

And then there's Shanelle Lewis. There's Bernard Stennett, aka Tink. And there's Daphne Nesbitt, who actually lives in New York now. Burnie Williams at Chat's Liquors. And Coffei Pinkney from upstate New York. Artis King. Ira, Steve and Carlton from my short-lived Bassett Furniture days (You boys are crazy!). Jason Caulder gets a mention because he also is a die-hard Redskins fan (Good luck in Jersey). And I have to mention Mike Guercio who had my back while I was creating problems at Verizon Wireless.

And there were others I met here and there who have helped make DC such a surprise. How can I forget all the drunks, drug-users and CD-selling singers out at Adam's Morgan?

But most of all, how would I have fared without the support of Torrie Camp. It's funny how she comes up here and I'm going back to the South. Well, her patience has really helped a bruh absorb the sticker shock. As she pursues her modeling career, I'm sure you will see more of her one day soon.

All in all, my short stay here has convinced me I must come back. I have some business to take care of in the South, but DC is now home.