“My favorite thing to do in my home is entertain friends and family,” Tania said. Here, she hosts her family for Thanksgiving 2017 on their first visit to her new apartment.
I was born in Lebanon and immigrated to the United States during the civil war with my parents as an infant. We settled in Cleveland, Ohio. I grew up and attended undergrad in Cleveland. After graduating, I spent some time in South Carolina before moving overseas for graduate school. Arlington has been my home for about four and half years now.
I decided to move to the greater D.C. area to job hunt and settled in Arlington. Since then, it has truly become home to me. I feel connected and invested in my community and I hope to one day raise a family here.
My first home was an apartment in the Radnor Heights/Fort Meyer area. My current home is my favorite place to live in Arlington. While it’s not as metro accessible as my previous apartment, I love the diversity in my neighborhood. I love the home I’ve built with my loved ones. I also love to explore my new neighborhood and discover hidden gems all the time—little #PerksOfThePike as I like to call them. Shout out to the 22204!
Tania’s fur baby, Brooklyn, is ready for Halloween.
The sense of community that you find in Arlington is one of my favorite things about living here. I enjoy seeing our local elected officials hold round tables all around the county to discover what issues matter most to the residents. I love all the different things there are to do in Arlington—you can find outdoor activities, we have great restaurants, and we’re a hop and skip away from D.C. while maintaining our own identity. My hope for Arlington is that our community continues to grow and work towards maintaining diversity and affordability for all of its residents.
Arlington has a lot to offer and I hope that our community continues to embrace diversity. We really need to think about our growth as a community and what that means for our schools and our housing market. I’m hoping that Arlington For Everyone serves as a reminder that in order to have a community that reflects our values, we have to work to create a housing market that is open and sustainable for all.
Written by Tania Bougebrayel