D.C Day 1

So for now, I'm converting this blog to be a record of my adventures in Washington D.C. I'm here until April doing an internship.

Today was a sunny warm day, meriting a short sleeve shirt and a good attitude.

So basically... everyone here is black. And everyone of every race is under 5'9". I swear, the further east I get, the shorter everyone gets. So of course I stick out like a sore thumb being a 6' tall white chick. Ahh well atleast I'm not blond. So to start the day, I showered. I came to realize that razors in D.C. are sharper than in other places. My legs have never been this smooth..

I went to the store and bought a metro pass. Then, I spent about an hour sitting around trying to convince myself to get on the metro.(It's a scary concept for someone going to college in Rexburg, ID, where they don't even have buses!)

I finally got down to the metro station. I had to ask a security guard for help and bumble around idiotically for five minutes just to figure out how to swipe my card. While I waited for the metro, I listened to a sweet man playing his guitar beautifully. Then, I rode the metro and come out in the National Mall (where all the monuments and stuff are)

I use the places app on my phone to see which attractions are nearby and up pops "Newseum"... WHAT????!?!?!

Yessss!

I rushed down the street and just couldn't get there fast enough. A half a mile later, I round the corner and see a HUGE building with a giant balcony six stories up with people taking photos of the city. I rush across the street and somehow don't get run over by segways.

Apparently, segways are the new in-thing. Even police have them...

Oh yeah, if I was a criminal, I'd be running if I saw that guy. :P

Anyways, so I run up to the museum, dodging segways and hipsters, and there they are: frontpages from today's newspapers all over the world line the front of the building. From Kuwait to Mexico to Oregon, front pages are everywhere.

I walk in and I'm immediately hit on by multiple black guys of various ages, of course. The first exhibit I saw was the Pullitzer Prize photo exhibit. Every photo that has won a Pullitzer prize since the prize was founded in 1942. Beautiful pictures warmed my heart, and gorey photos stabbed it. Pictures of love, life, death, hunger, sadness and joy all filled me up until my eyes started to run over. I enjoyed every second of it.

The next exhibit was a sizable chunk of the Berlin wall.

It's supposedly the biggest part of the wall found outside of Germany. It was beautiful to see the words of hope written on the other side.

Read this:

You are power. Blimey. So far I've been inspired by everything here. The museum closed only a couple hours after I got there, but I will return tomorrow. Before I left, I saw part of the FBI exhibit where they had things like a hollow nickel and a hollow screw used by a Russian spy to transport messages. There was also an old portable typewriter.

I can't wait to see more tomorrow after church.

Upon returning home, I was greeted by the sweet family who is renting me a room. The kids are adorable and love me already. Jasper, who I think is 5, is perplexed as to why I'm only staying til April, and he asked me, "How come you can't just buy a house?"

Oh, the sweet innocence of children. Other than the Newseum, today was rather uneventful. I unpacked, and bought groceries. At the Safeway here, grocery bags cost 5 cents each, and every shopper has to get her receipt checked upon leaving the store, like in Costco. It's very odd.

Despite the difference of this place, there is much beauty to be had. There is a small park behind the house, and I can see out my window fat squirrels chattering and scuttling across oak trees. The squirrels here are huge.

I love the noises the most. You would expect the city to be noisy and bustling, but the traffic is surprisingly quiet. Wherever I go, I hear birds, squirrels and the wind through the tree branches. Even the metro has its own dark beauty and unique sounds. I thought the city would be more daunting, but I've gotten used to it in just one day. I love it here.