Well we had one of our busiest weeks, followed by an even busier weekend... Monday and Tuesday were much like Mondays and Tuesdays always are, with a little added calamity finalizing hotel and travel plans for our coming weekend. Wednesday we stacked a 4 hour moving session on top of our kitchen cleaning which brought us well into the morning. However, we had plenty to talk about given an exciting day on the town! Sean had reluctantly woken at 7am, which is a feat in itself, to run with me to the Washington Monument, where we got in line to receive tickets to go to the top - only a limited amount of people make it up each day. The tickets sold out in the first half hour, and we hear the online tickets, which cost money, are now booked through July! Concluding, the trip to the top was remarkable, and we finally understand the 'smallness' of DC, as we got to see Reagan National Airport and the Pentagon, as well as where the waterways run. DC truly is a beautiful city!
Thursday we learned of two papers that were due Monday night... not a problem unless you're leaving for New York on Friday for the weekend! So we rushed to get a start on those, which didn't end up happening because we still had to throw some clothes together, work full days, and lift weights. Thankfully we managed to have a spell of free time on Monday night to complete the two - although fellow students continue to question us as we always seem to take less time - but receive decent grades none-the-less. All due to a Dordt education we tell them.
On Friday evening we stepped aboard a bus enroute to Chinatwon NYC! The bus smelled bad... extremely bad. But we managed to complete the four and a half hour trek, only to find ourselves lost in a whole new country! Literally, Chinatown NYC is 10 times that of DC. But we followed a kind couple for a 15 minute stroll to the subway. We found New Yorkers to be among the nicest people we have met in our entire lives! Virtually everyone we asked went out of their way to show us how to get places - I guess we got lucky?
Well we found our hotel, got a good night's rest, and woke around 9:00 for breakfast. Our parents would be ashamed to hear we ate pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday, but it was well worth it (in addition, we ordered delivery Friday night at midnight). NY pizza is like nothing else! We went on our tour of the city, catching Madison Square Garden, the Empire State Building, The Late Show, Central Park, plenty of monuments, the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center site, many cathedrals, Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange and Bank, Staten Island (momentarily), and plenty more. I know you're thinking of something I missed, but believe me, we probably made it there! We've been exercising for this vacation every week in DC so we were eager to save a little money and walk rather than ride the subway too much, although we did experience it plenty still!
All in all, we were thrilled to get back to nice, little, quiet Washington DC. Odd that when we left DC was a place we'd never live because of its fast-paced lifestyle, we now have a COMPLETELY different opinion of it. NYC was something completely out of the ordinary for us. However, we will be stopping there on our way to Boston next week. Wednesday we take off for Philadelphia, then leave Thursday afternoon for New York (QUICK stop) then Boston through Sunday. Should be another unforgettable weekend!
Tomorrow we have another day off so the plan is to knock off our last two museums, which we have already completed in part, make a stop at the bank, and enjoy the weather. Hope you are all doing well. Remember us in your prayers as we head into the final leg! Are we supposed to be having this much fun because it seems as though the rest of the ASP students are missing out! We're killing ourselves non-stop, but it's all worth it. See you all soon!
Wednesday, March 28
Monday, March 19
Coon Vacation
Well we thoroughly enjoyed our week off, but sadly it's back to the routine studying. However, Sean and I are a bit more excited that we'll be looking into the US-Iraq foreign policy over the coming 4-5 weeks. We took full advantage of this past week and weekend, which began last monday with a normal week opener - the highlite being our mealtime. Tuesday I can hardly share any news since I worked on a side project at work until 11pm, and when I arrived home Sean was fast asleep. We woke up early Wednesday morning, got our lifting out of the way, and took off anxiously in the 75 degree heat for the Washington monument. Our plans were crushed when we learned the available tickets/day had already been sold - making our three mile run pointless (apart from the tremendous health benefits). We immediately set out our plans for the 21st to arrive at 7:30am to assure a seat in the elevator to the top!
Given the nature of the city, we knew there had to be something to drain our spare time, and we walked the block to the holocaust museum and walked right in (which was amazing since there were 200+ in line on our way out!). After the tour and the heighted dislike for Hitler, we made our way on the grass towards the capitol, up the hill and back to our apartment where we relaxed on our rooftop deck in the sun.
The night held another great experience, as we were treated by our program to dinner at a middle eastern restaurant. The joys of the sun were immediately dashed the next afternoon as the temperature faded, clouds rolled in, and we were graced with a temperature in the 30s and a thunderstorm for the remainder of daylight lasting til bed. This would have been perfect for sleeping, but DC United had their semifinal match of the CONCACAF cup vs the Chivas - mexico's number one soccer team. The excitement replaced the sobering rain, as the score ended in a tie via a United goal in the 92nd minute (last couple minutes of the game)! The intensity of the fans was astonishing - but then again it didn't feel like we were in America as we were outnumbered 100:1 mexicans to americans. Americans seem to be 'fare-weather fans'.
Well Friday was the beginning to our great weekend, please stay with me because the excitement continues! After work and class at the American Institute of Progress (great discussion on Iraq!), we met with the Coon family. I actually spent a bit of time at my office celebrating deadlines, but met up with Aaron Coon and Sean later for some pool and NCAA basketball.
Saturday morning we began our role as tourguides, and following our weekly pancake breakfast across the hall, met up with the 'parents' for a day in DC. We experienced the metro, plenty of Irish restaurants to celebrate st. pat's day, a handful of monuments and museums, a trip to the steamrooms, and enough walking to deserve a great night of rest! Sean, Aaron and I decided to view the monuments once more lit up in the night.
Sunday began with some time at the Union Station church, followed by lunch, and a LONG nap for Buhee and I, while Sean was lured in to work for a few hours. A relaxing afternoon and another night in the steam room ended my weekend with the Coons. Great food, company, and Irishness will always make for an unforgettable weekend!
Now the bed's calling - a full day tomorrow including a spell in the Old Executives building (beside the white house) for class. Thanks for reading, rest the eyes, and I'll try to condense it next time. Oh, and welcome Klara Mae, my 6 lb. 5 oz. niece, into our lives (Scott & Manda's second)!
Look, the world's comforter, with weary gait,
His day's hot task hath ended in the west:
The owl, night's herald, shrieks--'tis very late;
The sheep are gone to fold, birds to their nest;
And coat-black clouds, that shadow heaven's light,
Do summon us to part, and bid good night.
Given the nature of the city, we knew there had to be something to drain our spare time, and we walked the block to the holocaust museum and walked right in (which was amazing since there were 200+ in line on our way out!). After the tour and the heighted dislike for Hitler, we made our way on the grass towards the capitol, up the hill and back to our apartment where we relaxed on our rooftop deck in the sun.
The night held another great experience, as we were treated by our program to dinner at a middle eastern restaurant. The joys of the sun were immediately dashed the next afternoon as the temperature faded, clouds rolled in, and we were graced with a temperature in the 30s and a thunderstorm for the remainder of daylight lasting til bed. This would have been perfect for sleeping, but DC United had their semifinal match of the CONCACAF cup vs the Chivas - mexico's number one soccer team. The excitement replaced the sobering rain, as the score ended in a tie via a United goal in the 92nd minute (last couple minutes of the game)! The intensity of the fans was astonishing - but then again it didn't feel like we were in America as we were outnumbered 100:1 mexicans to americans. Americans seem to be 'fare-weather fans'.
Well Friday was the beginning to our great weekend, please stay with me because the excitement continues! After work and class at the American Institute of Progress (great discussion on Iraq!), we met with the Coon family. I actually spent a bit of time at my office celebrating deadlines, but met up with Aaron Coon and Sean later for some pool and NCAA basketball.
Saturday morning we began our role as tourguides, and following our weekly pancake breakfast across the hall, met up with the 'parents' for a day in DC. We experienced the metro, plenty of Irish restaurants to celebrate st. pat's day, a handful of monuments and museums, a trip to the steamrooms, and enough walking to deserve a great night of rest! Sean, Aaron and I decided to view the monuments once more lit up in the night.
Sunday began with some time at the Union Station church, followed by lunch, and a LONG nap for Buhee and I, while Sean was lured in to work for a few hours. A relaxing afternoon and another night in the steam room ended my weekend with the Coons. Great food, company, and Irishness will always make for an unforgettable weekend!
Now the bed's calling - a full day tomorrow including a spell in the Old Executives building (beside the white house) for class. Thanks for reading, rest the eyes, and I'll try to condense it next time. Oh, and welcome Klara Mae, my 6 lb. 5 oz. niece, into our lives (Scott & Manda's second)!
Look, the world's comforter, with weary gait,
His day's hot task hath ended in the west:
The owl, night's herald, shrieks--'tis very late;
The sheep are gone to fold, birds to their nest;
And coat-black clouds, that shadow heaven's light,
Do summon us to part, and bid good night.
Sunday, March 11
apologies
Many many apologies for the time since the last post. Many things have changed since the first of March, most favorably the weather! Today we enjoyed our walk to church in the 65 degree weather, just below yesterday's 75... Our 'spring break' as our program pathetically calls it has been quite an enjoyable time here in DC. Our possible trips to Philly and Chicago both gave way due to conflicting schedules so we enjoyed a few of the cities offerings instead.
Looking back for a quick recap, Sunday night was the night our procrastination ended. Our papers were due monday - final draft tuesday - so we decided Sunday night would be a good time to pump them out. However, with 45+ sources it is difficult to write a 5 page, double-spaced paper on such a complex debate. It ended up being a little more time-consuming than originally planned, and two nearly sleepless nights took their toll on our bodies. Luckily we had Wednesday off of work and slept deservingly until 12:30. We awoke, and proceded to the kitchen to make and serve lunch, immediately followed by a one hour class, then cooking and serving dinner, followed by cleaning. Seven hours of work in all, followed by a half hour of spreading salt after our one inch snow storm! Thursday was our last day of work for the week, so we celebrated, lifted weights and went to bed.
Friday was another exciting day where we began the early afternoon with a visit to the Smithsonian Art and Portrait Museum. Quite the place indeed, and we saw a lot of interesting work of our presidents among others. We then walked around Georgetown a bit, watched some NCAA basketball and returned to our apartments.
Yesterday was quite possibly the greatest day of our time here yet! We woke up at 10:00, had our pancakes that some of our 'leaders' prepare every Saturday, then ran to a gym on the other side of the district. There we played basketball for 2-3 hours with some decent competition, winning a few games, enjoying most all of them. We ran from their in search of a Chipotle, but found a McDonalds instead to which we held coupons. We filled ourselves and then ran to the mall area in front of the capitol. We played soccer there for about an hour with a group of guys that meet every Saturday, then went back to our rooms. We ate a bit more, lifted and ate again. We both fell asleep exhausted and woke three and a half hours later, refreshed. We checked some basketball scores, watched a few games, then went back to bed. A very relaxing and quite entertaining day :)!
Again my apologies on the untimely post, and I will work a bit harder in the coming weeks. Hard to believe we're under seven weeks now! Time flies, take care.
Looking back for a quick recap, Sunday night was the night our procrastination ended. Our papers were due monday - final draft tuesday - so we decided Sunday night would be a good time to pump them out. However, with 45+ sources it is difficult to write a 5 page, double-spaced paper on such a complex debate. It ended up being a little more time-consuming than originally planned, and two nearly sleepless nights took their toll on our bodies. Luckily we had Wednesday off of work and slept deservingly until 12:30. We awoke, and proceded to the kitchen to make and serve lunch, immediately followed by a one hour class, then cooking and serving dinner, followed by cleaning. Seven hours of work in all, followed by a half hour of spreading salt after our one inch snow storm! Thursday was our last day of work for the week, so we celebrated, lifted weights and went to bed.
Friday was another exciting day where we began the early afternoon with a visit to the Smithsonian Art and Portrait Museum. Quite the place indeed, and we saw a lot of interesting work of our presidents among others. We then walked around Georgetown a bit, watched some NCAA basketball and returned to our apartments.
Yesterday was quite possibly the greatest day of our time here yet! We woke up at 10:00, had our pancakes that some of our 'leaders' prepare every Saturday, then ran to a gym on the other side of the district. There we played basketball for 2-3 hours with some decent competition, winning a few games, enjoying most all of them. We ran from their in search of a Chipotle, but found a McDonalds instead to which we held coupons. We filled ourselves and then ran to the mall area in front of the capitol. We played soccer there for about an hour with a group of guys that meet every Saturday, then went back to our rooms. We ate a bit more, lifted and ate again. We both fell asleep exhausted and woke three and a half hours later, refreshed. We checked some basketball scores, watched a few games, then went back to bed. A very relaxing and quite entertaining day :)!
Again my apologies on the untimely post, and I will work a bit harder in the coming weeks. Hard to believe we're under seven weeks now! Time flies, take care.
Thursday, March 1
Clear things up...
We did not speak with Obama or Lieberman. We talked to their 'Legislative Fellows' - one was a woman and we do not know what you call them... Legislative Woman? Obama and Lieberman wanted to speak with us but they didn't call us for an interview. Hope no more questions arise out of this matter.
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