Jonna - TAH - DC 7/2/09

Washington DC - Day 1

The flight from SFO to Dulles airport was very quick and had very little turbulence. Once we arrived at Dulles, I was amazed to see how green and lush everything was. The freeways were clean of graffiti. As we were coming into DC, Nancy Case Rico's little girl was the first to point out the Washington Monument. (too cute) We all made sure to wave when we passed the White House! When we pulled up to the Washington Plaza Hotel, we were greeted with a burst of rain. My mother and I ran up to our room and unpacked quickly so we could get out and see the town. Luckily for us we saw Mary and Julie outside of the hotel and asked if we could tag along with them. Both of them had lived in DC in the past and gave a a great tour all the way down to DuPont Circle. The little street gardens and flower beds are amazing and so beautiful, I know my garden class will be in awe, amazing what you can grow when you have water. We had dinner at a hot little Asian restaurant. We were able to talk about the change in culture in DC since they had left. We also go to go down the longest escalator in the US to obtain a map of the Metro. From there we made our way to DuPont Circle where there was a large crowd gathered holding a candle light vigil around the fountain. When we inquired about the vigil we were told that it was in honor of the Iranians who had been killed in the peaceful protests of the recent election in Iran. It was very interesting to see all the different ethnic groups that gathered in support and candle light. Julie described how DC streets were like spokes and wheels and once you learned the particular circles you would be able to easily navigate your way around. Throughout the evening Julie, Mary, and I were able to create a proposal on how we might be able to join our programs in the next year and create a culturally enriching program for our students. The absolute best part of the day was being able to be a little CA country mouse seeing our nation's capitol for the first time.