Lincoln Park

As a house of 15, we are all a part of two courses that are taught by an EMU professors, who lives in Maryland (which is about 10 minutes from our house). Each week we either meet in the basement of our house which serves as a class room or multipurpose room or we go out in the city to look at art work or culturally historic sights. This past Wednesday the group went to the Southeast, to Anacostia. If you are at all familiar with the District, you would know that Anacostia is probably the worst section of D.C. and for some very interesting reason (which is unknown to me) the Smithsonian decided to put a museum there. Unlike ALL of the Smithsonian Museums, this one is very small, but it's about the history of Anacostia which is very rich and somewhat sad. Instead of going into too much detail, you should probably just check it out online for yourself. In a very shortened verison, Anacostia, like most of our great land, was occupied by Natives who lived in that marshy wet land and farmed it without trouble, until the wonderful white man decided to ruin it and come and take over the land. Basically from that point on, Anacostia went down hill. It's a very interesting area full of rich and intersting history.

The other highlight of our trip that day was to Lincoln Park, which is almost an unknown little park in Northeast. Lincoln Park has the large statue that you see here in this blog, of Abraham Lincoln and a former slave, during emancipation. In President Lincolns hand is the Emancipation Proclimation. The slave, is receiving his freedom, though he is still bowing under the President. This park is small but beautiful and it's interesting to note that most of the people in the park are people of different racial backgrounds who are serving as nannies. They bring the children to this park to play. It seemed like a very safe place, right in the middle of Washington DC.

I enjoy going on this little trips for the educational reasons. My professor is very knowledgable and she is fun to listen to, but my favorite thing to do is drive around in the city. I'm learning where I'm going and where I'm at and I do very well in traffic and directions. I feel as though time is flying by so quickly and that makes me very sad. My time is limited in DC and my free time is VERY limited with my internship and three classes. I do manage to find time to go and do fun things and see fun sights. I could see myself living here in D.C. maybe? If i found the right job.

Just to get you up to date, I'm working at WPFW 89.3FM it's Washington D.C.'s Pacifica Radio station. If you have ever listened to ANY good talk radio show, you would have heard of Democracy Now! With Amy Goodman, that is producted on Pacifica Radio in NYC. She started here at MY station. We have jazz, hip hop, and all sorts of good music at the station, plus numerous talk shows. It's a good place.

My journalism class is going well, I think. I'm making pretty good grades which is exciting. I'm becoming a little sad that this is my last semester at school, only because life without school seems so dull and redundant. Life goes on and people grow up and get jobs and families and all that stuff. I guess I just don't want to do anything of the nature. I guess I'll have to conform to the norms. Hopefully I can put a twist on things.
I'll write more in a few days. Must get some rest...I have a busy week!

A CITY IS A CITY

I'm sitting in my room, trying, but not too hard, to do some homework. My desk is positioned to look out the window to our backyard. There is an alley that runs to the side of our house and behind and often times people walk through these alleys and of course, cars make their way through. Since the house is so close to Catholic University, The National Basilica, two Theological schools, and the Franciscan Monastary, it's nothing out of the ordinary to see Monks, in their black robes, walking past the house and on the streets. There is something of beauty about the city and the people that inhabit it. I don't associate Washington D.C. with monks as much as I would with, Taize, France or some larger city in Europe. So when I see these Monks walking on Sunday morning or to and from class or mass with their bookbags, I crack a smile of delight because a city is a city. Yes, of course, Paris is different than Washington D.C. New York is different from say, Frankfurt, but people who make up these cities generally are the same.

Clearly my nostalgic self is just in a reflective mood. I realized yesterday that I have been in D.C. for a month and the time has just flown by. My time here is short and that is so disappointing, but at least I know that this is one more city on my list of favorite cities. I'm reminded everyday as to why I can't see myself being anywhere else but in a city in a small little one bedroom apartment enjoying life.

Peace Rally and March

Who Are We?

My fourth week in Washington D.C is drawing to an end. It's hard to imagine that before these weeks started I only knew a handful of people that I'm now sharing a house with. We have meshed well, and of course we run into our tiffs but we almost always forgive and forget quickly.

This past week during our seminar class, we took a trip which was titled "Mennonites and Monuments". We talked around some of the monuments in D.C. such as The Lincoln Memorial, The Vietnam Memorial Wall, World War II Memorial, and the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial. At each of these stops a couple of students were assigned to do some type of reading that went along with the monuments. For example: I read an article talking about a young Mennonite fresh out of college that went to Vietnam to start a Mennonite Central Committee Unit alone. It shared his letters back to home where he expressed his neutrality in the war and his convictions as a Mennonite. Other articles were linked to each Monument. It was a great exercise for us as a class to expand our minds and to fully understand each of the monuments and their original meanings and what that meaning has morphed into in the last half a century.

I feel very confident that my time spend in Washington D.C. will be an amazing and educational time in the sense of history, politics, and racial diversity and the troubles that this city and nation face each day. Not only learning from my professors but from my peers is vital in my stay here. This is my final semester in college, and though I am excited to not ever have to worry about assignments and such, I'm a little sad to be leaving this part of me behind but I know that I will carry with me the knowledge that I have gained and the aspiration to want to learn more as I grow older.

In the picture above you see a few of my classmates and professor standing at The Lincoln Memorial and it's a pretty sweet picture of the Washington Monument. It was one of our very first days of great weather. Fall is on its way!

The Metropolitian.....

In the last two weeks I have since moved to Taylor Steet NE Washington DC and got to know 17 new people, 15 of which I am living under the same roof as me. Talk about excitement, thrills, chills, annoyances, stress and laughter. Overall, a wonderful experience. I'm taking one class at Trinity University, a journalism class. What better city to be located in than my Nations Capital.

Our first week was nothing but orientation, and we sure were exhausted at the end of each day. I'd have to say that the canoe trip down the Anacostia River was the highlight of the week. It was fun to laugh it up with my fellow housemates and Prof. Kim. If anyone knows the history of the Anacostia River, you maybe asking why in the world were we floating down that nasty river. We were lead by the Anacostia Watershed Society. They are trying to clean up the river. It's a struggle, but a working progress. It was a very interesting time.

I started class last week, as I said above, I'm taking a class at Trinity University, an all womens college. I sat in my class looking around and was wondering why I didn't just attend an all girls school to begin with? I may not have done as bad my first two years.....but we will never know, and of course, I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't chose EMU.

Being that this is my last and final semester of my college career, I know not a better way to spend it than with 15 people and one amazingly inspirational professor in the great city of Washington DC. My first two weeks have been full of stresses, laughter, education, the whole works. Thank goodness for my 4 1/2 great years at EMU. I have learned that through mistakes that i have made, something good came from it, even it meant a hardship. I look forward to the next 3 1/2 months.

28 More Days......

I decided to venture out of the house today, on my day off, to the place that should be the last place I go, School! I'm sitting here listening to music and enjoying the peace and quiet, and of course, internet :)

It is only 28 short days left until I leave for Washington D.C. Although I'm extremely excited about leaving Harrisonburg again for a semester, my FINAL semester for that matter, there are a few things left to deal with before heading up there to the Metropolitain.

The last week my friend Pat and I opened up a whole new can of amazing worms that may cause me to go broke in the next few weeks. We went to the fabulous New Market Rebels game last Tuesday. I have since went to 2 about to be 3 more Valley League baseball games. Shout out to you Pat, for reminding me of what I enjoy doing! Next summer I play to go to more Rebels games than I did this year. They are entertaining...

Anyway, nothing much going on other than the summer days going by faster and faster than they ought too. Two thumbs down to summer going fast! I suppose life does travel quickly, which is why we must be faster than that! I hope that the rest of you are enjoying what is left of the summer months and are about to embrace another beautiful fall season quickly approaching, which is MY favorite time of year! Cheers!

Nobody Told Me

Everybody's talking and no one says a word
Everybody's making love and no one really cares
There's Nazis in the bathroom just below the stairs
Always something happening and nothing going on
There's always something cooking and nothing in the pot
They're starving back in China so finish what you got

Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Strange days indeed -- strange days indeed

Everybody's runnin' and no one makes a move
Everyone's a winner and nothing left to lose
There's a little yellow idol to the north of Katmandu
Everybody's flying and no one leaves the ground
Everybody's crying and no one makes a sound
There's a place for us in the movies you just gotta lay around

Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Strange days indeed -- most peculiar, mama

Everybody's smoking and no one's getting high
Everybody's flying and never touch the sky
There's a UFO over New York and I ain't too surprised

Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Strange days indeed -- most peculiar, mama

-John Lennon (1940-1980)