Serendipity: A Summer in Washington, D.C.: Honoring Memorial Day

There is not much that is more humbling than being in Washington, D.C. on Memorial Day and that is how I started my trip here. I moved into my dorm at GWU yesterday and my roommates and I went site-seeing today. What better way to start than at the National Mall. DC is surprisingly easy to navigate with the grid system they have with the streets. The numbered streets run north and south and the lettered streets run east and west. We began our day of walking at the Lincoln Memorial which is spectacular. After being in Rome last summer, I was expecting to be stopped by someone or have to get in a line but everywhere we went we just walked right in. It was very freeing. The trademark of the city is definitely the Washington Monument; you can pretty much see it from anywhere. I took plenty of pictures of it. The reflecting pool is just as gorgeous as I imagined. We also saw the Vietnam memorial, the Korean war memorial, the World War II memorial, and then crossed the Potomac to see the Arlington National Cemetery. There are no words to describe the cemetery. I was just overwhelmed thinking about all those lost in the wars. In history class I've only had wars described with numbers, but seeing the thousands of graves was eye-opening. As we watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, I honored those that have served and passed by mourning all they they did not get to do in their lives but also rejoicing in all that they did do. I think the most powerful image I took away from today was seeing a woman sobbing in front of the pillar for Michigan in the WWII memorial. Even though I didn't know her, I felt all of her pain. Thank you to all those that have served and those who have died protecting our lives, our country, and our freedom.

I am looking forward to starting work tomorrow at 9 am. This opportunity has so much potential and I am ready to be surprised and challenged. I am so grateful to be here!

God Bless America