Famous Lunch Day

We are walking down U Street. I smell the wet concrete from the rain, rusting metal, and the aromas of lunch being made in a resturaunt in the distance. Commotions across the street, the loud constructions, and people having conversations about what to do next continue to ring in my ears. I see the buildings, houses made brick by brick, each painted an individual color to give each house their own character. Looking down the street of houses is like looking at a rainbow, and it shows the strong character of the people in this neighborhood have. I feel strong aches stinging my back as I try to tighten my backpack over and over again, and the cramps in my feet from the numerous long walks from place to place for the last week or so. I imagine the taste of burgers and fries at Ben's Chili Bowl, as we walk there to have some lunch. How funny that I cannot wait to have fast food, because if you know me well enough, I am a complete health freak!


It is not hard to miss this place! From across the street I can see the bright yellow and red painted along the signs and the building itself, even with the diverse colors of the rainbow spilling out along the street. Walking closer, you see a bear sculpture, with paintings of different patterns and symbols of places all over the world. As if the building was not enough to attract the public eye! At first I thought it would be impossible to fit all twenty of us in, since the place looks very small, but it completely suprised me when we weren't even at our table yet. As we walk inside, the bar seats are filled while the friendly and welcoming staff take orders of burgers and hotdogs with chili cheese fries. It's quite noisy and crowded, but in such a lively and exciting way that I became so enticed by the scene. I hear the sizzling and steaming, and the aromas began to spread. We were still walking to our table, and finally reach our destination.


There are pictures everywhere. There are a couple of Bill Cosby, Barack Obama, and many other famous people who came and ate at this very exact place. Looking at the menu, I am instantly happy: Veggie Burgers! Finally, something I can actually eat around here that isn't beef, chicken, or some other kind of meat, because I only eat fish. So, we soon recieved baskets of fries, along with chili and cheese! I couldn't stop eating those fries with the cheese. I kept repeating to myself to only eat a few, but they were irresistable, and I found myself grabbing one after the other, one after every swallow. I am sure glad this isn't sitting around my house!

Next was the main course, and that was amazing! It was one of the best veggie burgers I have ever had!

The food was great, but the aftermath was not. I felt gross and yucky, but it was sure worth it! Now, this is the place I would reccomend to anyone as a real treat! This is a place you must go to, and this is something you will never forget.

Differences

When you think of a big city, the first things that come to mind are the gigantic skyscrapers, noisy and extremely crowded streets, and many people rushing to get to their place. Washington, D.C., however, is opposite of this stereotype.
There are laws made that makes sure no skyscrapers are built that block the view of famous monuments. Also, the city has a vibe of being very laid back, yet sophisticated in it's own way. The people here are more relaxed than the people in New York City, and you never see taxis, unlike the numerous taxis driving around the streets of New York City.
Washington, D.C. feels cleaner (well, it depends...) than other cities, and they have special emergency stations to call for help.
The metro is cleaner than the subways in New York City, because of their regulations that prevent eating and drinking inside the metro.
Somehow the metro station feels like a space station, and the actual transportation is getting ready to take off into space. The interrior is very spacious, and it gives the vibe of being in a space station.

The Devastating Issue in D.C.

We have arrived at DuPont Circle. I am sitting on the grassy area under a tree with its branches spiraling out in different directions, and the branches' delicate flowers fall softly on the grass. I notice the several bees searching for the pollen inside the fallen flowers. It is a hot, sunny day, and sweat drips off my forehead. As I sit and observe, I see a woman, around the age of 30, with her children, aged two, feeding numerous birds breadcrumbs under the shade of entangled tree branches. The birds of many shapes and sizes huddled toward the scene, fighting for that one breadcrumb. It makes me smile at how simple the scene is, and yet it made my day so easily.

I then get up from my spot and begin to stroll around the circle, looking at the shady scenery, and taking it in with each breath. There is a father, wearing khaki shorts with a baby blue polo, carrying an infant around his chest. In front of him are two little girls, one younger than the other, feeding each other strawberries out of a container.

I continue walking, and there are many people sitting or sleeping on the provided benches. Their clothes are worn in and dirty, and they look like they have not been able to shower or take care of themselves for weeks. It saddens me to see in the nation's capital, where much help would be offered, that there are still people struggling everyday to live or even do the most simplest activities, such as taking a shower.





These people do not understand why people let others live on the streets and do nothing about it.
(A video is supposed to be here, but I do not know how to post it on here.)

The (Un)Wonderful Dorm Life!

My morning started off with accidentally waking up at 6:45 am, because one of the roomates from the other room was apparently taking shower. So, I went back to sleep and soon woke up at 7:30 am by bursting out of the small, springy bed, thanks to the extremely loud alarm clock my roommate set up for us. Unfortunately, I was still partly asleep, and adding to this misery my eyes were fully swollen from the sleepiness. Before we know it, it is 8:00 am, and I find myself dashing from one place to the other, brushing my teeth, making my bed, getting dressed, and other things that would just take too much time to think about in this rush. Finally finished and walking out the door, I have another problem to solve. So, Merriweather Hall is located at the very bottom of this steep hill, and the dining area is way across the campus. This is fun. There are no steep hills at all (unless they were man-made) from where I live, so this is pretty new to me. After the many painful steps, I have finally reached the dining room for breakfast, and I got to tell you, it was not even close to be worth the amount of steps I took just to arrive here. The food is disgusting, terrible, and something I would not usually eat. At least I found some cereal and yogurt. So as this being my first real experience in a dorm, I never really expected these things, except for the fact the rooms are pretty small. Now, I shall call this the wonderful dorm life.

The Magic in D.C.

Honestly, I have never wrote a blog before, and this is a new experience for me. I am very excited to share my perspectives and views as I go through the GW Pre-College program. As I am sitting here in my dorm room, thinking of all the possibilities in D.C., I am contemplating what I should share with you. Sharing my story on the places we explored is one idea, but putting the little pieces in between those times would give my blog more liveliness. I will give you my story on not only the places we traveled to, but my adventure from being just a South Floridian freshman to a GW college roommate, and how I have grown from this. We are in this adventure together. It is very nerve-wracking knowing that I am living and working on a college campus, and it is such a great opportunity to share my thoughts. Being in D.C., there is a great diversity of people, and seeing how they interact and how their histories blend into this city is quite a journey. The people and the life of D.C. are both very unique, and you won't find a place as diverse as the country's capital. You will soon discover the magic within this place, and I can't wait to breathe it in.