Washington DC Trip

Right after graduation I drove down to Washington DC. I decided to give myself some type of reward for achieving what I have achieved and I thought that’s a nice trip that’s not too far away and would be perfect. We ended up leaving at about 2pm and didn’t actually get to Washington until 8pm!!! I was so exhausted I was very happy to find the hotel we stayed at was very nice and welcoming.

We stayed in Virginia and took the Metro into Washington DC. We chose to do that to save time and money on finding parking and gas. We drove to Washington DC with the top down the whole way so I had a very weird tan. We arrived at the Union Station the next day and the first thing we did was take the DC Duck tour around town to see where everything was located. The weather was REALLY hot!

After the Duck tour, we walked around the park and looked for Cherry Blossoms. Washington DC is known for its Cherry Blossom festival, but when we arrived there most of the Cherry Blossoms were already bloomed and gone. I wish I could have seen them but at the same time I’m glad they were gone because Stephen had very bad allergies. When he started sneezing it was like 8 sneezes at a time! It drove me crazy. Newark is also known for Cherry Blossoms. There is a park in Newark that actually has more Cherry Blossoms than Washington DC. It’s hard for me to believe because I know how many Washington has, but it would be very nice to see.

Berkeley has a campus in Newark. I think it would be a great trip to take and let students relax with classmates around the Cherry Blossoms. I know that Berkeley has a Nature class where they focus on being “Green” and Berkeley is slowly transforming into being a “Green” school as well. We recycle paper, bottles, and plant trees during Earth Day. Last year we made grocery bags so that we don’t waste plastic bags and tie dyed t-shirts and represented how “Green” we are.

Something sad I noticed about Washington DC is all the homeless people. Our country always comes to the aid of other countries but yet we are struggling in this country. You would think the US Capitol would not have so many homeless people but that is the reality. Sometimes I wish I could do a documentary about homeless people. Nobody ever really talks to them. I wonder what their story is. How did they get to be where they are today? What events took place in their life to make them end up where they are today? Teaching HS students I think it would be a great reality check for them to see the mistakes people make. How quickly can your life spiral down from one simple mistake that you may have made? Maybe it’s something I will do one day.