July 16, 2016

Because it's the weekend and the college admissions offices are closed, we didn't have any college tours scheduled today.  So, we were able to play tourist and see all there is to see in Washington DC.  We didn't have to be on the tour bus until 9:15 am, which the students (and staff) were excited about, we got to sleep in!  We made our way into the heart of the city, making a stop at the United States Marine Corps War Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

When we got into the city our first stop was the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

The Museum is huge and the students were excited to be explore the history of American air and space exploration.  One interesting fact you will find if you visit any of the Smithsonian's museums, admission is free!  The students were given 2 hours to explore before lunch.  They were excited and wish they had more time, but enjoyed the time they did have and learned a lot!

We walked from the Air and Space Museum over to the National Gallery of the Art Sculpture Garden Pavilion Cafe where we had lunch.  Our walk took us through the National Mall between the United States of America Capitol Building and the Washington Monument.  We were able to get a lot of great pictures and experience what daily life is like in the area.  We walked past people immersed in a heated kickball game, family's hanging out in the sun, and a long row of food trucks with everything from hotdogs to ice cream.

We entered the National Gallery of the Art Sculpture Garden and were amazed with the sculptures, flowers, and fountain in the center of the Garden.

 

We had lunch at the Garden's Pavilion Cafe, which I recommend if you are ever in the area.  The selection was great, the service was on point, and the food was incredible.  Not to mention the view!  The cafe overlooks the fountain in the center of the garden and all the people enjoying the beautiful day.

 

After lunch we boarded the bus and were shuttled over to the Smithsonian United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

 The students were very respectful, observant, and really present during the hour-and-a-half we spent at the museum.  On our way out I was talking to the students and they really got the message of the museum!  They had comments like, "I can't believe one man could be so evil and influential that they killed so many people for who they were", "I can't believe we (humans) let this happen", "we can never let something like this happen again!".  The message of the museum is "What you do matters.  Now that you have seen, now that you know... what will you do?"  I think the students really embraced this thinking and will be amazing human-beings who will stand for what they really believe in!

After the Museum we were bused to the next stop, the Lincoln Memorial.

 

Because of the way the Monuments are positioned, we were able to walk around the reflection pool that lies between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

 

 We visited the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial...

... and the World War II Memorial...

... and the D.C. War Memorial...

... and the Korean War Veteran's Memorial.

It was an amazing experience, and the students took it all in, learned, and enjoyed themselves.

After our long day of adventuring we boarded the bus to our next stop, dinner at Dave-N-Busters at the Arundel Mills Shopping Center in Hanover, Maryland.  The students were treated to dinner, bowling (Yes! This Dave-N-Buster's has it's own bowling ally!), and games!  It was a great way to end an AMAZING day of exploration!

 

 

The students were exhausted by the time we returned to the hotel, so it was straight to their rooms to get ready for light's-out!

Today was Great, Amazing, Awesome, Inspiring, Educational, Fun, and all other words that express the greatness of the adventure we had!  It's breathtaking watching these students experience all that Washington DC has to offer, and seeing the awe in their eyes!  I still can't believe that we are here and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here to witness these students spread their wings and find their inspiration to fly! <3 

P.S. We have been together (4 schools from 2 islands with a total of 25 students) for 5 days now, and the students are making friends, mixing, bonding, and creating connections!  Thus, our pictures are beginning to have a lot more people in them! Yay!  :)