Same Place, but Different from how I Remember It...

Many people know that this is the second time in my life that I have spent some time in the Arlington/DC area. However, I can say there are a couple places that are a bit different compared to how I remember them.
Some of my fellow interns and I took a tour of the Capitol on Tuesday. However, the season wasn't the only thing that was different. Right now the dome portion of the Capitol is under repairs, so now inside the Capitol there are some tarps up which cover part of the dome's interior. Since those tarps blocked an extra source of light, the inside of the Capitol seemed gloomier and not quite as majestic as it was when I saw it during the summer before I started college. I hope that the repair work turns out well.
The other place that seems different to me is the Pentagon Mall. When I was last there, I was with my marching band friends getting dinner and buying a few souvenirs. However, it's weird to go there by myself if I'm just passing through to get to my next destination. Also, I've now gone through some different entrances and exits from when I first visited the Pentagon Mall less than 3 years ago. Now it also seems like just another mall than a place for a tourist to make a stop at.
I know this post is brief, but there's not much to say this week. Hopefully there will be more for me to write about next week.

A Picture can Say 1,000 Words...

I think that everyone knows that infamous expression. However, I want to put that theory to the test with a picture that I took...

It’s not very often when someone can say that they took a picture of the outside of the building while they themselves were still on the inside. I took this picture of the Washington National Cathedral, which is also less commonly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, from the seventh level on Sunday, February 15^th. For those of you who are unfamiliar with DC territory, in order to get to the Washington National Cathedral without a car, one must take the Metro, then take a bus, and from there do some walking. However, a friend of my family was willing to take me to the Cathedral by car, which I’m thankful for considering that it was a cold and windy day. The night before I took this picture, I had a brief discussion over the phone with my pen-pal and brother in Christ about how much I was looking forward to visiting the National Cathedral. When I first saw it, I was taken aback at how massive it is in both size and splendor. My family friend and I went inside for the 11:15AM service. Inside the sanctuary were the flags of each of the fifty states. This was the first time I ever went to an Anglican style service, which is also known as an Episcopalian service. Nevertheless, it was a good service. I liked to sing with the congregation, considering that I do not get to participate in as much musical activities as I do at Gustavus. The sermon was about how responsibilities are passed down from one generation to the next. After the service, my family friend and I were admiring the architecture and stained glass windows of the Cathedral. A nice gentleman told the two of us some background information about the Space Window, which was made in honor of the Apollo XI mission and actually has a piece of moon rock from the mission inside the window.

We received a half an hour long tour of the Cathedral. Due to the impact of two World Wars and the varying flow of private funds (the Washington National Cathedral receives no government funding), it took 83 years to complete the Cathedral’s construction. The work began on September 27, 1907 and finally ended on September 29, 1990. Almost everything in the Cathedral was made by hand, from the exterior to the kneelers. The central tower of the Cathedral is the tallest point in Washington DC, at 676 feet above sea level. Unfortunately, the Cathedral is still undergoing repair work for the damage that it took from the 2011 earthquake. There were a couple portions of scaffolding both outside on the Cathedral and a big stretch of scaffolding inside the sanctuary itself. A few places in the sanctuary had blue masking tape, which marked places where there were cracks to be fixed. According to the tour guide, all of the repair work should be done by the end of spring or summer at the latest. A few pieces of angels and gargoyles that broke due to the earthquake were on display at the seventh floor for people to look at, but my family friend and I didn’t see them until after the tour was over.

There are some very interesting stories behind some of the items inside the National Cathedral. The Canterbury Pulpit was made by people from the Church of Canterbury in England and given to the National Cathedral as a gift. The pulpit depicts the story of the translation of the Bible. That pulpit is the same pulpit where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his last Sunday sermon, which was four days before his assassination. As to the Space Window, part of the reason why there is a piece of moon rock inside the window from the Apollo XI mission is because astronaut Michael Collins was an alumnus of St. Albans School at the Cathedral Close (the school is right next to the Cathedral). Also, stars on the Space Window were made by blowing bubbles in the glass, which is difficult to do. The Creation Rose, which is one of three rose windows at the Washington National Cathedral, was made from over ten thousand, five hundred pieces of stained glass. When the sun is out, the dazzling colors from the Creation Rose reach all the way to the front of the sanctuary, which is the distance of about two football fields. Each of the kneelers represents a different historical person from American history and they get rotated; you may see Susan B. Anthony’s kneeler one day and the next it’s replaced by David Farragut’s or Ronald Reagan’s. President Woodrow Wilson is the only President to have his final resting place at the Washington National Cathedral. However, every President who passed away had either a memorial or funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral. Both Helen Keller and Ann Sullivan are interred at the Cathedral as well. In fact, there is a plaque that is written in Braille in the lower level of the Cathedral which states that Helen Keller and Ann Sullivan are buried there. While there is so much I saw and learned while I was at the Cathedral, I don’t think my descriptions could do justice to the place.

At the end of the sermon, it was mentioned that a few years ago at a pastor’s convention they started to record the retirement speeches of pastors that would soon retire. The purpose of it was to capture a piece of time so that the moment would live on. According to the pastor though, in comparison to the actual event it’s just not the same. The same is true about my experience at the Washington National Cathedral. No matter how many pictures I took or much I describe the architecture or fun facts about different parts of the Cathedral, it’s not the same as if you were to experience all of it for yourself.

Parallels Between the Metro/Bus and the Walk with God

Disclaimer: I know that not everyone is a Christian and there are some people who do not think that God even exists. If you feel offended by the content of this blog post or don't agree with what I write, no one is forcing you to read it. You can exit this page at anytime and I won't be offended by it.


After a nearly a month of using the Metro/bus to get to my internship, class, and a few fun places, I think I'm ready to articulate the connections that I see. Some people may think that it's crazy or that some parts actually represent other things, and that's okay. I admit that I may not have it all right either, since I am only human.


A person represents his/herself. God is the bus/Metro driver. Try as we might, it is not our job to worry about the road ahead, since we're not the ones who are supposed to be in the driver's seat. (I know there are times where I would like to be the one in control, but I have to remind myself that I am not supposed to be the driver since I'm human and make mistakes while God is perfect and has a plan for me, even when I cannot see the whole picture.) The bus/Metro symbolizes many different things, such as an opportunity and even God's protection. When people miss the bus, it represents an opportunity missed. Some people can actually see opportunity drive on by without them. (I know I've missed the bus/Metro a couple times.) Then people have to wait for the next opportunity to come as well as pray that they didn't miss their last chance. Now I know that there are times where it seems like that protection is nonexistent whenever tragedy strikes, but it is that protection that keeps us alive to see another sunrise and also will one day take us to meet our Heavenly Father. Also, sometimes people can see the storm surrounding them from their place inside God's protection while they themselves are safe from the elements.
The Metro/bus station represents a place of waiting. Sometimes it's waiting for a prayer to be answered, other times it's waiting for a gift or an opportunity to come. The wait can be longer for some things than for others. There may be other people waiting alongside you, or you may be alone. If you're waiting for a bus to come, the cold, heat, wind, and rain serve as deterrents to the waiting process, trying to tell you that it's not worth it to wait around for a gift or an answer. (I should know, today I missed the bus and had to wait about 20 minutes for the next one in the midst of the cold and wind.) However, when it comes to waiting for God's perfect timing, it is always worth it no matter how much suspense there is leading up to the right moment.
The bus/Metro seats represent places of rest, seasons where God wants us to relax and go with the flow. Sometimes out the window people can see the storms that aren't touching them, other times as they sit they can see the beauty of what God made. Meanwhile, the handles and bars on the inside represent God's Word, which people should cling onto in times of storm and trial. The bumps and sudden turns/movements on the road/track, although they may be annoying, are also times where it is good to grab onto God's Word so that you don't end up being flung about the bus/Metro. As to the calluses on people's fingers and hands as well as the increased upper body strength from having to use the handles and bars often, it represents the building up of one's trust and faith in God.
While it is true that the destination matters, to say that the journey is only a means to get to the destination is to deny the importance of the journey itself.

Wrong Place at the Right Time and Right Place at the Wrong Time

Hello everyone! I hope that the first few days of February went well for you. Even though there are plenty of good things that have happened while I've been away from home, it would be inaccurate of me to avoid the mention of any events that went wrong...
On Tuesday the 3rd, some of my fellow interns and I were supposed to listen to a speaker from the New Democrat Network (NDN) for part of our class. So we headed off to what we thought was the location of the NDN. However, what none of us interns knew was that there was a failure in communication between our professor and the speaker to confirm that the location was still the same as last year. The truth was that the NDN had moved locations 4 months ago, so needless to say we were very confused on why we couldn't find the NDN on the building directory when we arrived at the time the speaker was supposed to start. After a few phone calls, we finally found out about the correct building for the NDN. We had to walk all the way back the way we came and then a few blocks beyond that in order to get to the NDN. On the bright side, it can be said that we got plenty of exercise on Tuesday. Once we got there, it took a bit of trial and error to find the correct floor that the NDN was on. Finally, we got to hear the NDN speaker and after a few questions we interns headed back to the apartment.
A couple days later, Thursday the 5th, a bit of a different situation occurred. After a long day at work, I headed to the Metro station in order to take the Blue Line back to the apartment. (There are 6 different Metro routes that run throughout various parts of the DC/Virginia/Maryland area and each of them is named after a color. They are Blue, Yellow, Silver, Orange, Red, and Green.) Unfortunately as I was headed towards the platform, I could see the Metro pulling out of the station. The bad news is that I had to wait over 10 minutes for the next Metro that used the Blue Line to arrive. (Normally the only time people have to wait more than 10 minutes is on the weekends.) On the other hand, when I boarded the Metro, it wasn't as crowded as it can be sometimes.
Even though some parts of this week were a bit of a downer, I can say that I tried a Nutella cookie and it was delicious! Have a great week people!