Disclaimer: I did not have a sudden epiphany to switch to an acting career from one related to politics. The title will make sense in time, so be patient.
Good evening everyone! I hope that this week was pleasant for all of you. Anyway, quite a bit happened between when I last wrote and now...
On Saturday the 18th I returned to the Natural History Museum in order to look at everything I didn't see last time and this time I was ready with a fully-charged camera. While there were many fake animals, there were some live butterflies, various insects, and fish. I also took a couple photos of the Hope Diamond and saw a couple mummies. Out of all of the museums I've visited, I think that Natural History is the most child-friendly since there are lots of items throughout the museum with a "Please Touch" sign near them. From the museum I walked to the Washington Monument because of the Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day Concert, which was free for the public to attend. While I was there, I heard a few political figures, the makers of Angry Birds, a spokesperson from Toyota, and a pre-recorded Secretary of State John Kerry talk about their hopes and initiatives in order to decrease impact on climate change and end poverty by 2030. I witnessed Fall Out Boy, Usher, and Common perform on stage and I thought they did a great job. One of the big themes from the event was the fact that in order to make these goals happen, we as a society need to act and not just be bystanders. The results of not acting would damage the future of both Earth and all who live on it.
On Sunday the 19th I went to the Shakespeare Folger Library in order to celebrate Shakespeare's birthday. Outside of the library there was a dynamic duo called Nickel Shakespeare Girls that performed 30-second snippets of whatever Shakespeare play people requested with some humorous twists. I got to go inside the Reading Room, which is not normally open for public access, and see some intriguing tapestries, paintings, and stained glass windows. Casey Kaleba, fight coordinator for Folger Theatre performances, put on a couple sword-fighting demonstrations with some help from 3 assistants. In Folger Theatre, I got to speak a bit of "Hamlet". Towards the end of the celebration, a Queen Elizabeth I impersonator also cut a fancy cake with a rapier and thanked us for coming to celebrate Shakespeare's 451st birthday. All of the guests then received free cake.
Those are the highlights of the past week. Next week's post will cover many events during my last days in DC... In the meantime, have a great week and never take time for granted.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Friday, April 17, 2015
Take Me Out into Nature
Good evening everyone! I hope that you all have enjoyed your week. Yes the title of this week's post is based on "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" because I did see a baseball game this week, but there is also a strong influence of nature this week. Quite a few things took place over the past week, so let's get started.
To provide a bit a context, from last Thursday to Monday 13th was peak bloom for the cherry blossoms. Peak bloom means that at least 70% of the blossoms were in bloom at the Tidal Basin. Many Japanese consider cherry blossoms to be bridges between Heaven and Earth...
On Saturday the 11th I saw many things that had to do with nature. In the morning, I went to see the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. There were quite a few marching bands, balloons, old-style cars, and floats. Also, there were some horses, old-fashioned bicycles, unicycles, and even roller skaters. However, there was no candy thrown at this parade, which probably disappointed the little kids who were present. After the parade, I visited part of the Natural History Museum. (I didn't get through all of it since my camera battery was starting to die and I wanted to see the cherry blossoms.) I walked to the Washington Monument and Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms. While it was super crowded since people were out enjoying peak bloom, it was so lovely outside. I was surprised though to see more white than pink in the cherry blossoms. Nevertheless, it was beautiful.
On a side-note though, I was annoyed to see people picking the blossoms when there were a couple signs that clearly stated that people couldn't climb on the trees or pick the blossoms. When it comes to nature, sometimes by touching or taking away we ruin the beauty that we aspire to admire. Perhaps more signs should have been posted about not picking the flowers...
After church on Sunday the 12th, some of the people from the congregation at the church I attend and I went to Pentagon City to grab lunch and then went to Virginia Highlands Park for a picnic since the weather was nice. It has been a while since I last went to a picnic, so this was a fun opportunity to get to know some of the people at my church.
When I was done with work on Monday the 13th, I still had to record a video for my Internship Seminar, so one of my fellow interns from AAPD, Subha, and I went to the Tidal Basin in order to record to video with some cherry blossoms in the background. It took 21 takes to get it right since I get nervous when I know I'm being recorded, but I think it turned out alright. Like Saturday, the weather was fantastic. However, there weren't as many people around, which was nice for recording purposes.
Fast-forward to yesterday, the 16th, and I decided to walk from my internship to the Tidal Basin, which was about a half an hour walk. I will say that it was a bit sad to see the Tidal Basin after peak bloom, since so many of the blossoms were blown off (or in some cases picked off). However, some cherry blossom trees still had some flowers on them. From Tidal Basin I went to Nationals Stadium in order to see the Washington Nationals play against the Philadelphia Phillies. Many of my fellow interns from the Washington Internship Institute (WII) also attended the game, and thankfully the program paid for our tickets. I was surprised that the game went by so quickly; the first pitch was at 7:05 PM and the game ended before 10:00 PM. For the record, the Nationals won 5-2.
Today was the last day of my fellow intern at AAPD Niki, which is another reminder to me that my time is coming to a close. Next week will have its own series of events, so stay tuned! In the meantime, make sure to stop and smell the roses during your week.
To provide a bit a context, from last Thursday to Monday 13th was peak bloom for the cherry blossoms. Peak bloom means that at least 70% of the blossoms were in bloom at the Tidal Basin. Many Japanese consider cherry blossoms to be bridges between Heaven and Earth...
On Saturday the 11th I saw many things that had to do with nature. In the morning, I went to see the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. There were quite a few marching bands, balloons, old-style cars, and floats. Also, there were some horses, old-fashioned bicycles, unicycles, and even roller skaters. However, there was no candy thrown at this parade, which probably disappointed the little kids who were present. After the parade, I visited part of the Natural History Museum. (I didn't get through all of it since my camera battery was starting to die and I wanted to see the cherry blossoms.) I walked to the Washington Monument and Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms. While it was super crowded since people were out enjoying peak bloom, it was so lovely outside. I was surprised though to see more white than pink in the cherry blossoms. Nevertheless, it was beautiful.
On a side-note though, I was annoyed to see people picking the blossoms when there were a couple signs that clearly stated that people couldn't climb on the trees or pick the blossoms. When it comes to nature, sometimes by touching or taking away we ruin the beauty that we aspire to admire. Perhaps more signs should have been posted about not picking the flowers...
After church on Sunday the 12th, some of the people from the congregation at the church I attend and I went to Pentagon City to grab lunch and then went to Virginia Highlands Park for a picnic since the weather was nice. It has been a while since I last went to a picnic, so this was a fun opportunity to get to know some of the people at my church.
When I was done with work on Monday the 13th, I still had to record a video for my Internship Seminar, so one of my fellow interns from AAPD, Subha, and I went to the Tidal Basin in order to record to video with some cherry blossoms in the background. It took 21 takes to get it right since I get nervous when I know I'm being recorded, but I think it turned out alright. Like Saturday, the weather was fantastic. However, there weren't as many people around, which was nice for recording purposes.
Fast-forward to yesterday, the 16th, and I decided to walk from my internship to the Tidal Basin, which was about a half an hour walk. I will say that it was a bit sad to see the Tidal Basin after peak bloom, since so many of the blossoms were blown off (or in some cases picked off). However, some cherry blossom trees still had some flowers on them. From Tidal Basin I went to Nationals Stadium in order to see the Washington Nationals play against the Philadelphia Phillies. Many of my fellow interns from the Washington Internship Institute (WII) also attended the game, and thankfully the program paid for our tickets. I was surprised that the game went by so quickly; the first pitch was at 7:05 PM and the game ended before 10:00 PM. For the record, the Nationals won 5-2.
Today was the last day of my fellow intern at AAPD Niki, which is another reminder to me that my time is coming to a close. Next week will have its own series of events, so stay tuned! In the meantime, make sure to stop and smell the roses during your week.
Friday, April 10, 2015
History and His Story
Good evening everyone from a cloudy Arlington, VA! I hope that you all are having a good week. Also, I hope that everyone had a happy Easter! Anyway, here are a couple highlights from the past week.
Last Saturday, the 4th, I went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History and spent most of my day there. There were a whole lot of things that I saw from different time periods. Among the items from the American Revolution, I saw George Washington's sword and Ben Franklin's cane. I also saw the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key's "The Star-Spangled Banner". A couple pop culture references that I saw included Dorothy's slippers and the puppet of Count von Count. In the category of sport-related items, I saw a pair of Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves and a pair of Apolo Ohno's speed skates. Based on the china and dresses that I saw in the First Ladies' Exhibit, it appears that a lot of things have changed over time, which on one hand isn't surprising, but for some reason I was expecting more consistency in china used at the White House. While I could write for ages about all the things I saw, I feel like that would make people bored. In other words, to find out what else is at the American History Museum, you will have to visit there yourself.
Sunday the 5th was Easter Sunday! The night before I prepared small Easter baskets for my roommates and left them on their bedside tables. (For the record, one of my roommates was spending time with her family while another was with her boyfriend, so no I did not sneak into their rooms while they were asleep in order to place the baskets.) I went to church early in order to see 7 people get baptized, of which most of them were children. The baptisms took place at the swimming pool of the hotel that the church is located. (This may be a bit reminiscent to Prepare people.) A couple pastors asked some of the kids if they were sure they wanted to be baptized right before they were baptized, which caused a bit of laughter. I thought that the Easter baptisms were well-timed, considering all of the symbolism involved in baptism and how Easter in some ways parallels baptism. After the baptisms was of course Easter service, which entailed joyous singing and hearing of the Resurrection and of when Jesus appeared to His disciples after the Resurrection. Unfortunately Easter was also the last service that my friend from church who is also originally from MN attended since she moved back to MN this week. Hopefully we shall see each other again once I return to MN. Unfortunately after Easter service, it was back to the apartment to do homework. Needless to say, this Easter felt off since it was the first time that I spent Easter separated from my family.
There is still so much to see and do, but so little time to do it as time is slipping away... Next week will have more tales of adventure. Enjoy your week everyone!
Last Saturday, the 4th, I went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History and spent most of my day there. There were a whole lot of things that I saw from different time periods. Among the items from the American Revolution, I saw George Washington's sword and Ben Franklin's cane. I also saw the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key's "The Star-Spangled Banner". A couple pop culture references that I saw included Dorothy's slippers and the puppet of Count von Count. In the category of sport-related items, I saw a pair of Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves and a pair of Apolo Ohno's speed skates. Based on the china and dresses that I saw in the First Ladies' Exhibit, it appears that a lot of things have changed over time, which on one hand isn't surprising, but for some reason I was expecting more consistency in china used at the White House. While I could write for ages about all the things I saw, I feel like that would make people bored. In other words, to find out what else is at the American History Museum, you will have to visit there yourself.
Sunday the 5th was Easter Sunday! The night before I prepared small Easter baskets for my roommates and left them on their bedside tables. (For the record, one of my roommates was spending time with her family while another was with her boyfriend, so no I did not sneak into their rooms while they were asleep in order to place the baskets.) I went to church early in order to see 7 people get baptized, of which most of them were children. The baptisms took place at the swimming pool of the hotel that the church is located. (This may be a bit reminiscent to Prepare people.) A couple pastors asked some of the kids if they were sure they wanted to be baptized right before they were baptized, which caused a bit of laughter. I thought that the Easter baptisms were well-timed, considering all of the symbolism involved in baptism and how Easter in some ways parallels baptism. After the baptisms was of course Easter service, which entailed joyous singing and hearing of the Resurrection and of when Jesus appeared to His disciples after the Resurrection. Unfortunately Easter was also the last service that my friend from church who is also originally from MN attended since she moved back to MN this week. Hopefully we shall see each other again once I return to MN. Unfortunately after Easter service, it was back to the apartment to do homework. Needless to say, this Easter felt off since it was the first time that I spent Easter separated from my family.
There is still so much to see and do, but so little time to do it as time is slipping away... Next week will have more tales of adventure. Enjoy your week everyone!
Friday, April 3, 2015
Gusties Galore
Good evening everyone! I hope that for those of you on Spring Break, that you are having a good time. I will say that it's a bit odd to say that I had my last Spring Break ever last spring and that this year I get no Spring Break, but that is the part of the price I paid in order to be here (besides groceries and Metro transportation of course). Anyway, since Gustavus is on Spring Break this week, I got to see quite a few Gusties.
On Monday March 30th, I got to meet Britta at the Au Bon Pain close to my internship. Au Bon Pain is a cafe that does pastries, bagels, soups, sandwiches, coffee, tea, and other related items. We got to catch up on what was going on over the course of the semester. We also gave each other a few pointers on places to go while in DC. Before we parted ways, I brought her to AAPD and gave her a tour of the office. While we may not have spent hours on end together, I'm glad that we got some time to be together.
Fast-forward to Wednesday April 1st and after work I went to a concert performed by the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra (GSO) since they went on tour in the area for Spring Break. I knew that they were going to be in the area since my work study boss, Al Behrends, told me when and where they were playing as well as asked me advice on places to go and things to do while in Washington DC. However, what my friends in GSO didn't know was that I was going to be at their concert, so I caught some of them by surprise when I just walked up to them while they were chatting outside the church before they needed to be on stage ready to perform. That was a fun surprise to pull! Both before and after the performance, I got to catch up on what was going on in people's lives as well as give them a bit of advice for what to do during their free day in DC on Thursday. They did a fantastic job at the concert! It's always great to hear when hard work and musicianship pays off. I hope that they had a fun free day yesterday.
While there is more that I could write about, I think I will save some things as stories to tell when I'm back in MN. It's weird to think that in a month I will return to MN, but there is much to do before that happens. Next week will have its own story to it. Have a Happy Easter everyone!
On Monday March 30th, I got to meet Britta at the Au Bon Pain close to my internship. Au Bon Pain is a cafe that does pastries, bagels, soups, sandwiches, coffee, tea, and other related items. We got to catch up on what was going on over the course of the semester. We also gave each other a few pointers on places to go while in DC. Before we parted ways, I brought her to AAPD and gave her a tour of the office. While we may not have spent hours on end together, I'm glad that we got some time to be together.
Fast-forward to Wednesday April 1st and after work I went to a concert performed by the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra (GSO) since they went on tour in the area for Spring Break. I knew that they were going to be in the area since my work study boss, Al Behrends, told me when and where they were playing as well as asked me advice on places to go and things to do while in Washington DC. However, what my friends in GSO didn't know was that I was going to be at their concert, so I caught some of them by surprise when I just walked up to them while they were chatting outside the church before they needed to be on stage ready to perform. That was a fun surprise to pull! Both before and after the performance, I got to catch up on what was going on in people's lives as well as give them a bit of advice for what to do during their free day in DC on Thursday. They did a fantastic job at the concert! It's always great to hear when hard work and musicianship pays off. I hope that they had a fun free day yesterday.
While there is more that I could write about, I think I will save some things as stories to tell when I'm back in MN. It's weird to think that in a month I will return to MN, but there is much to do before that happens. Next week will have its own story to it. Have a Happy Easter everyone!
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