We had another morning off so Eli and I walked down the length of the Mall to the Washington Monument. The weather is definitely improving so walking wasn't too bad. From our apartment to the Monument is 3 miles but it was cool to get a better idea of how many people were at inauguration. Walking along the Mall also gave us some great ideas of museums we want to go to soon. The monument wasn't too busy so we could go right in. They took us up in an elevator to the 500 ft level where we could look out on all sides. I loved getting a larger view of the city and seeing the White House and other memorials. We could even approximate where ASP is and where my internship is located. The elevator that took us down had windows and slowed down at certain points so we could see pieces of inscribed stone given by each state as a gift to the monument. I can't wait to check out some of the other monuments and memorial!

I'm actually in the top picture-it's just really hard to see. I'm wearing a tan coat and raising my hands up high. Here is a view of the Mall and the Capitol from inside the Washingon Monument.

Yesterday was a pretty long day for me, and perhaps an indicator of what might be coming next week when my internship starts. I was back at the Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center for another day of service. Tomorrow is my last day there. We spent hours working on folding, stuffing, sealing, and stamping 1800 letters to be sent out to donors. Even though the work was pretty uninteresting I have been learning so much from conversations and leaving CHPC leaving so uplifted and excited about perhaps incorporating something like this into my future. Once they took us down to the room full of baby clothes and other supplies and told us that if donations stopped coming it, the supplies would only last about three weeks. They were so thankful for God's faithfulness throughout the years.

In the evening we all gathered at one of staff member's houses (my advisor Jerry) for supper. This was a great time for everyone to be together relaxed, having fun and playing games.

The weather here has been pretty nasty, especially for DC. Snow fell for most of the day yesterday and turned to ice over night. We had no scheduled events for this morning so I braved the ice and navigated my way to my internship where I begin Monday. I took the bus for the first time which was a little nerve wracking because the system is more complex than the metro system. I love watching people and listening to conversations on public transportation. Today there were a couple of middle aged hippies on the way to the Vietnam Memorial. The man had long hair and carried a crazy cane with an eagle head and the woman kept complaining about her hot flashes and how she wanted a cigarette. I can't wait to see what happens next time!

Things here haven't been too eventful in the past couple of days. We went to church yesterday in Chinatown that met in a movie theater. We were in the minority again as white people. Actually when we were waiting to go in, one of the pastors came over to us and asked if we were waiting to see a movie-I guess he didn't think we were there to worship! The church was very energetic, just as you would imagine a largely African American church to be with plenty of Amens and Yes Lords while the pastor preached.

This morning a group of us were supposed to visit an aide of a Congressman from Indiana to watch a "mock interview" to model how we should carry out interviews later in the semester. It was great to walk around in the building where Congressman were and where real stuff happens. It would have been better if the man we were supposed to meet with would have actually been there. He was running late and we didn't have time to wait so we went down to the Congressional cafeteria, drank some pop and talked there.

So, not much exciting for now.

Visiting Museums

The past two days I have been busy going to museums. Friday morning the 40 ASP students spend the time at the Holocaust Memorial Museum. I was reminded again that I really like museums for the first hour, and after that I'm ready to be done. The Holocaust Museum was well done and made the tragedy of the Nazi regime come to life. I was particularly moved by learning about handicapped people who were killed for study about disease, a long corridor of shoes actually worn by victims, piles of belongings deceived Jews brought when they thought they were going to work camps rather than concentration camps, and seeing what kind of effect the Holocaust had on children.

Last night we had a surprise when on the way to a restaurant we ran into a recent Northwestern grad David . He was a poli sci major who graduated last winter and has been working in DC for about 3 weeks. We were all suprised but Eli and I were excited to see someone we knew here. We hope to get together with him sometime. After supper we walked a block to see the White House. It is a very exciting thing to see pictures from the media and textbooks come to life in front of us and be so easily accessible.

This afternoon three of my roommates-Eli, Christine, Andrea-and I went to the Smithsonian American Art Museum. We enjoyed seeing a special exhibit of called Women of Our Time as well as the hall of America's Presidents and contemporary artwork. The piece of art we are in front of in this picture is a map of the US with TVs in each state portraying things you might see in that state. (from left: me, Christine, Eli, Andrea) Incidentally, just prior to this picture, Eli and I were scolded by an art cop who told us we were standing to close to the art while we were taking a picture of Iowa.

I think I'm pretty much museum-ed out for awhile. Hopefully next week we will see some monuments or other non-museum sights. Despite being wiped out by educational adventures, I was happy to find out I have been accepted to another law school-Creighton. This is good news, but now the decision making process begins...

Law, Life, Labor, Laughter

I have been greatly blessed today. I received a phone call this morning from Michigan State informing me that I had been accepted into their law program for this fall! While I'm not sure whether or not I will actually go there, it's a great feeling to know that I now have at least one option. After talking to people recently I have been really thinking about whether law school is something I want to pursue or whether it will be too big an undertaking. Perhaps this acceptance is confirmation, but I'm trying to remain fully open to what God may have in mind for me for the future.

A good amount of my day was spent doing the first of a three day service project at the Capitol Hill Crisis Pregnancy Center-the other days will take place next week. I was captivated by the stories of the women who worked there and by their ministry. My group of four girls did very little service, but had a wonderful time listening and learning. The highlight was being able to attend the March for Life remembering Roe v. Wade. Perhaps as many as 100,000 people took part in the walk that ended at steps of the Supreme Court building. Thousands of signs were held up about choosing life and regretting abortion. There was even a band playing music, people praying and talking about Christ, women sharing their abortion stories-and a man playing bagpipes. Standing in front of the Supreme Court building as the marchers walked by was incredibly beautiful. I was brought to tears multiple times because I couldn't get my adopted nephew Jacob out of my mind. His birth mother could have chosen an abortion, but she like these thousands of others valued life enough to go through her pregnancy and then to give up that baby to Nate and Mary Beth and our family. I can hardly imagine what life would be like without him now. It is haunting to think of the babies that have been aborted, who could have had life and energy and smiles and dirty diapers and crying fits and cute laughs like he does. I am excited to return back to the crisis pregnancy center and more strongly embrace their mission after attending the march.

I also started a work study job tonight-working in the kitchen at ASP. This is only a once a week job when we all come together for supper. I thought my skills at Pizza Ranch might be an asset to the kitchen here. I can't say I am in love with working in the kitchen, but it will provide a bit of money for me each week.

And of course what would a Thursday be without the Office. Fortunately I have found many kindred spirits here in my love of the gang from Scranton. Maybe it won't be so bad here after all.

My first walk to the Capitol

Eli and I all bundled up before the parade

Sasha and Michelle Obama waving at us

Inauguration Day

Well yesterday was the big day. I wish I could say it was full of all kinds of wonderful memories and fantastic experiences, but that wasn't exactly what happened. Some of the problems started already Monday night, when sirens howled and helpicopters flew constantly right around our building. I guess you win some, you lose some when living so near the Capitol. Our departure time of 7:15 was not early enough to get us a spot in the mall, so Eli and I headed to our parade entrance. Fortunately the line through security was short, but the apples I had brought along as a healthy snack were confiscated as potential weaponry. I questioned this, but complied so I wouldn't get arrested.

The weather was quite cold, but fortunately we stumbled upon a touristy place that put Obama's face on everything imaginable. They had a TV on which we watched the inauguration. Quite a crowd gathered in the store, maybe 1/4 of us were white, and of the 40 or so, I think only one was a Republican. To be honest, it was not my favorite experience. When you're in a crowd of the political opposition, it is hard to be extremely excited and celebrate with them. While there was an element of excitement of being a part of such a historic event, it was hard to know how to react to their cries of joy when I really wanted to roll my eyes. I had to exercise restraint (possibly for my own safety) when many around me would criticize Republican icons' appearance and demeanor while having only praise for those of their own party. I was disappointed by the actions of some, who booed Bush and yelled with excitement as he got in the helicopter. For supporting a candidate who wants to unite parties, some people were certainly behaving as if they didn't care about that goal of unity.

It would be unfair to classify all attenders as these type of people, and overall I was impressed with the behavior of Obama supporters-those who openly conversed with us, tried to track down an owner of a lost wallet, and exercised patience with the busyness of the city. Particularly, I was struck by reactions to Rick Warren's prayer while watching the ceremony. A few people snickered at having prayer but many people uttered "amens" and "Yes, Lords" and recited along with the Lord's Prayer. I was reminded that though we have powerful political differences, our destiny of salvation was the same-and that's really what matters. Growing up, I somehow came to associate Democrats with non-Christians, and I think today many of us dismiss them as such because they vote the pro-choice homosexually tolerant candidate. My years in college have helped me to see there is more to politics than these two issues and that two equally strong Christians can read the same bible and come to different political beliefs and preferences. But enough of me preaching....

Eventually we had to brave the cold and wait for what turned out to be about two hours because the parade was delayed. I passed the time by doing some gawking at people-and boy were there all kinds to look at! It was especially fun to find snipers on the corners of buildings. We were disappointed that after all our waiting, Obama and family were in the car when they passed by us, and we couldn't see him through the window. As soon as we could, we headed out from the parade to somewhere warm where we could regain feeling in our toes and go to the bathroom for the first time 11 hours.

Reflecting on this experience, I loved being part of something so monumental and historical right in the city. Though I watched most of it on TV, it was different knowing it was only a mile away rather than 1500 miles away. I can't wait until the tourists all ship out and the temperature is a little higher when I can go back to the capitol and walk around where all the events occurred. The election and inauguration of 2004 were events that helped cultivate my enthusiasm for politics. To be here reminded me that is it all real, not just what we watch on TV on the news. But for future reference-and my recommendation to you-unless you are related to the president-elect or have tickets where you can walk right up 15 minutes before it starts, I probably wouldn't endure the cold, the long periods of standing, and the crowds again:)

Inauguration is Tomorrow!

Yes tomorrow is the big day. Eli and I made a last minute effort to see if Steve King's office had any tickets left. We were put in a waiting list but received word this evening that they had two tickets to the Inaugural Parade for us. It might not be the actual ceremony, but we are quite excited. We will be able to sit down and get closer to Obama than our ceremony-ticket-holding friends will. We are still planning on trying to get a spot in the mall which is open to the public, but may have to leave slightly early to get to our seats for the parade. Departure from our apartment will probably be around 7am and security opens around 8 I think. From there it's two hours of standing before anything actually happens and then another four hours until the parade starts. It could be a very long day-and all this for a president I didn't even vote for haha. But this is an opportunity not to be missed, we just hope we can make it that long without having to go to the bathroom!

What is the world is ASP anyway?

I thought it might be good to make some clarifications about what I'm even doing here in DC and how the program runs. The American Studies Program combines an internship with seminars and learning by living in the city. My internship is with the Legal Aid Society of DC-an organization that does pro bono work in the areas of protecting families against domestic violence, trying to keep families from being evicted, maintaing public benefits like food stamps and healthcare, and is involved in child support and custody. I will probably be mostly answering phones and running errands, but I am still looking forward to learning more about this area of law and seeing if it is really something I want to pursue. I will start this internship on February 2 and will work 4 days a week (2 mornings and 2 full days).

ASP is also running simulataneously with something called the Washington Journalism Center which is similar but attracts journalism students rather than poli sci students. Both ASP and WJC are under the "Best Semester" program sponsored by the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities. (Lots of names I know!) We all live together but have somewhat different schedules. ASP is further broken down into discussion groups of about 10 under one staff member who serves as an advisor and mentor and also grades all our papers and projects. My advisor's name is Jerry Herbert.

I know it's kind of confusing, try living it out!

My first city exploration

We received our first assignment to acclimate ourselves with the city. It was more or less a photo scavenger hunt with specific buildings we had to find with our groups. Not surpisingly, I was not the chief navigator. The journey brought with it many firsts for me: riding the metro, seeing the White House, over hearing a Beyonce and U2 Concert (it was too full and they weren't letting anyone else in), and wandering the streets of a big city without someone who knew where they were going. DC is ridiculous right now-at least I think so-and people are bluer than blue. There are vendors on every corner near the Capitol selling inauguration gear and overpriced corndogs.

This morning also brought my first DC church service. Of the 40 total students, probably half of them went with a staff member to Washington Community Fellowship. As a daughter of my mother, I enjoyed gawking at my brothers and sisters in Christ. My favorite was the man wearing a suit coat and tie with a football jersey underneath. We may do further church hunting in the next weeks.

I'm Finally Here!

After months of anticipation of my semester in Washington DC, the day finally came for me to board the plane. My classmate Elizabeth Van Oort is also participating in the American Studies Program and it was helpful to have her as travelling partner. We left Orange City around 5 am Thursday morning, and except for a delay on our first flight, travel went well. My cousin Kara has been staying in DC for a few weeks and was able to pick us up from the airport and get us to our "campus," show us some sights, and take us to supper. It was very helpful.

We opted to come a day earlier than everyone else because of plane tickets for inauguration weekend. Because of that we had about 24 hours before anything really started. I have been struggling with some homesickness and having a lot of extra time all alone did not help. I had a rough first 24 hours, but once orientation events started and I was able to meet more people I began to feel a little better.

To our surprise, Eli and I were put in the same apartment. We have four other roommates from various states/schools: Shanley (NY/CA), Christine (CA), Mandi (St. Paul), Andrea (OH/PA). We are getting along well so far. Our apartment is set up like a townhouse, the main level has a a closed off kitchen and a large living room with couches and desks. The upstairs has bedrooms, a bathroom, and a washer and dryer. We have lots of large window and have a great view that most apartments don't have. We face the street and can see the top of the Capitol building-it is very pretty.

I was able to walk down to the Capitol with some people Saturday evening. It was very beautiful, but there are so many placed fenced off and roads blocked because of inauguration. Being here in the nation's capital is surreal-I stood near the steps of the Capitol and thought about how in some ways this is the center of the world. What happens hear is on the news every night and affects people around the world. At the same time all these buildings are just buildings. One of the staff members encouraged us to think about all the stories happening in the whole city-not just on the Hill. While we put so much focus on the center of the city, there are hundreds of other organizations trying to make a difference too.

Though I've still been having some homesickness, I really appreciated how every one of my family members contacted me in some way or another-either through a phone call or an email. No wonder I miss home so much-I have a a dynamite family!