Week 5, part four, "Home", Georgetown, and the Rocky Horror picture show

I took pride in cleaning te apartment and actually opening the blinds/ turning on some lamps as soon as my roomates moved out....I've even used the lamps as replacement roomates. They're quieter, brighter and actually provide light & warmth.

With all of my roomates stuff removed, I discovered something incredible. There is actually space to move in this apartment. (Plus...I found $5 in change!)

I returned to Eastern Market once again this weekend! What am I going to do without my fresh, local grapes and cherries, and more to the point - my Pennsylvania peaches? Fruit will never be the same again.

The Amish are really very good at farming. The food I get here is the same price as the supermarkets at home, but the taste is amazing, and has genuinely made me buy an excess of fruit...when I say an excess, I'm still talking around the 5-a-day level, but for me that's an achievement. I normally only manage 3 or 4.

Before I get too carried away with congratulating myself on my fruit and vegetable intake, I also have a confession. I think I am addicted to Fro-yo (frozen yoghurt, it's like soft ice cream). It comes in all flavours. It has so many toppings. Fruit, chocolate, cookie dough pieces, hot fudge sauce. You serve yourself as much as you want, then add stuff on top, and then pay by weight. I really hope this never catches on in England, or any attempt I make to live a healthly life could be endangered.

We also returned to Georgetown! Georgetown genuinely has the best cupcake shops in D.C (we're fast becoming experts on this...) especially "Baked & Wired".

Something weird happened in Georgetown (sounds like a film title...) first, I was in a bookshop with some friends when I picked up a travel guide for the British Isles (always fun) and was annoyed to find that the University of Cambridge was featured as a major attraction, for the age of the institution and the architecture of the city, but Oxford was not, only "Oxfordshire" was mentioned. When I decided to voice my opinion on the matter, loudly and sarcastically ("haha, it describes Cambridge as "the seat of academia" in Britain, I mean seriously...") to my friend who is also at Oxford, a guy our own age turned around from a nearby bookshelf.

My first thought was "oh, he might actually go to Cambridge. This is awkward." However to my amazement he said, "oh, do you go to Oxford then? I'm at Magdalen, where are you at?" I was so surprised that I didn't say anything for a moment, by which time one of my friends (who is at Magdalen and in his year) stands up and greets him. Turns out that they were old tutorial partners. Weird.

Anyway, we were now over this and headed to a cupcake shop, which was less crowded than "D.C cupcakes" (see previous Georgetown post) and finally sat down with our food. The wall had napkins on which people had drawn on, and written messages, and then pinned them up. We decided to write one saying "Oxford loves Baked & Wired!" and then draw our college crests on it. (People had put up places from across the world)

As we put our napkin on the wall, two girls who were sitting at a breakfast bar in front of us stopped their conversation and said, "wait, do you go to Oxford?" We then discover that one of the girls graduated this year, from my own college.

On the one hand the chances of 2 Oxford students meeting 2 other Oxford students in seperate places, in a corner of D.C seems strange. The more I think about it though, Georgetown kind of is the "Oxford of D.C", if you know what I mean. Georgetown is upmarket, academic, "historic", and full of bookshops. Perhaps it's not so much a coincidence that Oxford students in D.C tend to head to Georgetown (and to book/ cupcake shops), though it is insane that we happened to be in the same place at the same time as other Oxford students, twice in one afternoon.

No explanation needed.

 

I went to a midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Show at the E-Street cinema in Downtown. I feel as though this event itself deserves some kind of landmark recognition, because let me tell you, it was like participating in a cult. There were props, there were actors running around during the film, there were "regulars" (who watched the same screenings at least once a month, and knew th dialogue, as well as the songs, off by heart). I love the way in which throwing giant playing cards, or making audience members participate in acting out the on-screen drama was not seen as particularly  extraordinary. Nor was encouraging people to dance in the aisles during the Timewarp routine. For someone who had never seen the film before, I feel as if I'll never be able to think of it again without the accompanying sarcastic commentary of the person sitting behind me. That being said, I wouldn't have had it any other way, it way another one of those "only in America" experiences. 

 

The place where Lincoln was shot!

Since the film began at midnight, by the time we left it was pretty late, which provided an excellent opportunity to photograph landmarks without other people getting in the way. Walking through Downtown D.C at 3am was eery,  but oddly rewarding at the same time, as if we had somehow earned the right to see what most people, even residents, usually miss.

Week 4, part two - Mount Vernon and a watermelon

 

Big butterfly, I'm certain that this is the same type of butterfly that was on the island which we kayaked to.

 Quite a few of us had wanted to see the country estate and farm that the first President of the United States, George Washington, had lived in and retired to. Washington built up his estate his entire life, extending the "mansion" and overseeing all of the arrangements to the land himself. Despite his military and political achievements, he considered himself first and foremostly a farmer. He reminds me of Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (Roman statesman, Consul and Dictator, 519-430BC) in that way. We travelled by Metro to Huntingdon and then by bus, past Alexandria and into Fairfax County. This was relatively easy to do, coming from D.C the transport links are ideal for day trips out of town.

The bus journey was long because we didn't get on a direct bus, but instead spent 45 minutes touring through residential estates, and seemingly picking up elderly people and their shopping at every stop...we learnt our lesson for the return journey!

Casual tropical flower...oh and the other day at Arlington, I saw a chipmunk. Forgot to mention that, but it was great, for some reason I forgot that they had them here!

To be honest, I found the whole experience completely commercialised, and it annoyed me that they used an inventory of Martha Washington's possessions to show that she "was an enthusiastic shopper" and therefore to justify selling George Washington themed Christmas decorations, even in July. Only in America.

 

We all found the introductory "orientation" film to be ridiculous too. It contained barely any factual knowledge and instead focused on the "love story" between Martha and George Washington, regardless of the fact that in reality, most 18th c. marriages, especially 2nd marriages (Martha had been married before) were pursued for financial stability. 

Gardens! I saw a humming bird! (Far too fast to photograph)

 Regardless, seeing the way that the grounds had been preserved, and inside the house itself (the dining room was pained an extremely bright, emerald green colour, apparently historically reconstructed - Washington thought that it was the colour least likely to fade). The key to the Bastille was hanging in the passageway, sent by the Marquis de Lafayette, as a gift, for he considered Washington as like a father to him.

View of the Potomac from the back porch...

 This is pretty much the same view as George and his wife Martha Washington would have seen when they sat on their back porch in 1799...

Something that did affect me was the memorial to all of the slaves and free African-Americans who worked and died on the estate. In unmarked graves, and with a stone which was only erected in the 1980s, the lives of over a hundred people are quietly acknowledged. Since the physical location of their bodies is unknown, never precisely marked, and only recorded by chance by a 19th century visitor, there is a tangible sense of "loss". These people are still missing. Worse, was the lack of people who bothered to look around this site, compared to the tomb of Washington, where a wreath is laid daily, and which was crowded with visitors. Saying that, I'm not massively keen on the idea of people photographing people's caskets either. Maybe it's just me.

The "Mansion". 80% of the exterior is original, it's actually made of wood, "rusticated" to look like stone and brickwork, but it's hollow to knock.

 

A chance meeting. Whilst I was in my apartment (on the 2nd floor) I noticed that it had began to rain, heavily. Having been caught in several similar showers recently I looked out of the window and saw two people trying to shelter under a flimsy tree on the sidewalk. Remembering that the house I'm staying in has quite a large porch area, I ran downstairs, opened the front door and called the two women up. They were Chinese, and I soon realised that the older of the two didn't understand English, and this was sooner confirmed by the younger of the two, who revealed herself to be the other one's daughter. During a 5 minute conversation, under the porch (whilst one of my flatmates walked past, confused) I find out that;

 

a) they had been to see the most recent Nats game (baseball)

b) the daughter had moved to the U.S from China after highschool, to study, and had since worked in New York City as an exhibition designer. She is in D.C to work with the Smithsonians

c) She now lives just a few streets from here, but prefers NYC*

 

*She didn't actually say this, but this is the impression I got, especially as she mentioned about how exciting NYC is, and didn't say much about D.C. She's trying to find a job so that she can move back to NYC.

 

The GIANT 1/2 watermelon I found at Eastern Market. I'm going to miss the local fruit & vegetables. Some of the stalls at the market are run by the Amish community.

That piece of watermelon was only $3. Bargain. I also got a nutella & banana crepe...

 

Vocabulary learnt;

 

"called out", to be "called out" - to be caught out, or deliberately made an example of. For example, if someone isn't paying attention during a lesson, and the teacher chooses them to answer a question. Or, if something lies/ exaggerates something, and is found out.

 

"go-to" - this can refer to any item or object which is the most commonly used or which someone uses without having to think about it, such as a food, bag, facial expression, etc. Your 'go-to x' is the 'x' that you will resort to most commonly when you don't have the inclination/time to come up with something more original, or else that you will just go to automatically. pretty much any situation.   e.g., If you're in a rush, you grab your go-to bag.

 

Vocabulary taught to Americans;

 

"blag" - they have the word "bluff", meaning a similar thing, but hadn't heard of our word before!

Week 1, part five

 

The Eastern market is a giant "flea" (antique & second hand) and fresh produce market. The original structure is nineteenth century, although a lot of the market was devastated in 2007, due to a massive fire. It's been re-built and is bustling on the weekends here. It sells everything from fruit and vegetables to textiles, prints and jewellery. Me and my friends were extremely taken with the vintage postcards!

 

The market really is the centre of life in this part of town, and despite competition from bigger and more famous shops and department stores in the centre of D.C, it has its own character that draws tourists and regulars alike in from all corners of the district. I've really like discovering interesting things on my "doorstep" as well as going to some of the really famous sights.

 

Later, me, some other interns and their roomates headed to the National Zoo, which was a bit of a walk from the nearest Metro station, but we were told that it was definitely worth it! A woman sitting in Starbucks whilst we made arrangements for the day said that the zoo was one of the best attractions in D.C, and also usefully pointed out some slightly obscure local shops. It's amazing how much interest you get just by sitting somewhere public and speaking with a different accent.

 

The Smithsonians are incredible, as well as the museums and art gallery the national zoo is also part of the same institution, and therefore it's completely free! I'd never seen a red panda before, so getting to see Rusty, the red panda at the national zoo, was a highlight. Apparently he recently escaped and managed to get quite far away from the zoo until he was re-captured!

 

I have to admit, I find it weird that the National zoo is free, yet healthcare isn't.

 

Interesting note - using the Metro I've noticed that people naturally flock to the escalator that already has people on it, despite the fact that right next to it there will be an empty escalator, going in the same direction. Must be instinct, but it's extremely illogical!