By LATISHA MILES
Staff Writer
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The nation's capital, was the place I wanted to further my education or maybe even the city where I want to live one day. I never thought it would be a dirty city with graffiti, newspaper, and trash lying everywhere. I expected it to be a huge, gigantic place where the president and all the politicians who help run the government live. Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful where the White House is located, but that is about the only place. I actually had fun and enjoyed the different sites around the city. My friends and I were very excited when we found out that the juniors were going to be taking a trip to Washington. Every single day was filled with excitement when it was getting closer and closer to the time of departure. Then finally, get-away day came and we were off.
Day 1, Saturday Jan. 18 � 7:09 a.m. I arrived at Smith, and there were so many cars and parents watching their kids load the bus to head to Washington. I was determined I was going to warm with my "long Johns" under my clothes. The temperature was about 15 degrees F. After a pitstop to eat lunch in Ashland, Va., we arrived at the capital at 2:30 p.m. Seeing all the cars and the people began to excite me. The very first place we stopped was downtown where we saw the White House and all the other federal buildings. As I began to get off the bus, I could feel the cold breeze touch my cheeks and I knew already that it was going to be extremely cold.
As we began to tour Howard University and the different sections of Washington, I realized North Carolina was a beautiful state. I saw spray paint on buildings, trash on the ground, and houses I would never dream of living is such a place. The sight was very different than that of North Carolina.
Our next stop was at the Archives Building to see the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights. The security guard kept rushing everyone along, but it was a great sight to see.
Union Station�s mall was not nearly as big and pretty as Four Season's Mall. I expected it to be much bigger with stores I have never heard of and clothes and shoes that have not come to North Carolina. Well, I was totally wrong. Everything in Union Station was just like everything in Four Season's. While at the mall, I had a chance to see the fireworks coming from the Capitol building.
Later on that night, we went to eat at Shakey's Restaurant in Springfield, Va. We ate at the all-you- can-eat buffet. Everyone was tired from all the walking around and long bus trip, so we checked in at the Ramada Inn Hotel of Interstate-95 in Springfield.
Washington so far was not like anything I expected. It is simply a bigger city with a larger population, including many visitors. It is dirtier and trashier that Greensboro, except around the White House.
Day 2, Sunday Jan. 19 � We got up early (around 6:30 a.m.), got dressed and decided we wanted to have breakfast. Well, the breakfast was terrible at the hotel. The other guests were rude, they would bump into you without saying excuse me and had just plain bad manners.
Furthermore, our first stop was at the Korean, Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials, and we saw the outside of the Washington Monument. Not only that, but we saw the site where Forest Gump was filmed when Jenny jumped out of a pool of water while Forest was giving a speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The sites were exciting and pretty, but it was too cold to be walking around outside.
It was about 8 degrees Sunday morning. The wind chill was well below zero. So we got on the bus and went to the Smithsonian. There we visited the American History Museum. There were many interesting exhibits. Sherly Caesar was at a tent on the National Mall performing, but by the time we got there, she had finished. We went to the Air and Space Museum that contained nothing but science materials � planets, astronauts, machines, rockets, etc. It was too boring! Maybe because I am not science fanatic.
After touring the museums, we went to Fredrick Douglass's house across the Anacostia river and watched a film. It was very interesting. I learned many things from the film that I had no known earlier. For instance, I never knew Douglass married a white woman. Although the site was interesting, the neighborhood that surrounded it was unpleasant.
We went back to the hotel to change into more appropriate wear for dinner. We arrived at the restaurant Orleans in Arlington and had some chicken that was dry. Not only did they serve us one big piece of chicken, but two small potatoes. Now these weren't your average sized potatoes, but something that can be put into beef stew. After dinner, we rode around and then headed back to the hotel. Washington at night is so pretty with all the lights and people. Still, It was so cold. Up to this point, everything was a mess, but it was still exciting to be away from North Carolina. So far it seemed the music on D.C. radio and dress styles were very similar to that of North Carolina.
Day 3, Monday Jan. 20 � We woke up and went to the Capitol Building for President Clinton's inauguration. It seemed as if he talked forever. I was so cold, that I though I was going to die. We went to get some lunch and then to the Art Gallery Museum to warm up. Boy, when went into the museum, everyone in my group laid down in a room which was playing a movie and fell asleep. I felt so much better after the little nap. Then we headed for the inaugural parade to get frost bitten again. I was so excited to see President Clinton walk through the parade, but he fooled me. Bill and Hillary rode in a limousine that had tinted windows which I could hardly see either one. But I was still excited at the thought of how close I was to the President. Once we saw all we wanted to see of the parade, we went to the Holocaust Museum. The different exhibits were so sad to me, especially "Daniel's" exhibit. It showed how the Jews were forced to leave their homes to live at the concentration camps where they were starved and badly abused.
After touring the museum, we went to the Food Court at a mall near the Pentagon in Alexandria to eat dinner. We toured the Jefferson Monument and headed back to the hotel. I had a lot of fun at the hotel because we had an extended curfew and had co-ed visitation. I began to pack all my clothes and gathered all my materials because we have to have our luggage on the bus by 7:15 the next morning.
Day 4, Tuesday Jan. 21 � The trip had come to an end. I got dressed and put all my luggage on the bus. We checked out of the hotel and toured Northwest Washington, including Georgetown. we rode past all the embassies on Massachusetts Avenue and got off the bus to take pictures in front of the Natus Cathedral. It was so huge with Gothic structure. Finally, we toured Arlington National Cemetery where we saw John F. Kennedy's grave. After the tour,we went back to the bus to head for Greensboro, North Carolina.
I must admit that I was miserable at the beginning of the trip, but things changed. I began to like being away from my parents in Greensboro. I did not really think it was going to be as cold as it was. I just new the malls were going to be way better than our in North Carolina, but they were no better if not worse.
Looking back at the trip now, Washington was completely different from what I had expected.
Latisha Miles is a junior honors student, a member of the junior marshals and FBLA.
