And it's Just the Beginning

My first day I wasn't sure what I thought about D.C.--instead of mountains there are tall buildings, instead of cars (ok, well there are PLENTY of those too), there are Metros and buses and LOTS of walking--but I think I'm in love with it already!

Instead of trying to include everything in here, I'll just highlight my favorites...and while I love the famous historical sites and museums, my favorites are usually the simple or unexpected moments.

The first thing we did after unpacking on Friday night was go find a place to eat. We ended up at a little French place just down the street and the food was great. Unfortunately I don't think my stomach agreed with it because I woke up in the middle of the night and threw most of it up (sorry, that was gross...).

Saturday night after a long day of walking and exploring and feeling like tourists, some of the other girls and I met at the Lincoln Memorial and just sat on the steps for maybe 45 minutes, soaking in the moment. As cool as the view is during the day, it is even more beautiful at night! We asked a random guy to take our picture and it turned out he was Mormon. I forgot how fun it is to meet fellow Mormons when you're outside of Utah! After taking our picture, he stayed and talked to us for awhile. Befriending random people is the best :).

Sunday we all rode the Metro to church in Maryland. It was probably my second time ever using public transportation. The ward seems awesome and we have a pretty view from the large chapel windows. Everyone was very welcoming. In the evening, about 6 of us rode the Metro down to the Ronald Reagan airport and walked from there to this little park right next to the Potomac River. Because we were there during sunset, we had an amazing view, especially of the Washington Monument and the capitol in the distance. We sat on a blanket and talked while we watched the departing planes fly right over us!

This morning my roommate and I got up early and went for a short run through Georgetown, which is just down the street. I loved it! Then we had class until about 12:45. Then our instructor split us into groups of 4 or 5 and we went to the sites of all our internships. Our experience turned out to be quite the adventure! We found the sites where the other 4 in my group would be working first, but none of them were very close to each other and we got a little bit lost a few times! We went to mine last. Since mine was the farthest--in Alexandria, VA, I told them they didn't have to come, but 3 of the 4 did anyway.

First, we rode the Metro to the Pentagon (awesome, right?) and then we took the bus to the place where I will be working...sort of. We made the mistake of getting off at the wrong stop. It's a good thing they were with me though, or else it may have taken me longer to realize the bus doesn't actually stop unless you pull the yellow cord....Then we had to backtrack a little until we got to the right street. But when we had to choose between going left or right, we chose to take a right. Unfortunately we didn't see any addresses on any of the buildings, so we just kept walking, hoping we were going the right direction. Long story short, we finally got some directions, stopped for slurpees, and then had to walk about a mile in the opposite direction until we found the place, which just happens to be across the parking lot from the bus stop where we should have gotten off but didn't...

By this time it was later in the day, when the buses don't come by as often, so we had to wait about 35 minutes for the next bus. The good news is that Alexandria is beautiful and my ride to work every day will be a scenic one!

I'm sorry I only have a few pictures...I actually stole these ones from a friend's camera, but I'm not able to download my own pictures on my computer just yet...


Lynne and me at the WWII Memorial


The mall


P.S. My internship starts tomorrow morning!