Fulbright Orientation in Washington, D.C.

It's been a great week here in the other Washington--Washington, D.C. Fulbright generously brought all the American and international teachers together for a four-day workshop in D.C. to get everyone oriented and ready for a successful exchange. While I've enjoyed the information that's been presented, by far the best part of the week was having time with all these amazing people! Meeting Katja again in person and actually having time to talk and get to know each other has been so wonderful, and it's really made me feel confident that this is a good match. I have a great feeling about our exchange on both ends! I also loved getting to know my fellow American Fulbrighters better and meeting all the fabulous exchange teachers from around the world. We had quite a few fun walks across the Key Bridge for drinks at the bar with our new British friends in Georgetown. In between different sessions about things like culture shock and what it's like to teach in a different country, we also had time to take a fun bus tour of the city. Then it was back to more sessions and information, which at times made all of our heads spin a bit with all the "What Ifs." But thankfully some amazing Fulbright alumni like Melissa and Tutty were there to remind us about all the fun stuff that awaits us, like new friends and weekend trips to fun places like Scotland and Paris. Overall it was a good conference, and we've been treated so well by the Fulbright and British Council teams. It feels nice to be spoiled a bit. :)

The White House 

Katja and I  

The Capitol Building 

Seconds before the massive monsoon hit!

Washington Monument

Thomas Jefferson Monument--my favorite

They were doing work on the reflecting pond so that's why it's empty.

Korean War Memorial

Their realistic faces are very striking.

Team UK! The American and UK Fulbrighters all together at the end of orientation 

Sadly we said goodbye to most of our new friends on Friday afternoon. The international teachers headed off to their new towns in America, and some Americans returned home with them while others went to their new countries. Fellow Fulbrighter Christy and I decided to stay in D.C. for four extra days to do some touring and unwind, so we've enjoyed getting updates from everyone as they settle in. Katja also stayed one extra night, and the three of us had a good time checking out D.C., especially some yummy restaurants like Clyde's in Georgetown where we went for brunch Saturday. On Saturday afternoon, I said goodbye to Katja, and she headed out to Auburn. My sister and her husband were anxiously awaiting her arrival in Seattle, and she has officially made it to her new home! It's so fun (and a bit odd) to think about us living in each other's homes. I can't wait to see her flat in south London and stop living out of my suitcases!

Georgetown from the Key Bridge 

Georgetown

Georgetown Cupcakes AKA "D.C. Cupcakes" on TLC!

We loved Mr. Smith's and spent a few nights here.

It's so hot even the ice cream is sweating! 

Christy and I on the National Mall

Christy and Lee saying goodbye just before Lee heads off to Boise,
leaving Christy to take over in Scotland!

Katja and I at the hotel on our last day together.

For the last few days, Christy and I have been doing lots of touristy things. We checked out the D.C. Zoo, which was very cool and quite hot! :) Even the animals seemed to be struggling a bit. But we managed to find some cool orange monkey things (they were adorable and hilarious), the giant pandas (sooo cool!), the gorillas (who had a baby!) and the orangoutangs (who came right up the glass and very clearly wanted to come out and play). We also met up with a teacher friend of mine Alan and enjoyed an amazing dinner at Lauriol Plaza, a hopin' Mexian restaurant, and drinks at Busyboys and Poets, a very cool bar! Alan chose excellent places for us to visit, and they both made me want to drop everything and move to D.C. But then I remembered I have dropped everything and am moving to London! :)

Another view of Georgetown 

Apparently I really like squirrels, and we don't have black squirrels like this in Auburn!

Our new fancy hotel that Christy scored on Priceline! 

The D.C. Zoo is free! 

We liked him and wanted to take him home.

And this baby monkey too! And his mom, I guess we would take her, too.

And this guy definitely wanted to come home with us.

Today Christy and I did the hop on/hop off bus and melted in the sun. It's a great way to see the city and get a bit of a suntan (read: bright red sunburn). But I'm not too upset about the burn--I figured this might be the last really hot sun I feel for a year. Even in the sun, we really enjoyed checking out some more monuments--I had never seen the Vietnam Wall or the new World War II memorial, and both are breathtaking. We also hit up the Natural History Museum (air conditioning!) and I enjoyed the checking out all the scary ocean creatures and the mammals. I also LOVED the nature photography display--so much that I bought the book. And of course, we had to see the Hope Diamond. At the end of the afternoon, we decided to have some burgers, fries and shakes so we could properly say goodbye to our beloved America (and face it, we had earned that greasy dinner after traipsing around in the sun all day!). I don't know if I've ever had a better milkshake. :)

The William J. Fulbright building in D.C.

At the Vietnam Memorial

Vietnam Memorial

Vietnam Wall

A ranger helping a family copy a name off the wall

The entrance to the WWII memorial. The theme is "The Cost of Freedom." It's stunning.

All of these were views from the WWII memorial.

Cheese!

The Hope Diamond! YAY! It has such a cool history!!!

I spent some time repacking my suitcases tonight and came across Katja's keys--my keys now, I guess. They are lovely and fancy and everything romantic that you would expect from British keys, and I love them!

My new reality! :)