DC Captial Chaos

I know the title of this blog sounds like a radio commercial for a Washington hockey match, but it's more affectionately said to describe our swift welcome back to my side of the world. My whole family lives in Northern Virginia, right on the other side of the river from DC. My mom greeted us with signs, happieness, and a big party with her side of the family and tofu kabobs.

Part of my culture shock experience of coming home was re-realizing that Washington is a very very busy city. Everyone is running here and there
(one woman getting off the metro said to her friend quite loudly, "Look at all those people crowding the escalator! They must not know that the left side is the fast lane! Oh, tourists. sigh". I turned around and glared at her. I didn't mean to glare but I was taken aback by something in her tone. I guess it was her right to be in a rush, but honestly, i don't think that she was really in one. I feel as though she was just complaining about the idea that if she had in fact been in a hurry, these tourists would have hindered her metro fleeing swiftness. It's easier to notice annoyance of stranger in my mother tongue.

Anyway, its' been a very busy week in Washington. Jameson and I went to check out the Smithsonian and there was a special exhibit in the middle of the mall on solar houses.
20 different colleges from all over the world had constructed small houses which were built to demonstrate the future of energy efficient construction.

On the other end of the Mall, the Capitol building stood tall, gleaming white, with segways parked in front for tours. What a funny way to tour the nation's Capitol. What if you ran in to the president while on your segway tour, helmet and all. ha! how informal.

Opposite the capital was a immigrant rights protest. It felt strange to walk by a group of immigrants with Spanish blaring though the PA, the entire crowd waving American flags, so soon after being immigrants ourselves.