#HonorsProblems: Getting Stuck in the Foggy Bottom Bubble

The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Linnea, a GWSB junior studying international business and French.
The Foggy Bottom Bubble. I first heard of it at Colonial Inauguration. My group leader talked about how easy it is to forget how much more there is to D.C. than GW’s campus. She warned that despite all of the exciting events, concerts, and museums in the city, many students find themselves sticking to the small confines of GW’s campus.
I swore I would not let myself succumb to the Foggy Bottom Bubble. Coming from a very small town that quite literally shuts down at 8 pm every night,I was beyond excited to move to a city. I vowed to check out a new museum every week, explore all the neighborhoods, and go to every restaurant on the @dcfoodporn Instagram account.
Fast forward 2 years and–spoiler alert–that did not happen.
I definitely knew in the back of my head that I wasn’t taking full advantage of living in D.C. but it didn’t really hit me until I spent a summer here.
Midsummer my two best friends from high school came to visit. It was such a blast showing them around and it really forced me to be a tourist for a weekend. They both go to a large southern school that is very different from GW and they absolutely loved D.C.  After a full day of museum hopping, eating, and shopping, one of my friends remarked “There’s so much to do here you must never get bored!”
My first thought was Yikes as I found myself bored somewhat often, but I also knew that she had a great point.
Around this time, I also realized that one of my work friends, who was from Texas and interning in the city for the summer, had done more “D.C.” things in 2 months than I had in my 2 years at GW. She had gone to museums I kept saying I would eventually go to, eaten at restaurants I said I was dying to check out, and explored neighborhoods I had never been to.
This was a serious–and much needed–reality check for how little I was taking advantage of going to school in such a cool place. I promised myself I would make a more conscious effort to follow through with the “D.C.” goals I made freshman year. While I have yet to eat at every restaurant from the D.C. foodstagrams or make museum trips a weekly occurrence, I am proud to say that I actually followed through this time!
Getting off campus does not have to be an elaborate, expensive, or even planned out trip. It can be as easy as studying at a coffee shop other than Gelbucks, or eating in a new neighborhood instead of going to your favorite place on M Street for the tenth time. We are so fortunate to go to school in such an amazing city so why not take full advantage of it!