By claudiadev
If there's one thing I've learned while being at university both at home and here in DC is that there will always be something going on. Just this evening I had planned to grab dinner at SweetGreen, a great place to get yummy salads, and gave up when I saw the line out on the sidewalk. Turns out there was a Sorority/Fraternity philanthropic event going on. It worked out okay, and I grabbed dinner next door at Roti.
But I digress. On campus, there will always be something going on. For instance, each semester GW's Program Board puts on a big concert in University Yard. For Spring Fling on Sunday afternoon we got Walk the Moon as the support act and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. It. Was. Brilliant!
The yard was full of college students, the weather was warm and the sun was out. There was free food and soft drinks, and free t-shirts if you braved the rush for them. Most importantly, Macklemore put on a great show, entertained the crowd and took a selfie with us all when some (crazy!) girl threw her phone on stage (the photo ended up on Reddit, which gives GW a bit of internet cred!)
Standing in the crowd, jumping up and down and trying to avoid being crushed was just so fun. The music was pumping and my throat got hoarse from singing along. As I walked home with the sun setting I couldn't help but think how lucky I was to be there. I just went to a free concert of an artist I really like, in a city I've can't help but feel affection for, on a campus that almost feels like home with a bunch of friends and strangers – there really is nothing better than that!
If I was to give one piece of advice I have for any exchange student coming to GW it would be to keep an eye out - on Facebook, on posters etc - for events that interest you. Even if no-one you know will be there, it's worth taking the risk and just investigating. There really is something to suit every individual here - cross-country running groups, Ballroom dancing clubs, theater performances, acapella groups, intramural floor hockey - the list goes on!
Even better than that, there are events like Spring Fling, that bring more than half the campus together for an afternoon of fun.