Basketball – Postcards from GW

Birthday Weekend

AdminNovember 28, 2017

So this week was really good, but only because on Thursday it was my birthday. Also, on Tuesday I went to the movies to see Murder in the Orient Express, and I really loved it. The end was so unexpected, and it kept you guessing all the movie. You should go, because every Tuesday the tickets cost only $5, which is really cheap.

On my birthday I woke up to receive calls from all my family and friends, which I loved because it had been a long time since I've talked with some of them. Then I went to have lunch at a restaurant called Mediterranean Grill, and I really loved the food. Later we went to buy groceries because we were going to make two cakes for dinner. We spend all the afternoon cooking, and my Spanish friend also made me Spanish tortilla for dinner, which is my favorite food, so it was great. Then we invited everyone to have cake, and we spent the night talking and eating. I also received an awesome present from my family, a map in which you can scratch the countries you have visited, and as I love traveling there is no better present for me.

Friday was also amazing because we went to see a NBA game, the Wizards against the Miami Heats. Sadly we lost, but only for two point in the end, so the game was really exciting. It was the first time I went to a basketball game, and I really loved it, more than football I think. Then, we went to have dinner in Chinatown, and I have to say I have never tried a fried rice as good as that one. I really want to do both things again.

On Saturday we went to Georgetown, as we usually do every week, to buy some things, and see if the ice skating ring was already prepared. It was closed, but I think it will open this week, and I'm eager to go. I have loved ice skating since I was a little kid, and it will be so much fun. Also, walking down M Street and the Waterfront is one of my favorite things to do here in DC, I think I will never get tired of doing it.

We finished the week going to Founding Farmers for brunch, everyone had told us that we should go, but we hadn't gone before because you have to make a reservation, and we always forgot about it. The food was amazing. I'm starting to get used to have breakfast food for lunch. Well, American breakfast food, because no one in Spain eat that kind of things for breakfast, we usually only eat toast or something like that. Either way, I definitely will be doing brunch more often.

DC Life

AdminFebruary 14, 2017

By sophieheard

This week I got to relive one of my favourite British pastimes - talking about the weather! When coming to DC I expected freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall. However, the winter has been extremely mild and this past week people were walking around in shorts and a t-shirt as temperatures reached up to 21°C (70°F). The good weather did not last long and there were reports of a snowstorm hitting the East Coast. DC was relatively unscathed compared to up north but temperatures still dropped below zero and there were a few snow flurries. As my professor observed in class, ‘it’s February and I’m not wearing a jacket - but hey, climate change doesn’t exist’.

One of the top recommendations I received upon arriving in DC was to visit the monuments at midnight. Exploring a city at night is a completely different experience. There are no workers around, no tourists and only the occasional security guard. Being only a few blocks away from the National Mall we decided to make the most of the warm weather and head down to the Lincoln Memorial. It’s one of the most iconic views both historically and politically and one that I have seen countless times before moving to DC. Sitting at the bottom of the memorial with a view stretching the length of the reflecting pool and reaching all the way up to the Washington Monument in the early hours of the morning is perhaps one of my favourite moments thus far. It was nice to have a peaceful moment to fully take in being in DC.

Later on in the week we attended a basketball game between the George Washington Colonials and the VCU Rams. According to full-time students, GW is not big on school spirit especially compared to other universities. Coming from the UK I find that hard to believe. The game fulfilled all my expectations of a school sports game. There were cheerleaders, a school band, free t-shirts, chants and a mascot (George, The Colonial). We were neck and neck the whole game. With twelve seconds left on the clock, we were trailing 52-50. Just as a win seemed impossible number 12 scored a three-pointer pushing us into the lead and winning the game (at least so we thought). The whole stadium erupted, the band started playing and we jumped and cheered in celebration. It was like something out of a movie. The game was not yet over. 0.4 seconds were put back on the clock in order to finish out the game. In less than a second GW received a foul, sending the Rams to the free throw line to score four more points and win the game.