Living @ GW – Page 15 – Postcards from GW

Brand new life at DC

AdminJanuary 12, 2016

When I accessed my gmail after an all-nighter for my finals, I was so exhausted to the extent that I typed my gmail password, which I've been using for 10 years of my internet life, wrong. Not even once, twice. However, as soon as I opened my inbox (with considerable effort), my half-closed eyes got huge and my mouth opened agape, not believing what I was looking at. It was an email from GWU, saying that I was chosen as a recipient of Blogging Scholarship for exchange students! YEAY.

So here I am at George Washington University - more specifically at the second floor of Gelman Library, on the first day of class, ready to write about myself and my upcoming GWU life. I would like to start out my blog post with an appreciation towards OSA staffs who have bestowed me such a great opportunity.

“What is your hometown?” This question is the hardest question for a Third Culture Kid, which is the simplest way to define my identity, to answer. I am a Korean by blood, but I spent most of my lifetime in Japan because of my father’s job. In addition to that, I have a high school diploma neither from Korean nor Japanese school, but from an American educational institution. Never have I ever appreciated the odd situation I was placed in. It made myself look like a miserable bubble who couldn’t belong in any particular community. I strived to escape out of this bubble, and the final destination I chose was Korea.

I am currently an undergraduate student majoring in Political Science and International Studies in Yonsei University, the best private university in Korea. Yonsei University has a reputation as the most westernized college in Korea, as the founder of Yonsei is a British-American pastor Horace G. Underwood. It also has the highest percentage of international students and is definitely the most popular Korean university amongst foreign exchange students.

Yonsei University helped me rediscover my passion for international relations, and I realized my unique background would help me achieve my dream in that my environment provided me with an objective way to view world issues. My enthusiasm lies on resolving conflicts amongst East Asia. Japan was major axis power during the World War II along with Germany. However, from what I observed, Japan doesn’t take as much effort as Germany in engaging with the victimized countries, especially Korea. As a Korean living in Japan, I’ve always felt terrible to see the tensions that never relieved between these two countries.

I believe my education in GWU would provide me with capability to deliberate on this problem. I am convinced that GWU’s International Affairs program would further broaden my perspective because it takes a multi-disciplinary method to analyze international event. Not only did GWU’s location in world’s political hub captivate me, the excellent professors who are actually are active participants of the international stage also made me apply to GWU as my first and only choice. I was so amazed to know that I could learn from professors that I could only get in touch with through theses and articles.

After my experience in GWU, I hope I would be able to come up with a practical solution for both Japan and Korea, for Japan not just to give an official apology, but to demonstrate its humane aspect that actually shows that Japan “cares” for the victimized country, and for Korea to have an accepting attitude similar to that of France and Poland to move on with the past.

Also, I would like to travel the city and get to know it. I've always been captivated by Washington D.C., the city that is in charge of operating and changing the world. My first time visit here was during summer 2014, but my family and I were only able to take a brief look at the city during that trip. During this semester however, I plan on visiting every single landmarks of D.C., taking time to observe it carefully and enjoying it as much as I can. From Washington, Baltimore and Pennsylvania are easy to access, and Florida and New York are not that far away. My day off on Friday would help me travel around different places as well.

Say good night!

AdminDecember 14, 2015

By gjmacdougall

Maybe it's the amount of caffeine and sugar in my system to get me through deadlines and finals (for a time I was feeling my body was 60% coffee/coke and not water), but even though there is almost a week left after this one, I'm starting to get emotional about the end of term.

One example was at the end of my last Beginning Acting class, which I have loved this semester. In a class earlier in the term we had 'thrown' an imaginary big ball to the ceiling as part of an improv lesson, and in our final time together our professor said 'the last thing I want you to do is to get into a circle', before reminding us that the ball was still up there and that we needed to bring it back down. We did that and then he said 'I want you to grab a piece, and bring it to your heart, and keep it there...forever'. I would be lying if I said I didn't get a little teary-eyed.

The class has grown together so much over the term and the professor is just amazing - if anyone is looking for course options for next year, I can't recommend it highly enough!

This week has been a collection of other 'lasts', such as the last time for tots and trivia at Tonic with the same group of people. It ended with a bang as we placed the highest I've ever experienced there, though I haven't exactly improved on the level of my contributions from the beginning of the semester, my role still being little more than ornamental. However, my moment of glory came in knowing that a 'brolly' is British slang for 'umbrella' (though if I had failed there they would probably have made me relinquish my UK passport).

It was also the last pre-class Tuesday Dunkin' Donuts date I had with my friend, which had seen the sweet sustenance of donuts and friendship power me through each week.

And the donut theme continued with my American poetry professor bringing in Duck Donuts for our final class together, to accompany our study of Dunbar (the American, not the Scot).

It seems free food is everywhere if you know where to look as the university tries to give its students some motivation and respite from work. From stumbling across an academic department party, to attending the Midnight Breakfast (breakfast food, activities and prize givings one night from 10pm - 12am) laid on by GW, as well as cookie hand-outs in Kogan Plaza from different societies, we were stressed, but well fed! Socialising over delicious food was also a feature of the GW Exchange Farewell Party though the occasion was bittersweet as it was great to catch up with fellow exchange students who we hadn't properly seen for a while, but sad to know that we wouldn't see some at all next semester.

A week of all-American college stress obviously called for an all-American college study break and so I went with a friend to burger chain Five Guys. It got a rare thumbs up from both of us and so will be returned to in the future.

So the week has been a time of endings but also of future excitement, as I attended the GW Student Theatre Council's 'Star Wars Disco' Prom - which revolves around the announcement of the different theatre societies' upcoming Spring 2016 seasons - as a reward to myself for completing the week's deadlines which had seen me pull all-nighters of an intensity I never had to in Edinburgh.

Reunited: Smackdown (some of us may have thought the theme was more binding than it was)

I'm incredibly grateful I get to spend another semester here at GW and in DC as the end of term has completely snuck up on me. However, I will be really sorry to see the semester-only exchange students go, as well as American friends who are leaving for a term abroad.

To more emotions, finals and the final week!

Grace

The Trump Species – An International Phenomenon

AdminDecember 14, 2015

By baharmahzari

With exam period having arrived and the finishing up of all assignments while being busy saying goodbye to all the lovely people I met during the last 4 months, my sadness is coupled with excitement for what will be next. After all, this is my last semester of my Bachelor studies meaning that I will have to deal with existential questions like my Bachelor thesis topic and Master applications soon. But firstly I will continue my little journey of spending time in different parts of the world by flying to Jordan in exactly 18 days and staying there until the end of January. I am already picturing myself being surrounded by my most favorite thing: Food. Falafel, Hummus, Baba Ganoush and lots of Kunafa. It could not be better. Although, it has to be said that DC was definitely the perfect ‘Foodie’ city with a great variety of ethnic food as well.

Next to the food, I fell in love with DC in its entirety. It is a great city in which I felt homey. The same goes for GW, which did not only allow me to learn and get inspired, but also introduced me to many lovely people, whom I will dearly miss. However, there is one thing that I surely won’t miss about the States: Donald Trump. While he was generally regarded as more of an entertainment factor during the nomination race of the Republicans, he is just not tolerable anymore. Not at all. When he announced during last week that Muslims should not be allowed to enter the US, he just committed ‘political’ suicide. I don’t even want to use the word ‘political’ since I never regarded him as a politician, but someone who is able to infiltrate politics in a system, where money allows for that. He was always a joke in my eyes. Now he has developed into a bad joke. A really bad one, which I don’t want to listen to ever again. All the publicity he received during the last months by the media just shoved him into the faces of the public. It’s not bearable anymore. He had crossed the line with his racist anti-Mexican discourse already, but the context now has just shown how critical the situation is. Not only in the US. But also in Europe and other parts of the world, where right-wing, xenophobic parties are growing through their racist discourse. Trump is not an exclusive phenomenon. There are many Trumps. Take for example, Marine Le Pen – the President of the notorious French right-wing, populist party Front National. She won the first round of regional elections in France 2 weeks ago. Geert Wilders is another prime example of the Trump species, who regularly polarizes with his racist personality in the Netherlands. Or look at Germany – a country, which experienced its darkest times during an era of fascism– where not only two right-wing populist parties exist, but where a big movement called PEGIDA overran the country. People participating in the movement were called “anxious citizens”, whose fears must be understood. I agreed with that as someone, who firmly beliefs in communication and an inclusive dialogue. But after regular arsons targeting asylum seekers’ shelters, increasing attacks against ‘foreign-looking’ (meaning Middle Eastern looking) individuals and the current racist discourse, which starts in its most benign form by arguing in favor of a ‘Clash of Civilizations’, I do not tolerate this anymore. Not even the slightest concern people in Europe, the US, Australia or wherever else might have. Because all these concerns are so simple-minded and don’t grasp the complexity of the problems, which actually pose threats to us, that it is currently not necessary to give these people a platform. For these people terrorism apparently is simply connected to a Middle Eastern person or even just someone, who looks Middle Eastern. Establishing such a link is an indication for the simplicity of these people, which can’t be changed by giving them a voice, but by giving them the means to educate themselves about reality. All these Trumps present themselves as the voice of the ‘ordinary people’ as if we are talking about a majority. They polarize not by saying the truth, but by inciting hate through a simplification and distortion of events and developments, which can also be called lies. Trumps don’t look for harmony, but hatred. They don’t defend values such as human rights, liberty or democracy, but embody racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and fascism. Their discourse doesn’t improve anything, but worsens the situation.

The supporting basis of these Trumps has grown however. It is easy to buy into one-dimensional arguments, when the world and its dynamics are so complicated. So while all these Trumps see themselves as the winners of a long race against progressive parts of society, it is important to acknowledge their growing numbers. But this growing number of Trumps and their supporters comes from a different Region and group of people in particular: radical Salafist-Jihadist including ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Because what they have in common with the Trumps are all the things stated above. They all are awaiting eagerly the so-called ‘Clash of Civilizations’. Dogmatists no matter of which form fight for the same thing at the end. So my advice for ruining the fun for them is to simply: Dump the Trumps.

Happy Hours and less happy hours

AdminDecember 7, 2015

By gjmacdougall

The week after Thanksgiving has a strange atmosphere as after five days of blissful relaxation college students are thrown straight into the intensity of finals and papers. With two weeks left of the semester everything seems to be moving so quickly and stress levels are high. However, maybe it was the amount of pumpkin pie I ate over the break but I feel I'm becoming more 'American' in my style of working. I'm getting into the swing of things and I seem to be more efficient with my assignments as I understand more how the American college system works - achieving the goal I had set at the beginning of the semester, after initially taking more than double the length of time to complete work and essays than it did for my US counterparts. However I still doubt I'm efficient enough for the seven deadlines I have looming next week...so a number of hours these past few days have had to be dedicated to the library.

In other ways, I do feel that I'm becoming more 'American' and not just on the superficial level of giving up the fight to hold onto my British words for greater ease and understanding (though I will cling to 'flatmates' until the bitter end), and in terms of food with my greater frequency of coffee drinking, the desire to add cinnamon to everything, and slight addiction to protein bars. One example is in being more assertive - not necessarily always a positive thing - but as someone whose form of stereotypical British 'politeness' can sometimes tend towards not properly defending my own interests, I feel being clearer in articulating what I want is a good thing.

Of course having many responsibilities means (for 'real' GW students and exchange students alike) finding ways to avoid them and I managed to succeed in this, the excuse being a number of friends' 21st birthdays.

Combined with Christmas shopping, these gave me a reason to put down the books and run errands around Georgetown, also finally giving me the opportunity to see the admittedly beautiful Georgetown campus.

My friends' new legal freedom meant 'happy hours' were high on the agenda and I experienced my first in DC at Tonic. Here, as with my fro-yo experience, the nachos crown that had previously been held for me in Edinburgh (by the student union at Teviot) was taken by America, the restaurant's happy hour deal also meaning they were less than half price.

The biggest event of my week though was the University Honors Program Yule Ball, attending as a guest of one of my friends. With snowflake decorations, delicious desserts and hot chocolate, and an induction into the ways of the 'cupid shuffle' it was a great night and made the stress momentarily melt away.

However, it was at another 'happy hour' for a friend's birthday at Town Tavern in Adam's Morgan that I was given a stark reminder of the darker hours in the US this week.'Do you feel like you could get shot at any time in the UK?' - I was caught off guard by the question and of course the answer for me was 'no' but it startled me that some in the US might be living with this feeling. However, it almost seems no wonder when - as with events in San Bernardino - it feels like every day news reports roll in telling of another episode of gun violence. There is a sense of real frustration among the students I am with that this situation exists but also that it feels like there is a brick wall between them and change. San Bernardino has been further politicised in its portrayal as an act of terrorism.

And there have also been some less happy hours not here but in the UK, that also make essays and deadlines fade into insignificance. I must admit it was through the medium of Facebook and my friends' reactions back home that made me fully aware of the British government's decision to carry out airstrikes in Syria.

To the penultimate week of the semester (it seems so strange to write this),

Grace

DC – NC

AdminDecember 7, 2015

By baharmahzari

"Why would you go to North Carolina?"

I heard that question constantly throughout the last week as friends were asking me to join them for some study sessions while I immediate answered with "I can't."and explained my reason. Only as an exchange student, one just takes off two weeks before Finals. The reason I went is simple - my host family. I had not seen them since 2012 after having lived a full year with them from 2010-2011.

North Carolina is not the most exciting part of the US. Apex (NC), which is close to Raleigh, is even less exciting. However spending time with my host family and their current exchange student from Serbia was truly relaxing and just great. It was weird to not go an visit them back in New Hampshire in the house and place they used to live, but Apex did not disappoint. While my first night with them ended with me and my host parents sitting at the dinner table and telling each other non-stop stories of the last 4 years until 4 in the morning. It felt immediately like in 2010.

The next day was followed by some tour throughout Apex and its cute little downtown area. A christmas parade in the early evening brought me already into a christmas mood with "Jingle Bells" stuck in my head. And lastly this great day was ended by the greatest thing ever - my host mother's self-made Lasagne. As an Italo-American, she exactly knows how to make the perfect Lasagne. Another plus was to have all of her family down in Apex from Brooklyn. They are so much fun.

This visit showed me how lucky I am in having found another family to turn to any time. Although, 4 years are a long time, which I realized when I saw my host brother first, who just grew up in an immense pace. Also all the important news and funny stories, which my host dad and mom told me just made clear that I had missed a lot and that they had missed a lot of me.

But still despite that everything stayed the same. From having Cream Cheese Bagels with Grapes in the morning to playing some card game occassionally and talking to each other throughout the the night. In essence, many things just stay the same and it is only the outer layer changing.

Here a little sneak peek into my two days with the loveliest people I know. On the picture you see me, my host brother and Katniss - the cutest cat ever.

Post-Thanksgiving

AdminDecember 2, 2015

By gjmacdougall

These past five days have been the highlight of my semester. Thanksgiving was the perfect pick-me-up, coming at a low point for everyone in the semester and refreshing us all for the last push of finals and the end of term. Although five days is just enough time to make us all think the Christmas holidays have come already!

For the break I was was so generously invited by my friend to spent it with her and her family in Connecticut, and I also got the chance to visit Long Island and New York City.

The first day of the holidays was a trip down memory lane as I accompanied my friend on her visit to her old high school to see old teachers and friends, something it turns out a lot of returning students seem to do when they return home after starting college. It was a surreal experience for me to be in classrooms that reminded me of middle school in New Jersey eight years ago - right down to the pledge of allegiance at the beginning of each day - but also felt a fitting and symbolic part of my 'come back' to America and made me think about and feel thankful for the great differences between my two US experiences.

In the evening I also got to experience 'Friendsgiving' - a pre-Thanksgiving meal and get-together for a group of friends all returning to their hometown for the break. A lot of fun and also a training exercise for the main event in terms of food pacing...

The next day was the day of Thanksgiving and was as perfectly 'American' as I could wish, the preparations in the kitchen and gathering of relatives reminding me very much of Christmas celebrations. We visited my friend's uncle and family in Long Island and the day was filled with a feast of delicious food, American football on the television, and relaxing around the dinner table. I was immediately made to feel part of the family, joining in the annual tradition of walking the two minutes to the shore of the Long Island Sound, to choose a pebble on which to write our name and what we were thankful for and to add it to the increasing collection.

Another American 'tradition' of Thanksgiving I indulged in was 'Black Friday' (and I must confess, on my return, 'Cyber Monday') - though thankfully in Connecticut I did not experience the full-on craziness I had been dreading and did not have to fight anyone for my bargains. And my friend kindly let me cross off another American bucket list item by taking me to a '50s-style diner for burgers and milkshakes.

Over the weekend I also was given the opportunity to visit New York for the first time since I've been here. Taking in some culture at the Whitney Museum of American Art before finding lunch elsewhere in the Meatpacking District was followed by a wander around Soho, grabbing coffee in independent cafés along the way.

I've been thinking, I've been thinking...

I also got to experience Chinatown and Little Italy and picked up tips for my return (a group of us have - foolishly? - decided to head back for New Year's Eve...).

The break was also a whirlwind of new culinary experiences for me - from Polish dessert babka at 'Friendsgiving', to Vietnamese food in Chinatown and cannoli in Little Italy as well as churros over coffee in my friend's old high school hangout in Connecticut. However it was not only my taste buds that were educated as over the course of many conversations I was also instructed in American slang, which I look forward to springing on my unsuspecting friends over the Christmas holidays.

My break was full of lovely touches, from the little chocolate turkeys awaiting each place setting at the dessert course on Thanksgiving, to watching the movie 'Garden State' whilst travelling through New Jersey on the bus back from New York. I also hadn't realised how much I'd missed home-cooked meals and it felt wonderful to be fully immersed in a family atmosphere.

The next few weeks promise lots of deadlines and stress but the break has rejuvenated me as well as given me many memories that I will treasure.

To another week of much to be thankful for and catching up with other friends' Thanksgiving adventures,

Grace

A tale of many countries

AdminNovember 9, 2015

By gjmacdougall

This weekend the 'fresher's flu' I'd been running from since the beginning of term finally caught up with me and made me miss the creature comforts of home, but before then, this week was about experiencing a mix of different cultures.

It started with a delicious, American home-cooked meal by the mum of one of my friends, the US theme continuing later in the week with the GW Alternative Breaks Fall Ball (a fundraiser for volunteering trips during university holidays that my roommate is a part of) as well as in my weekly struggle with american coffee chain ordering systems for my caffeine/catch-up fix with a friend.

However, the highlight of the week and perhaps the ultimate 'American' experience was our visit on a balmy November (try saying global warming isn't real) afternoon to the East Wing of the White House. Organised for the exchange students by our exchange coordinators we were able to wander a selection of the corridors, admire the rooms and their history (the extent of which the European students felt a little superior over), and even - with the photography ban lifted - take photographs, because did it even happen if it wasn't captured on film?

Seeing the inside of the White House had an air of surrealness similar to that which I felt during the Garden Tour. Aside from the stringent security, designed, one felt, as much to instil fear as to protect against threat, it felt hard to reconcile what seemed to be just a beautiful English country house with one of the most powerful places and symbols in the world.

We concluded the tour with another cultural experience by going to District Taco to sample some (albeit Americanised) Mexican food. I have been told countless times by my American friends in Edinburgh that 'Yeah, British people can't do Mexican food' so I was eager to try some in the States. District Taco has a number of locations across the Washington and Virginia area and you are able to customise your order, Subway-style, whether it be tacos, burrito or quesadilla. It had been highly recommended to me by a friend here and I have to say, after my first time trying soft tacos, I will definitely be making a return visit.

However, the day of cultural experiences was not done as later that night Bahar had invited me to an evening of spoken word by DarkMatter, a trans south asian performance art duo who were performing at GW. Spoken word is an art form I had never encountered before going to university and some of my friends in Edinburgh are heavily involved in it, so I was very keen to be in the audience. Their fresh, radical intelligence was amazing to hear - hearing a mention of the name of my mother's state in India was also nice for me - as they articulated how bringing cultures together can, and have been, highly destructive.

For culture with an uncomplicated moral message and most likely complicit in the processes DarkMatter were calling out, I went to see the latest James Bond film, Spectre at the AMC Loews Theatre in Georgetown (the same cinema where I had previously attended a church service) with a group of other exchange students. A Bond fan already, being overseas made me even more appreciative of the positive portrayal of my country, despite any flaws the film might have, seeing Britain as it wished to be seen in the eyes of the world.

To another week of experiencing different cultures and their interaction,

Grace

Cheque then treat

AdminNovember 2, 2015

By gjmacdougall

This Halloween was scary for me, but not in the way you might expect.

It was because this week was the first time I saw the inside of an American hospital when helping a friend who had to go to ER. It was the same as a hospital in the UK with the long waiting times and hard working and over-worked staff - until a nurse came to ask for my friend's insurance card. It was only after she had also handed over her credit card for the $100 copay that they would touch her.

American health insurance is a topic that is much discussed and disparaged in the media, even put to comic effect - as in the episode of The Office (US version) where Dwight is put in charge of choosing a health care plan - and a visa stipulation meant I had to take out a policy, but seeing how the process fully works in person is still quite shocking and upsetting. It all seemed so deeply unfair that life and death are so explicitly linked to economics. One is forced to become a doctor to themselves and decide if their condition is life-threatening enough to make that visit to the doctors or emergency room worth it. I feel so privileged with the health care under the NHS (despite any flaws people feel it may have) that I take for granted in the UK. I don't understand how this system still exists in America. And on a practical note, the experience was a definite wake up call to carry my insurance id on me at all times.

The nightmare of that awful incident and my first exam-style midterm over, it was time to fully embrace Halloween in America.

This involved trying and failing to get into the immensely popular Rocky Horror Picture Show produced by GW theatre society Forbidden Planet Productions, going to the uni-organised Boo Bash in Kogan Plaza (a stereotypically American affair with free burgers, candy floss and candy apples), and the uniquely DC event of Trick or Treating on Embassy Row - my first ever time trick or treating. The British embassy slightly let down the side on that front by refusing to participate which is a shame when their 'candy' is among the most prized!

I must admit I was a little sceptical when my American flatmate back in Edinburgh told me Halloween was her favourite 'holiday', as in England people will just use the night as an excuse to have a party, but here there is a whole culture around Halloween and it is a key part of the celebration of all things 'fall'. There are many activities leading up to Halloween - remember, we exchange students picked our pumpkins for it two weeks ago - and the night itself almost seemed anticlimactic because so much had happened before. Halloween carries the importance of a holiday and there is a general festival atmosphere in the air, it being common not only to see a pirate shopping in the days leading up to it, but acceptable to guess and compliment their outfit choice - when someone appreciated the carved pumpkin I was carrying, it did make my night.

For the over-21s, October 31st meant heading to Nightmare on M Street along with a staggering amount of others in costume. An observation of Stateside attitudes to Halloween costumes is that really any kind of 'fancy dress' (as the British would say) is on show, whereas in the UK people tend to dress up more readily for other events, so feel the need to make their Halloween outfit suitably 'scary' to fit the occasion. And again in America, there is some truth in cliché, as I saw a number of costumes of the kind mocked in Mean Girls.

Though Sunday meant an end to Halloween activities it also was the day of something I had been looking forward to all week since passing the place whilst walking back from the gallery and museum: having dinner with a friend at The Hamilton. The food was delicious, the ambience classy and the company fantastic, so was the perfect way to celebrate the transition into another month of exchange life, the second truly scary part of the week being the feeling that the end of the semester is coming too close.

The week ahead is a little less crazy but equally exciting, with events such as the GW Alternative Breaks Fall Ball and a tour inside the White House itself!

Anyway, to sign off with an American phrase that I heard for the first time this week -

Catch you on the flip side,

Grace

The H in Halloween stands for ‘Half-time’

AdminNovember 2, 2015

By baharmahzari

It is half-time. Two months from my four months stay in DC have officially come to an end. And time just flew by. Besides my occasional panicking about course work, which still has to be done until mid-December, I am also realizing that there are so many things I still want to do and see here. Museums like the ‘Air and Space Museum’ still need to be paid a visit, my culinary list has to be extended (I have not had a proper Taco here yet!) and some places still need to be seen. All of this seems to be impossible in just two months full of assignments and academic events. I am also leaving for Canada and North Carolina soon, which even leads to less of my precious time. But regardless of the downsides, the two months anniversary of being here in DC was celebrated during Halloween. Since the US is the 5^th-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, it seemed appropriate to dress up as they do during the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). It was the easiest costume ever: you only wear black clothes, apply the makeup and finalize your outfit with a flower crown.

Trick or Treating on Embassy Row started off our day. Most of 1959 E Street gathered to have the Halloween experience of DC. So around. So 40 exchange students made their way to Embassy Row and successfully filled their bags with American candy including Twizzlers, M&Ms and Hershey chocolate. Only the South Korean embassy gave out national Korean candy. So a big shout-out to all security guards and housemaids, who opened the doors of the various embassies for us and made our lives sweeter with some delicious candy. The night was followed by proper Party hopping leading to me spending almost $30 dollars on several Ubers. Safe and sound Halloween ended in the shadiest Kebab House ever located in one of the back alleys of Dupont.

I also had my first experience with the notorious American healthcare system after waking up with one of the worst eye infections ever. I do not want to make a rant out of this, so let me just say that it is no fun. The bureaucratic process concerning international healthcare providers and their requirements for treatments happening within the US is basically bureaucratic suicide. I am sorry mom, but you will have to deal with this one. Instead of dressing up for Dia de los Muertos, I could also just have gone out as Captain Hook. My eye patch was on point.

Intro to Applied American Arts

AdminOctober 26, 2015

By gjmacdougall

This week has been completely consumed, in the best way possible, by tech week and performances for the final show I am a part of this semester, GW Shakespeare's 'The Merry Wives of Windsor'. As I have found with most of my experiences here in America, theatre at GW can get a little intense, with 5 shows being performed over three evenings. However, again I am incredibly grateful to have been given the chance to create something with the loveliest, most talented people, as well as to the friends who came to give their support. This experience has definitely been the biggest highlight of my time here so far.

The greatest people you will ever meet...

Keeping up the energy for the performances of course meant lots of caffeine and sugar, the latter of which I found in the form of 'froyo', going with a friend to the FroZenYo store next to Farragut West Metro Station. I had thought Edinburgh did pretty well on the frozen yogurt front - at home me and my friends are fans of 'Frisky' - but it seems DC has the last word. Being priced by weight and not by size and topping means that you can try the whole range of flavors at FroZenYo (such as pistachio, birthday cake and dulce de leche) and all the toppings (think pecans and blueberries through to brownies and gummy bears)...before taking it to the till and realizing you have the size and price of a small dinner (which is in fact what it becomes - 21, who?!).

Inner peace at FroZenYo (photo credit: Kelli Jones)

Another activity that I enjoy in Edinburgh is going to the galleries and museums - the National Museum of Scotland being my favourite place in all the city - so I was looking forward to continuing my week of theatre and culture by finally visiting more of the vast number here in DC. On Sunday I went to one of the free classical music concerts held in the West Garden Court at the National Gallery of Art on the National Mall, as part of the 74th Season of Concerts. There I listened to the National Gallery of Art Orchestra play music by Jean Sibelius and Carl Nielsen, the beautiful melodies mingling with and becoming part of the equally breathtaking setting.

I also briefly visited the Smithsonian American Art Museum which again had stunning architecture and again felt a little like a film set, modelled in the style of classical Europe yet oddly retaining its sense of newness. I was also slightly brought up short by a reminder of home, the collection turning out to contain a number of paintings by John Sargent which gave me a surprise pang of the heart.

However, this week I was sharply reminded that these great experiences I have been having are not shared by everyone. On shopping at Whole Foods (poor planning on my part meant I claimed I did not have enough time to go to favourite Trader Joe's and instead went to the closer but more expensive Whole Foods to 'grab a few things', which inevitably always ends with financial regret) I was talking to the cashier about being an exchange student and he asked 'do you like America?', to which I replied 'I'm finding it great!'. What slightly shocked me was his response of, 'I hate it', a stark contrast to the sometimes extreme patriotism and even nationalism that is a stereotype of America and that I have encountered here, saying he would rather go somewhere like Egypt instead.

This uncomfortable mixing of two worlds of experience was again to be noticed when at the American Art Museum, the grandeur of the building, combined with the triumphant classical music somewhat mysteriously blaring from speakers outside, having a dystopian feel when contrasted with the area of Downtown/Chinatown DC, a neighbourhood appearing much less affluent than the area of Foggy Bottom I have become used to.

Another off note was struck when passing the White House on the way there, a heated argument apparently regarding a DC tour being given what one felt was special attention by police officers, due to the ethnicity of those involved. However, it is not the first time that my friends and I have been wary of the police and security and their seemingly overly heavy-handed attitude.

Now that the play is over I feel both free and slightly lost. However, this week I am able to distract myself with the wonders of 'Halloweek', seeing the 31st of October celebrated in a way unlike anywhere else in the world.

To the end of a second full month here, and the opening of a third,

Grace