Inauguration Day

I previously didn't release that I received a ticket to the inauguration, because I wanted to surprise everyone. There were some extra tickets from the great state of Montana so one of the other interns brought a few for those who were interested.

Official Invitation

Because of the large number of people traveling to the Inauguration and because of the large lines for security we left home a little after five o'clock. We traveled on the Metro much faster than we thought that we would and so we waited until seven o'clock for the security gates to open. In order to avoid the cold I used two layers of thermals, wool socks and various gloves, beanies and scarves. I was ultimately successful in this venture.

Capital Building at six o'clock in the morning while waiting in the security line

I was in the Green-West Sector and I was fairly close to the stand. It was amazing to see hundreds of thousands of people lining up behind us. We had a lot of time to stand and stand...did I mention standing? My knees were aching by the end of the day, but it was worth it.

While I agreed with some of the speeches and disagreed with others, I enjoyed the opening remarks of Senator Charles E. Schumer. He talked about the miracle of the transition of power from president to president without coup, military action and large scale revolts. For all of our disagreements, both real and imagined, the American experiment continues. And I was glad to be able to watch and be a part of it. 

Inauguration Weekend

This weekend has been very eventful with thousands of people already streaming into Washington D.C. for tomorrow's festivities. Both the Metro and all the museums were very crowded and they are estimating over a million people on the National Mall tomorrow for the inauguration. Yesterday I went to the National History Museum for some musical presentations. "President Lincoln's Own" is a reenactment group that dresses and plays music that the Marine Band would have played while President Lincoln was president. They played in the hall in front of the 'Star-Spangled Banner' and the music and costumes were fantastic. One of the best parts was when they played The Star-Spangled Banner within hearing distance of the flag that inspired the song.

Later that night a group of us went to the Kennedy Center to hear a quartet of a violinist, violist,cellist and a bassoonist. They play for the National Symphony and Orchestra and they were fantastic. 

   This morning a group of us decided to go to Arlington National Cemetery before church so we headed out and enjoyed a nice walk around the Lee House. We missed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier because someone else decided to visit Arlington as well. President Obama was also in Arlington and we had to wait while the presidential motorcade passed by. 

When we got to church we were quite surprised to see Elder L. Tom Perry sitting on the stand. Apparently both he and President Uchtdorf are in town representing the Church at the inauguration. He gave a wonderful talk. He talked about the growth of the missionaries. He talked about the need of up to six of the Apostles to assign mission calls, rather than the usual two, on Fridays. He also talked about the large number of missionaries that will enter the mission field that may have to be trained by Elders and Sisters that have little time in their field themselves. To help them he counseled that all members study the first three lessons from Preach My Gospel to be able to help when the missionaries go out to teach.  

It was a great weekend. Tomorrow afternoon we are heading out to our Professor's house for a BBQ, so that will be a fun way to celebrate the inauguration. 

First Week and the International Museum

There aren't any pictures this week, because I've been in places where I can't take pictures. This was the first full week of my internship and it was quite the week. It was a lot of new information and there have been times when I've been completely confused, but it ended really well. I learned a lot and I was able to complete a major project before I take a four day weekend. The whole town is ablaze with the excitement of the inauguration on Monday. The whole capital is getting ready with hotels, food and souvenirs.
But it's been a good week. I've been able to see a lot and today we went to the International Spy Museum. It was fantastic! It combined a lot of great artifacts, interactive exhibits and movies. There were a lot of KGB and CIA artifacts and some great items from World War II. There was also a great temporary exhibit on James Bond villains that was full of props from the movies. Monday is Inauguration Day    

Ford's Theater and Lessons of the Week

This week was a great opportunity for me as I don't start my internship til Monday. I was able to visit many of the museums and monuments around Washington D.C. Friday was our first class and it was nice to be able to be back with many of the other students who I didn't see with the craziness of the first week. After class a few of us decided to visit Ford's Theater and the National Portrait Gallery.
   Visiting Ford's Theater doesn't just show you the theater, it also allows you to visit the Petersen House and Ford's Center for Education and Leadership. President Abraham Lincoln was shot in Ford's Theater on April 14, 1865 and was carried over to the Petersen House across the street where died the following morning on April 15. The museum in the basement of Ford's Theater had many amazing artifacts related to both Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth, his assassin. 
Here are some pictures.

Presidential Box where Lincoln attended several plays and where he was shot. The picture of George Washington is the original that was displayed the night that Lincoln was killed.

Bed in the Petersen House where Lincoln died.

Ford's Theater (from the Petersen House steps).

Petersen House

Afterwards we went tot the National Portrait Gallery where they had a great exhibit on the American Civil War. The majority of the paintings were done during the war. Winslow Homer had some amazing landscapes of everyday army life on both sides. I really enjoyed it because of the feeling that many of the painters had been able to portray the war through landscapes, rather than by showing the battle. Natural elements like dark clouds and lighting contrasted against mountains or sunrises gave the feeling of conflict. It was wonderful. 

I've been in D.C. a week now and I have a few things I've learned.

1. Always carry your water bottle so you don't have buy the $2.50 water bottles at the Smithsonian

2. Always check the signs before getting on the train. (Not my mistake, someone else's)

3. Better dress up if there is any chance you'll be out later, because it gets cold quickly

4. Find a pocket for your Metro pass to fit in, so you don't have to take it out every time you get on the   Metro
5. If you ever need directions, ask with an English accent, everyone will treat you nicely.

Foundations stronger than stone and paper

A solid foundation is essential to any endeavor. A building like the Empire State Building rests on a solid foundation, a life like Abraham Lincoln or Joseph Smith's was possible because of solid foundations and a nation must be centered over a solid foundation to enable personal and collective liberties. Today was a day where I was able to see foundations and think about some foundations of my own life.
  Because I don't start my internship until next week I'm going to be able to visit some of the museums, monuments, and institutions this week. If today had to have a theme it would be 'foundation'.
   I went with two of my friends from the program who didn't start today and we started by walking the 15 minutes to the Lincoln Memorial. I have many thoughts about Lincoln and his legacy. I thought that the inclusion of his 'Gettysbug Address' and second inaugural speech in the monument were fitting. The Lincoln Memorial has also become the symbol of equality and ability to express the desire for change with events like Marian Anderson singing and Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" speech in 1963.

While George Washington may be "First in War and Peace", Abraham Lincoln and he share the place as "First in the hearts of his countrymen" for their positions as founder and restorer of the Union. 

After that we continued on our journey as we walked to the FDR and then Jefferson Memorial. It was a lovely day, where it was cold enough that I was glad for the windbreaker, but still winter. The National Mall and museums were nearly empty and there were no lines. It was nice to walk by the Potomac down to the other presidential monuments. 

I felt that many of FDR's quotes about the nature of poverty and need are very applicable today and I enjoyed the memorial to one of the president's that guided our nation through both the Great Depression and World War II. 

Photo taken from the FDR Memorial

After looking at the Jefferson Memorial we walked up (yes, there was quite a bit of walking) to the National Museum of American History. We didn't get to get through the whole museum but we enjoyed the "Star-Spangled Banner" and the Presidential gallery. I didn't know that they have a 'sun-stone' from Nauvoo and one of the Golden Spikes from the finishing of the transcontinental railroad  in 1869. They also had the counter from the 1960 Greensoboro, NC  'Sit In' that was accompanied by an interesting exhibit on the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and the 1963 Civil Rights  march. On the way out we also enjoyed some of the less historically important, but still enjoyable artifacts of movies, like a 'Batarang' from The Dark Knight and Daniel Radcliffe's Harry Potter robe

After learning that it is much cheaper to always carry a water bottle rather than buy one in the Smithsonian Cafeteria for lunch, we headed to the National Archives to finish our day. I don't have any pictures inside the Archives because in order to protect the documents photography is not permitted. I loved being able to see the documents that have formed the foundation of our nation: Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. While the documents themselves have no power, they represent ideas and beliefs that are much stronger than the paper they are found on or the stone that protects them. There was no line and only fifteen to twenty people in the rotunda so we had a chance to sit and read the documents. It was amazing. 

You find yourself best when you're lost

Washington D.C. Capital of the free world and capital to one of the most powerful nations in the world.   The mention of the name brings images of towering monuments to some and crooked politicians to others. And for the next four months I'll call it home.
  But enough of the melodrama, let's get down to what has been happening for the past few days.

Saturday- the new name of Saturday is 'Trader Joe's Day'. There is a Trader Joe's right across the street from us and most of the items are pretty reasonable. I am quickly discovering that food is much more expensive (I'm sure my Mom and Dad are having a 'I told you so moment') than I had thought so I am quickly reevaluating my budget. My roommate Brock is from Alpine, Utah and he got in Saturday morning. After getting groceries and arranging our room we headed out to test our Metro/Bus cards. We hopped on the Metro and went to the Federal Triangle and walked around the EPA and IRS buildings. We walked over to the White House and walked around the square in front that has all the foreigners who came and helped during the American Revolution (Von Steuben, Rochambeau and Lafayette). They are already constructing the stand for the presidential review at the inauguration, so it will be exciting to see the city prepare for the inauguration.

Sunday-We got up on Sunday and readied and grabbed the bus for the forty minute ride to church. You already got to see my room so I hope I get to show you some pictures of the chapel next week, because it is beautiful.
It was originally a Baptist chapel so the windows and pulpit make it look like it could be used for a Church History video for the scene where Joseph Smith is visiting churches. The ward is really nice and we stayed for a baptism afterwards. The girl was so prepared and gave a great talk after she was baptized about why she decided to choose to be baptized and how she had come to that decision.      Afterwards we made our way back home and  made some dinner and played some games.

Monday-We had our final prep class. We went over a lot of day to day things and then we were divided up into groups of three to find our way to our internships. The trick was that all three of our internships were in different places so we got to see a lot more of the city which was really fun. So we did what always worked best to understand new areas on the mission-we got lost and now perfectly understand the Metro and street systems.  One of the girls has her internship with one of the senators, so we walked from the senator's offices down to the Library of Congress and then over to the Capital building. We went to the Botanic Gardens when we had found found our offices. Being at the Botanic Gardens made me chuckle a little because that was the first thing I went to tour when I was in D.C. in 2007. So it was nice to start this trip out right.
I really enjoyed seeing the Capital building, the Supreme Court and Library of Congress. I know the next few months will have a lot of new challenges and experiences, but that I'll have opportunities that will never come again.
Abraços

Arrival

My large suitcase is special to me. It's been to Brazil twice, Mexico and now it is my faithful companion to Washington D.C. But after waiting an hour for my bags at Dulles Airport, I was distraught to find zippers ripped off my suitcases. Nothing was missing, so I am assuming it was an accident or caused mechanically. But to see the zippers gone off my loyal friend was not my idea of a good start of an adventure.
  But on to the good news. The Barlow House is amazing. Imagine an Institute, Church Headquarters and the Dorms in one building and that's what you get. The rooms are really nice. Here are some pictures of my room.

The ride to the Barlow House took a little bit longer than it normally would have been because of traffic, but I enjoyed chatting about soccer with a German student who will be at George Washington University for the semester. We enjoyed a good discussion about the pros and cons of Spain's national team.
I checked in, got a tour and now I'm just unpacking and then I'm going to find something to eat.

A New Adventure-Return to Washington D.C.

It's almost laughable. I know the capital of Brazil so well, but I have only visited the capital of the United States once. It was a full week but it was such a whirlwind that I felt lost at the end of it. I'm moving to D.C. in a few days as I'll be starting an internship at the Library of Congress. I'll have the chance to live and work in D.C. for four months. It will be a new adventure and I'm excited to begin. In the meantime I'll enjoy a few more days of rest and work and preparation.
   As much as I love being with friends and family, I love the excitement of a new adventure with new places and opportunities. With the chances to be able to grow and learn I'm excited for the next few months. Not only do I get to study and work in Washington, I'll also be able to figure out if library work is what I really want to do.  
    Talking to my Supervisor about it, he joked "Did things get hard enough to run you off again?" We both had a good laugh as it probably appears that since high school I haven't been content to be in Provo for a solid year. Dixie State, Brasilia, return to Brazil and now D.C. You could easily get the impression that family and friends have little appeal compared to new horizons.
  But I do. It's just that there are so many opportunities right now that I feel I can't just watch them pass by. So once again I'll drop everything and run off into the wild blue. I'll post again when I get into D.C.