well that was a success.

Monday was actually a success. we got out early (considerably early by our standards) and had a great day. we actually had a formative plan and somewhat of a map to guide us through the city. success! our maps consist of these mini guides that Chanel has. she brought these cards that are called "50 walking tours of DC" so each card has a suggested walk on it with a map. now these are our maps that we use. problem is that its not a full map so it still proves a little difficult but we are managing. in order to figure out the city i put each card together to create one big map. it was like a puzzle and it was fun.

i have now been given title of navigator. Our first stop was the Holocaust Museum. at first i didnt think i had ever been but once inside i remembered going with mom and dad. but thats ok, its not like i really remembered reading all of that stuff before. so it was like the first time all over again. we first went to a section on Nazi propaganda which was super interesting. Chanel and i are really excited to go to this sorts of things as they will prove helpful for our teaching and classes. after our tour of that we headed up to the main museum. amazing. and close to tears through most of it. some of my favorite/most interesting parts were:

-the idea of how the propaganda influenced the Germans. the patriotism that swelled within that country. they had no idea that Hitler was leading them so astray.

-the hundreds of pairs of shoes on display that are the last remnants of those that died in the gas chambers

-photos of the allies coming in and liberating those at the concentration camps. those soldiers had looks of complete shock while the prisoners were filled with joy.

before we knew it we had been in there for almost four hours. very physically and emotionally draining. we almost wished we had broken the trip up into two days so we could have focused a little bit more on it. there is so much to see and do in there. we were starving so we found this place called potbellys that we had heard lots about. amazing sandwiches! ill have to take you guys when you come. (sorry dad!) then using our handy maps we found our way to the Jefferson Memorial. Loved it. It is an amazingly designed building that is right off the water. My favorite thing about being there was sitting on the steps with Chanel and talking about the amazing formation of our country. it has seriously been amazing to read my George Washington book while being here in DC. Each day I learn new things about this city and how the country was formed. I loved being able to share that with Chanel and talk about how great these men were that designed our country. Unfortunately we have had the worst luck finding people to take our photos of us! I dont know why so many people are incompetent in taking pictures. seriously. FHE was good. Definitely lacked in the cute boy department but i liked it.
i love my roommates! we hit it off great and our constantly laughing the entire time together. we all agreed that we are living together and arent with the other girls. not that they arent great, but we wouldnt get along with them as well. Yesterday we met with our director for our schools. shes alright. super annoying that she hasnt told us what schools we are going to be at. That was what we did today, which i will get to later. we also went to costco today. super hilarious. with the trip ending like this:

how are we in a super legit apartment rolling our costco cart across the lobby. really classy.

Later last night we walked to the Pentagon and went to the Memorial that is placed there from the September 11 attacks. We have all mentioned numerous times how crazy it would have been to live here during the time, especially since we have a clear view of the Pentagon from our apartment. How crazy would it be to sit at our balcony and witness that tragic event. The memorial there is phenomenal. Google it. At first I was kinda bummed that we were going at night (thought it would be hard to see) but it was so beautiful being all lit up. Very peaceful. There are over 100 benches symbolizing each person that died at that site. If the bench is facing the Pentagon that means that person was in the plane, and if its facing out, that person was in the Pentagon. It was a very calming and peaceful place, especially at night since we were like the only people there. Me, Chanel and Jessica sat on a bench together and talked about what we remembered about the attacks. Where we were, stories we remember and feelings that we had. I cried. It was pretty amazing. A three year old was on that flight. I cant even imagine that.

now today we went on the tour of the two schools we are being assigned to. Upon arrival we found out our assignments. I will be a teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School. Home of the Tigers. Im really excited about this school. The doors were first opened in 1935 so it is a really interesting and beautiful campus. All of the teachers and students seemed very nice. But im a little nervous about my placement. The teacher im suppose to work with teaches AP Government, Asian Studies and 9th grade World History. Asian Studies? Im sorry, thats my least favorite subject. AP Govt? What? Im pretty sure my government class in high school was a joke. And no U.S. History? Did i not become a teacher so i could share with the world how amazing the Revolution is!? Hopefully it will still be good, and im sure i will be learning LOTS this year.

Just a quick review of the past few days. I continue to love DC and still cant get over that I will be here until December. I feel like I have already known my roommates for a very long time. I think teaching will be challenging. Im not gonna lie, Im nervous. But Im sure it will all be ok in the end.