Spending the weekends

The teaching here in America is fairly different to what I’m used to back home, I am trying to become accustomed to the constant examination with quizzes, pop quizzes, short papers, group assignments, presentations and essays, as well as balancing the preparatory reading for my classes. It is easy to get caught up with the day-to-day cycle of college life and stay on campus. However, I want to ensure that as well as studying, I continue exploring. Thus, I am trying to ensure that weekends spent in Washington are noteworthy and contain new experiences.

The weekend spent in snow…

It was a Thursday evening when we all received the e-mails and text alerts, we buzzed in unison with our phones; school had been cancelled in light of the upcoming arrival of snowstorm Jonas. The concept of being snowed in was a novelty to me, as back home the most snow I had witnessed was about four inches. I was part of the crowd at the grocery store stocking up on food for the weekend, but I was also an outsider in this crowd. I observed the masses of people clearing out the shelves in this liminal state, it struck me that a grocery store had ran out of vegetables, eggs, frozen pizzas, and most of their fruit because people were stocking up as if though we were approaching a zombie apocalypse.

It was on Friday that Jonas arrived, a soft layer of snow began to caress the pavements as I made my way to a basketball game. A few hours of eating pizza and watching GW win on the court later, an exodus of students left the arena out into a blizzard of snow. Over the weekend, the city fell still under the weight of the weather. From this stillness, there was an eruption of joy. 

The National Mall was beautiful, the snow adorned the monuments and the usual bustle of tourists was replaced by students sledging down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. We even ventured out as far as the Jefferson Memorial, which proved to be quite the task considering I was walking in knee deep snow. We slipped, we fell, we laughed and we felt the cold in all of its glory. The city suited the snow, it somehow transformed into a place even more picturesque. I spent the weekend going on walks and then seeking refuge from the cold outside by drinking hot chocolate at the flat and watching movies.

The incredible amount of snow that fell in the city appeared surreal to me. Despite having enjoyed the weekend, it is easy to romanticise the weather from the advantageous position that I am in; with shelter, food and warmth. The weather definitely grounded me in appreciation for the simple things in life that we have been blessed with. 

The weekend spent hiking…

            A few weeks later we escaped the city to go on a hike with GW trails (a hiking club) in Rock Creek Park. The trees were barren without their leaves and the air was bitter cold, but it was beautiful. We hiked for 15 miles and by the time we returned, we were freezing but it felt worth it. I'll definitely be going on more hikes. I'll leave some pictures that pretty much sum up the entire day of walking. 

Whether it was the snow or the hiking, both weekends were a great break from everything. They provided me with a new way of exploring Washington and I hope that I will continue to find new ways to do so. 

- Roop xx 

An ode to instant communication

It's officially a month since I've been away from London. The month has been punctuated with multiple texts and calls across the Atlantic. The pixels of my face are decoded and streamed across the ocean, delivered to the screens that are held in the hands of my nearest and dearest, just as I receive the images of their wonderful faces. Without the ability to do this, I would miss my family and friends an unfathomable amount. 

Before I left for the US, I was sat surrounded by piles of clothes I needed to fold up and take with me, and Adele's Hometown Glory started playing from my playlist. She sings "the people I've met are the wonders of my world", the lyrics felt so profound in that moment. 

Oh the people I've met are the wonders of my world, are the wonders of my world, are the wonders of this world. 

Her lyrics flooded me with appreciation for the people in my life and as I emerged from this appreciation to take some air, I was hit with the fear of being alone in a place without them all. My excitement for my semester abroad was momentarily knocked out by fear. 

          In some sense, my fear was not misplaced. Moving away can pull the common ground that you are stood on with some of your friends from under your feet, you're left plummeting into an unfamiliar space  where both parties are at a loss of what to say. However, I largely had no reason for my fear. For those who matter, nothing has changed at all. I can pick up my phone and the distance between us dissipates. 

I've been able to have lunch with my sister numerous times (although Jevan is usually eating dinner when it is lunch time here). We pretty much talk constantly, on every form of communication that may exist because I would be at a complete loss on how to function if I don't speak to my sister everyday. We simultaneously snapchat, text, FaceTime and write letters to each other - this may or may not be a slight exaggeration. I talk to my best friends all the time and sometimes I feel like they're here with me. I've even been able to go grocery shopping with my best friend. Serena patiently waited for me to pay and then I carried her home as I juggled my Whole Foods bags in one hand and my phone in the other. 

I feel like my life is moving at 100mph here and I've been able to keep my loved ones in the loop thanks to Skype, FaceTime, Messaging and the unsung hero that is Oovoo (it's a group video calling app that has been amazing for the girls and I). I understand the complaints that perhaps our generation is far too attached to our devices, we're cuffed to our phones and chained to our computers. Yet, this attachment has emancipated me from the weight of homesickness that I had anticipated. I am truly thankful that I have been able to be so connected to everyone back home, so thankful that I could sing an ode to instant communication. 

- Roop xx

Time is a fluid …

The first 3 weeks of my exchange semester have reminded me of the fluidity of time. Sometimes it surrounds you like an ocean and other times, it flows through you like a rapid stream. I can’t believe that I’ve been in Washington D.C. for 3 weeks, it seems like only yesterday that I was tugging my suitcases off the luggage belt after that 8-hour flight. I simultaneously feel surrounded by the vastness of the memories that I’ve created in the past 3 weeks, as if though I have been here for months. It’s a strange paradox, to feel like I’ve arrived only yesterday yet also that I’ve already been here for months. Time, after all, is a human construct that does not account for the influence of experiences.

The blanket of clouds

            The first few weeks are definitely an experience that I won’t be forgetting. When my best friend turned 14, I wrote in her birthday card that one day we would go and live in America for a while (specifically California), although I’m on the East Coast rather than the West, I feel like I’m living out mine and Asli’s teenage dream. It felt like every day I was doing something for the first time; such as the novelty of drinking out of a red solo cup, going to a basketball game or the adult milestones of setting up a bank account and phone account in a new country, or learning how to use the public transport system. I’m becoming more accustomed to the novel facets of American college life and have reduced the frequency that I exclaim, “That’s so American!”

Probably the most stereotypically American meal I will consume

Transfixed by the ceiling in the Library of Congress 

"Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light..."

            I’m optimistic about the months ahead and the adventure that it will bring. I endeavour to continue keeping myself busy and attempt to make the most out of my short time here.

- Roop xx