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.
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
