Hello everyone, it was a great weekend in DC! On Saturday, I made a trip to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. The cafe was such an interesting addition, because they have a few menu items that are authentic Native American foods such as traditional fry bread, corn totopos, and buffalo burgers. The museum itself was incredible. There was such an impressive art collection as well as a photography collection called “For a Love of His People” taken by Horace Poolaw. On Sunday, Allison and I went to the Smithsonian National Zoo. We saw a sloth bear, several otters, wolves, seals, elephants, and even sea lions. It was such a beautiful day to go to the zoo, and we had a wonderful time!
Today, we didn’t have a morning session or small groups as usual. We were all presented with a list of service projects to choose from, and we all had to choose which one we wanted to do to celebrate and give back on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Allison and I chose to team up with the Rock Creek Conservancy to help clean up the Rock Creek Park/Soapstone Creek area in Nort
hwest Washington D.C. From around 2:00 until almost 4:00 p.m. we picked up trash, while another group of students cut down some of the invasive plants in the park. Picking up trash isn’t a glamorous job by any means, but when you’re doing it for the right reasons it doesn’t bother you to get your hands dirty. The park we were cleaning up today was wrecked with trash, weeds, and even a lawn mower that was buried in the ground that several students had to dig out with shovels. By the time we were finished, Rock Creek Park looked good as new. It’s a great feeling knowing that you’re contributing to a community, even if it’s not the one you live in. For me, MLK Jr. Day was filled with giving back, and I think that’s what it’s all about. Tomorrow we get back to the seminar, and I’m ready for it!
