Picture Updates

I love both these pictures. We did not get tickets to the inauguration, but we did get a limo bus!

Bush goes out with a bang!

What a day!

I just stood up and spoke in front of 3,500 people and got to chill with Dee Dee Myers (Bill Clinton's Former Press Secretary). And We got to see Al Gore speak. Having 3,500 middle schoolers yelling and screaming at you is something else.

Freezing!!!

I cannot believe how cold it is here! I have never experienced 8 degrees in the middle of the day with a even colder wind chill. It was chokingly cold! My friend and I would walk a block and that was about all we could take, and we would spend the next hour thawing out. I hate to go on about this, but seriously, I did not have gloves the first day I was there, and I could not take my hands out of my pockets for more than a minute or I couldn't feel them anymore. Let's just say I am now very glad I am going to California for college!

Collin Powell and Desmond Tutu

I was truly inspired by these speeches. I have some clips that may give you an idea of what it was like to sit and listen to these two great men speak about leadership and the future of our generation.

The Mall

My friend and I were no longer worried about his safety. The building is surrounded by bullet proof glass on all sides.

Friday Around D.C. (continued)

The American History Museum!!!!













The Presidents no one knows about.





























Bill Clinton's saxophone! He makes me proud to be an American.





























I honestly cannot believe it!

Friday Around D.C.

A Day of Travel (Crazy Cab Driver!)

All I can say about airfare is that I really hope we are not experiencing the exact same torture 100 years from now. Anyway, I knew my travels were not going to be completely lackluster when I hailed a cab, got inside, and heard with the strongest Indian accent imaginable

"Hello there young pup! Who are you? And where are you going?"
"The Cosmos Club..."
"Ahhh... Well then you must be somebody"
"Uhhh... I like to think so"
"Well... to go to the cosmos club you must be a somebody"
"Why?"
"Cause you've got to have more f***king money than god that's why!"

more quotes:

"So your here for the inauguration?"
"Yes"
"Right...."
"????"
"Come on! I know the real reason your here!"
(Unfortunately to find out what I am really doing in D.C. you have to ask me because I am not going to share it on a blog)

*Cab driver next to us cuts off my cab driver (he is clearly arab) Remember the accent!

"They are all F**KING TERRORISTS!!! Every single F**king one of them!"
" *sigh*... who are?"
"All these new cab drivers! They are all turban wearing Pakistanis! Or blacks from Ethopia or some S#@t like that!"
"They come here and all they want to do is f**king blow Sh#t up and take my cab fares!"

"You see that man standing over there?"
"Yes"
"Haha... guy can't get a cab because he's black!"
"That's terrible!"
"Nah... I wouldn't pick him up either."

"Cab driving seems like a decent job"
"Ya it was.... until Bush F**ked it up!!"

Discussion

It is clear to me that the majority of people in this world have difficulty sacrificing comfortable short term solutions for the sake of achieving potentially painful, yet more sustainable and beneficial, long term goals. Unfortunately, this notion seriously diminishes my faith in our Democracy's ability to handle the global issues of the 21st century.

Any thoughts?