New Blog, New Year

So I'm in D.C.! It's still pretty weird. I flew in Thursday at noon, after Chris was sweet enough to skip his New Year's plans to drive me to the Minneapolis airport in the middle of the night. I don't start at the Post until tomorrow (Jan. 5), so I've been spending most of my time here sightseeing, getting "settled in" and chilling with my host family. I'll be in Washington until Jan. 24, when I'll fly back to Minnesota, and then Hank will pick me up, hopefully in time for what I hear will be another karaoke birthday party for Mom.

My family is the Gilbert/Guensburgs, Craig is the Washington Bureau Chief for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and Carol works for National Public Radio and will soon be teaching a media techniques course at Georgetown University. As you can imagine, we've been spending a lot of time discussing journalism! Carol graduated from UW-Eau Claire in the '70s, so that's why they offered to host the "Devroy Fellow" every year for three weeks. They also have two sons, Andrew and Sam, who go to UW-Madison. They live just outside of "the District," in Arlington, Virginia, so it's just a short walk to the metro station and then a relatively short trip (but simple!) to the Washington Post. Interestingly enough, both the Post and my host family are on 15th Street (though not the same one)! Their public transportation system is just amazing here and conveniently set up.

On Thursday, I spent most of the day chilling with their family -- who had other company over from New York City. They're all so nice and have really been trying hard to make me feel at home. It hasn't been too difficult so far, especially with the NY Times and the Post waiting on the breakfast table every morning and with all of the questions they ask. It is a different lifestyle though, so far they've been feeding me steak, shrimp curry and naan, asparagus, and chocolate-covered strawberries! Their sons didn't know either what to do with the chutney that was apparently supposed to go on the naan, so I felt much better about everything. I feel even better though, because today we ate leftovers, pizza and salad. Much more my style! I think they pulled out the fancy cuisine for their visiting family. It's also been a test for my independence, just because I really like being able to do my own thing, and it's not hard to understand why I feel like a stranger in this house, because I am. Part of me misses my own family and being able to do things on my own terms, but you really don't learn much staying in your comfort zone. It's just different having to always be conscious of what you say, what you do and how you act, because you're not in your own home and you don't want to be rude. It's not that they're presumptuous or strict, it's just a different lifestyle living with strangers. So I find myself not eating unless they are, and not sleeping unless they are, etc.

So on Friday, I thought it would be a good idea to do some exploring! At first I was a little nervous/disappointed that I wouldn't have a friend to tour around with, but I've learned there's something to be said for traveling alone. Though I did find myself talking to... well, myself, mastering the Metro system on my own and fending for myself gave me a much needed confidence boost heading into tomorrow. I'm still not sure it's enough confidence, but then again I don't think I could ever feel ready for my first day at the Post. So anyway, I finally make it onto the streets of D.C. and find a Caribou Coffee on Pennsylvania Avenue, not far from the National Mall. The nearest one to Eau Claire is 20 minutes away in Menomonie, so I almost never get to go. Naturally getting a latte is the first thing on my list! So from there I wandered down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House! There was a big construction crew building the inaugural stands in front of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and everyone in town seemed to be selling Obama memorabilia. But of course it's no plain stand. Apparently there'll even be carpet and electricity in this thing! The glass looks bullet proof and the security is supposed to be top notch. From what I've read, the Obamas just moved into Washington this weekend and the girls start school tomorrow. They officially move in to the big house on Jan. 15, just five days before the inauguration. Check out this BBC article for more details!

For most of the day, I just wandered around. My favorite thing to do on my first day in any city is just breathing it in and getting a feel for the atmosphere. So I saw some of the big monuments, got lost a few times, and eventually figured out where the Washington Post office is, which metro stop to use, and how to walk there from the stop. Lucky for me, there's even another Caribou Coffee two doors from the Post! Smart marketing. I feel like I might be needing the caffeine this month. And then I hopped back on the metro, switched from the orange to the blue line, and went to the Arlington Cemetery for an hour or so until it closed at 5 p.m. The big thing was being able to see Bobby and JFK's graves, and then getting a picture of them for Dad. That sounds morbid, but it's really not meant to be. What a beautiful cemetery! I was there just as the sun was setting, but it seemed so sad, but also moving, that so many people have died just so I can walk the streets of D.C. alone and still feel safe. Not that I approve of war, but I'm not denying that it can sometimes, only sometimes, be justified.

On Saturday, I went to town again, this time to check out the new Newseum, a museum devoted to nothing but journalism in the location of the old National Hotel (where Booth stayed while he visited D.C. to assassinate Lincoln) next to the Canadian embassy. It was a really great museum with six floors! The top had a beautiful overlook of the capitol and a big wall full of all the world's daily front pages. It's all on rotation so there wasn't one from Holland that day, but there was a Dutch one from Belgium, plus the Globe and Mail from Canada and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel! Very cool. Most of the museum was geared towards children and non-journalists so some of it was a little bit oversimplified. But it really was interesting. The most meaningful exhibits were probably the Berlin Wall (with sections of the actual wall on display), the journalists' memorial with the names and bios of all journalists who have died on the job, the 9/11 exhibit, the ethics station and the Pulitzer Prize winning photography gallery. I also went to Capitol Hill to see the buildings (especially the capitol and the Supreme Court Building). AND! The Library of Congress. Wow. What a beautiful building. It's the biggest library in the world. I didn't even take pictures because I felt it would be almost too intrusive and it could never do the artwork justice. The mosaics! And the marble carvings and the metal work! Just magnificent. I am posting photos from Google, because I think you should see it, even if I don't have my own photos. I took a free tour and was hoping to see the books, smell them and just walk through the bookshelves. But, from what I understood, you needed a library card to get in weekends and they only issue them on weekdays. I did get to look at the research station from an overlook, but it really wasn't the same. (The photos? The top left is the library's great hall, and the one to the right is the research center! You can see the stacks through the archways.)

So between the library and the Newseum, I was pretty much set for the day, except for the third obsession in my life: tea! There's this great tea shop called Teaism that Carol recommended. I ordered the World Peace Tisane, which has licorice root, cloves and lots of organic peppermint. Apparently it's great for clearing your sinuses, which makes sense because it left my entire mouth feeling cool, calm and refreshed. Now if only we could get the world to feel the same. So after I got my people-watching fix at the bar, I headed back toward Metro Center and found an H&M, one of my favorite stores, and bought an argyle sweater.

I feel like I've written too much already, so I'll just say that today (Sunday) was mostly devoted to reading (both newspapers and books), and catching up with a few e-mails. I start tomorrow and am terrified. But who knows? Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe. I think I have my outfit picked out, or at least narrowed down to two options. Now I just have to put together a list of things I want to do while I'm there! I'd really like to go to a White House press conference, maybe follow around a Capitol Hill reporter, and maybe tag along with the Supreme Court reporter... but really, I'd be happy doing anything.