Friday was a bitter-sweet day, as I mentioned in my last post, because it was my friend Janae's last day at work and in D.C. I miss her already, but I know she's happy to be back in Atlanta! After a long day of work, I decided to have a chill night back at the apartment. My roommate decided to stay in as well, and we ended up having a pretty nice night watching movies and catching up on our long week. It's nice to go out, but I'm a homebody at heart; nothing beats relaxing at home!
Posing in the boss man's office! Not goodbye, but see you later.
I woke up pretty early on Saturday morning to meet up with my friend, Kayla, so that we could go to the Eastern Market together. The Eastern Market is a couple of blocks away from where I work on the Hill, but you would think it was in a whole different part of D.C. The weather was perfect as we made our way through the all of the food and goods. The fruits and vegetables were fresh and extremely tasteful; the jewelry, clothes, and other goods were handcrafted and original. I treated myself to a brand new ring and a delicious grilled-shrimp sandwich at the market cafe. Afterwards, we walked up on Capitol Hill and explored the Library of Congress. I even got a library reader's card! I will definitely be checking out more books in the future before I leave!
Eastern Market. The picture doesn't do it justice!
Look at all that beautiful jewelry! And those RINGS!
Can you say delicious? Grilled-shrimp sandwich! #yumyumyum
Your girl can now check out books from the Library of Congress. #boss
The Library of Congress is absolutely beautiful. The architecture is astonishing!
....and just right next store is my future home. Call me Justice Winston, please.
Saturday night was a pretty fun night as well! I met up with Kayla and five friends from her George Washington complex, and we all took a trip up to Howard University in Shaw. We ended up going to this birthday party/house party just outside of campus. When I say this party was HOT, let's just say I went to the party with my hair curled and five minutes later my hair was straight. We ended up going to a few different places that night. However, we ended up at a pretty nice party towards the end. Despite the heat, it was a pretty fun night and I met a lot of cool people!
Kayla and I before heading to Howard!
I had a really interesting encounter on my walk back to my apartment. After running into CVS for a brief minute, I spotted an older woman walking outside the store with a large backpack by her side and a can filled with coins by her feet; the woman was visibly upset and appeared to have been crying. Now, I'd like to think that I'm a pretty friendly person, but I've definitely never been one to strike up conversation with a random stranger. But something about this woman told me that she needed someone to talk to, or at least someone to let her know that everything was going to be okay (which I certainly did not even know if it would). So I went up to her, dropped my extra change in her can and told her just that. She thanked me, and as I was beginning to walk away, she called out to me and asked me where I was from. I proceeded to tell her that I was from Georgia but I was staying in D.C. for the summer as a part of an internship. After I told her this, she smiled at me and congratulated me for my successes. I was pretty amazed. Here she stood--without a home, food, or money--complimenting me on all the blessings in my life. We ended up talking for a good five minutes about all sorts of things. She briefly discussed some of the good things in her life (mainly her daughter who lived with a family member) as well as some of the challenges she's faced (mainly her drug addiction). Towards the end of our conversation, I ran into the nearest Subway and bought lunch for the both us. Seeing her face when I brought back her sandwich was priceless; she was so appreciative! Tears formed in her eyes as I told her goodbye. I wanted to tell her that everything would be alright, but the truth is I don't know if that's the case.
Sunday was a pretty lazy day for me. I didn't get back to my room till early Sunday morning, so I slept in till around 10:30. After I cleaned up my apartment a bit, I decided to take a short walk up to the Lincoln Memorial and the Monument. Once again, it was another hot day in D.C. so I didn't stay too long before I circled back around and walked back to Foggy Bottom. The walk was just long enough to clear my head.
I had a really interesting encounter on my walk back to my apartment. After running into CVS for a brief minute, I spotted an older woman walking outside the store with a large backpack by her side and a can filled with coins by her feet; the woman was visibly upset and appeared to have been crying. Now, I'd like to think that I'm a pretty friendly person, but I've definitely never been one to strike up conversation with a random stranger. But something about this woman told me that she needed someone to talk to, or at least someone to let her know that everything was going to be okay (which I certainly did not even know if it would). So I went up to her, dropped my extra change in her can and told her just that. She thanked me, and as I was beginning to walk away, she called out to me and asked me where I was from. I proceeded to tell her that I was from Georgia but I was staying in D.C. for the summer as a part of an internship. After I told her this, she smiled at me and congratulated me for my successes. I was pretty amazed. Here she stood--without a home, food, or money--complimenting me on all the blessings in my life. We ended up talking for a good five minutes about all sorts of things. She briefly discussed some of the good things in her life (mainly her daughter who lived with a family member) as well as some of the challenges she's faced (mainly her drug addiction). Towards the end of our conversation, I ran into the nearest Subway and bought lunch for the both us. Seeing her face when I brought back her sandwich was priceless; she was so appreciative! Tears formed in her eyes as I told her goodbye. I wanted to tell her that everything would be alright, but the truth is I don't know if that's the case.
I'll probably never see or talk to this woman again. I'll never know whether she was able to overcome her drug addiction. I'll never know if she'll ever be reunited with her daughter. And while I'd like to say that my encounter with this woman had some profound impact on my life, I know that probably (and sadly) isn't going to be the case. But this woman did serve as a reminder that there are two very different sides to Washington D.C. and quite frankly everywhere in the United States. Where I work on Capitol Hill, I am blessed to be surrounded by some of the most influential and powerful people in our country. Yet just a couple of blocks away, hundreds upon hundreds of people live amongst us in the streets, without a home for whatever reason and struggling to hold on. It's saddening and unjust that in the midst of so much wealth and power, there is so much poverty and despair.
I'll try not to end this post on a sad note, so I want to wish all of my readers a safe and blessed week! I'm currently planning my epic Fourth of July; my best friend from high school is even coming up to visit me! Y'all have a great night!
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