Columbus Day Weekend: Food Festivals, Old Flames, and an Exorcism

No, there wasn't really an exorcism. Sorry. But kind of. Well, you'll see.

I have finally returned, and I come bearing gifts! I'm happy to announce that this blog post will have a few more pictures than usual, so you won't have to get too bogged down with reading about everything that's been happening (a lot, to answer that question) here in the good old District of Columbia.

Despite the ineptitude of our elected officials throughout the government shutdown, the city has been as lively as ever. And in fact, the weeks that have flown by during this whole federal debacle have been some of the most interesting and rewarding of the semester to date. I'll start with last weekend, when my girlfriend from Bowdoin was kind enough to make the trip south from Brunswick for the lengthy Columbus Day weekend.

Although it was wet and dreary all four days, from Friday night through Monday morning, the weather could not bring our spirits down. I was determined to show how much beauty and excitement this city has to offer. On Saturday morning we met up with two of my friends from class, Alex and Koichiro, and took off to the infamous Pennsylvania Avenue to attend the day-long Taste of DC, an enormous food festival where scores of restaurants lined the entirety of the street and offered samples of everything from beer, wine, and homemade root beer to doughnuts, hummus, and mouthwatering bowls of chili. Tickets to get into the venue were $10 each and the samples of food and drink ranged from no cost at all to $12, depending on how much was offered. Lines were long--especially for the beer and wine, naturally--but the wait for the food was more often than not worth the wait.

Skyler and me at the Taste of DC on Pennsylvania Ave.

We were also fortunate enough to get our pictures taken with these two studs at the festival. The one on  the left is Teddy Roosevelt, on the right, George Washington.

Before this picture was taken, there was a man on the street who tapped me on the shoulder while I was stuffing my face with some savory chicken terriyaki and fried rice who had apparently noticed that I was sporting one of my Bowdoin jackets. He asked us if we were students, and after we told him yes, he informed us that his son had graduated from the College in 2002 and had gone on to medical school at Harvard to become a surgeon. It's a really small world, and encounters like this reassure me that there's still hope of avoiding life as a hobo post-graduation. Knock on wood, though.

Following the day-long festival, we ended up going out to dinner shortly afterward, of all things, even though we really weren't hungry. Alex, Ko, and I had gone to Sichuan Pavilion a couple weeks prior, and the food was fantastic despite the lengthy amount of time we had to wait to receive a table. Only two metro stops away from our home in Woodley Park, Sichuan Pavilion in Farragut North offers a range of spicy dishes influenced by the renowned food in Sichuan Province, China. When we went again that Saturday with Skyler, we were able to get a table immediately, and forced ourselves to eat more food. Worth it? Absolutely.

When we arose on Sunday morning having (partially) recovered from our food comas, we set off to see the monuments in DC. Whether they were closed or not made no difference--we were going, and we would not be dissuaded. Before our trip we met up with one of Skyler's old friends from high school who attends George Washington University, Jack, and went out to eat at a quaint Italian restaurant just off the Foggy Bottom metro stop, before we began our tour. Jack was a great guy--and incredibly knowledgeable about all the sites--and took us everywhere: we saw the World War II Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the Vietnam Memorial, and a the FDR Memorial. All were beautiful; and for many, the blockades that had been set up were simply moved by tourists. Thus, we got to see about every part of each memorial with the exception of some of the fountains that had been turned off. This was unfortunate, as my favorite memorial has always been the one that honors those who served in World War II. It is especially beautiful at night with the lights and the fountains on.

The World War II Memorial during the day with the fountains on.

A plaque in the ground at the entrance to the World War II Memorial.

Abraham Lincoln in all his glory. 

Can't keep us out!

When day eventually turned to dusk and we finally left the Jefferson Memorial on the Potomac, we took a stroll to the George Washington University campus before ultimately deciding to spend the rest of the night in Georgetown. After passing the famous Watergate Hotel, we sauntered beside the beautiful boardwalk that ran along the shore of the river. We turned and walked in the direction of the city and passed through the lovely Georgetown district, home to Georgetown Cupcake and Georgetown University, among other notable establishments. I found it to be a really wonderful place, part metropolitan shopping district, part upscale residential neighborhood. If I ever come back to DC for graduate school or for a job, I'll definitely be spending more time in Georgetown.

Since we were in no rush, Jack brought us through the residential part of Georgetown, and up through the Georgetown University campus, which was spectacular. We even had the opportunity go traverse the eery and drawn-out staircase that was featured in the horror movie, "The Exorcist." It is in fact as creepy as it seems.

The stairs featured in the 1973 horror film, "The Exorcist."

That essentially concluded the long weekend, as Skyler had to return to New England that Monday morning. It was quite the weekend, however, even though the weather could have been a little more cooperative.

I will hopefully return with some philosophical where-is-my-life-headed posts soon enough. My time here in DC was all that I had hoped for and more. I am almost certain that I want to return and spend at least some time living and working here after graduation. I started the semester off knowing that I wanted to truly immerse myself in the foreign policy realm, where it all happens. I have not been disappointed; and each day I envision myself working in a place like the Pentagon or the State Department, rather than in a law firm. And it feels good. 'Till next time, friends!

Week #1: Adapting to City Life

After my first week here in the heart of D.C., I can safety say that I believe I have finally settled in. Life here, as you may imagine, does not quite equate to what a typical day would be like in Grafton, Vermont or Brunswick, Maine. Rather than pass by cow farms, historical one-room schoolhouses, and rolling green mountains on my way to school or to work, I am instead enshrouded by the hustle and bustle of city life: horns honk ceaselessly, buses and metro trains rush from one stop to the next, and people young and old alike emerge from the Starbucks lining each and every block and quickly stroll to their various destinations.

After a few mishaps taking the wrong bus or taking the metro a couple stops further than anticipated, I have (astoundingly) learned how to navigate the D.C. transportation system in order to get to where I need to go on a daily basis. I have also managed to locate the library on campus, printing stations, and a number of shopping areas. This is good. For the time being, it seems I will survive.

Our first set of classes was scheduled for this week, and so we spent the majority of our time discussing U.S. foreign policy on a broad, introductory level. We learned about U.S. national interests at home and abroad, and analyzed the current international arena. Much of our lecture was based around the role of various states, and their current (and historical) roles in shaping the international foreign policy sphere. After our lecture and debate, we quickly went to campus to hear former ambassador to Nigeria and current senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, John Campbell, talk about U.S. diplomacy in Africa and the increasing militarization of the continent.

I have spent the last few days working alongside my professor to narrow down my research paper topic, and have decided to tackle the issue of Ukrainian security and prospects for its integration into Europe by means of NATO or EU membership, amid its close ties with Vladimir Putin's Russia and its aggressive resistance in ceding authority over Ukraine to United States and the West. This topic is both new and exciting to me, as it's the first time I'll be able to integrate my interest in Russian with my fascination with international relations. I am hoping I'll find a way to travel to the Ukraine or to Russia next summer and continue my studies of Eurasia.

I am also thankful to have been offered a fall internship with the American Enterprise Institute's Marilyn Ware Center for Security Studies. For two and a half days a week, I will be working for co-directors Thomas Donnelly and Gary Schmitt on issues of strategic studies, national security, defense, intelligence, and the role of U.S. leadership abroad. Hopefully next week I'll be able to elaborate on what my responsibilities will be, as I'm not sure exactly what I'll be assigned to do for the scholars.

There are a lot of new and exciting things happening each day, and I look forward to continue sharing my experience with everyone. It's been great keeping up with my friends' blogs, and I think it will be amazing once we all return to Bowdoin in the spring and share everything we've all learned and experienced.

'Till next week!

Bowdoin's Ubiquitous Presence

Just when I try to escape for a semester to Washington, D.C., nearly 600 miles away from Brunswick, Maine, it seems there's no escaping Bowdoin College. During my first full day here in the heart of our nation's capital, I have run into a recent Bowdoin graduate on the street, and have learned that many other Polar Bears are within a brief metro stop away from where I live, or where I'll be going to school for the next couple of months.

After a drawn-out orientation to American University's Semester in Washington program at a church near the university's main Tenley Campus, I made my way to the newly constructed and world renowned School of International Service (SIS), where I was informed I would be having my first meeting with my Foreign Policy class and its professor, John Calabrese.

Astoundingly, I quickly found out that Professor Calabrese was once Bowdoin's associate dean of students, as well as a faculty member in the Government and Legal Studies Department. For such a small institution, I realized, it was clear that the College punches way above its weight, at least in terms of post-graduate placement in prominent positions in places like Washington; Polar Bears are everywhere, and it feels good to know that I have had the opportunity to be a part of the family.

Understanding that I have a tendency to overwrite, I will try to be concise about my arrival here in D.C., but thorough, in order to paint and accurate and detailed picture of how my time here has been so far, and what I will exactly be doing until mid-December.

The American University's (AU) Semester in Washington Foreign Policy Program allows both domestic and foreign students to work within D.C. as part-time interns for a variety of foreign policy related organizations, while simultaneously taking seminars on the subject. In my case, the program has three components: a research course that requires students to produce a research paper of about 35 - 50 pages on a relevant foreign policy topic; participation as a part-time intern for two days a week at a relevant organization or institute; and completion of a foreign policy seminar that looks at a variety of foreign policy topics, and includes frequent meetings with high-level officials and scholars who have been indispensable drivers of policy and debate here in D.C.

Thus far, it seems as if I am studying abroad in a foreign country, as the vast majority of students who I will be taking classes alongside, and the friends I have made and am living with, are from locations as far away as Japan, France, Germany, and Norway. The diversity within both the city and my classroom will undoubtedly have a valuable impact on the way I will begin to learn about issues both domestically and abroad in faraway regions such as the Middle East, to places like the Asia Pacific.

I have also found that my previous studies at Bowdoin have helped me start exciting and intriguing discussions with my fellow classmates, and with complete strangers I've come across on my exploration of the city. For example, I have enjoyed discussing the territorial island disputes between China and Japan to students I've met from Tokyo; with my friends from Germany and France, I've inquired about how they view the current Eurocrisis, and what they believe will unfold within the foreseeable future.

I also have students from Bates and Tufts in my class; interestingly, it's as though I've not stepped a foot outside the NESCAC, yet at the same time have journeyed to exotic lands far, far away from home.

And so here, I'll cut the story short and leave you hanging--at least for the time being. Within the next week, I'll be able to share much more about the internship I have (hopefully!) secured, the research project topic I've decided to pursue, and the myriad speakers I've had the chance to speak with and question. I'll also have had the chance to experience the city a little bit more, and will be happy to candidly describe my experiences to anybody who would be interested in hearing about hints, tips, tricks, or tidbits about living in D.C.

Until then, friends.