The Buddha said “I am Awake”

Hey guys, thought we’d give you a little update on our travels in D.C.  Our Close Up group was small this year – only about fifty kids at the hotel – but still diverse. One third of the group were from California schools and 98% Latino.  One third were from Atlanta and 98% black.  The rest were Michiganders and New Hampshirites and Arizonians and 98% white.  It made for a good mix.  We talked, we WALKED, we learned, we ate, we danced, and had a great time!

Please check this link for photos – and we’ll tell you what we’ve all been doing.  Captions are numbered and down below.

1,2,3 – The Finnish Embassy -We got lucky – day one in town was “Shortcut to Europe” up on Embassy Row. They opened up all of the European Union embassies and they let everybody in.  They served food and culture and music.  They gave us an inside look at their countries.  All were crowded and we didn’t get up to Dupont til afternoon…so we picked just one to explore -  Finland.  We ate great Finnish food…and everybody was wearing those blue striped Finnish shirts.  Including Laura. 

4, 5, 6 – The Walk back down to Dupont -  Well, Gary met Gandhi or was it Mr. Tate?   We saw statue of Mr. Barry in deep contemplation concerning next week’s Lesson Plans, or the eligibility of his baseball team (we couldn’t tell which).   And then, believe it or not there was a poster of Mr. Barry at the Metro stop – I couldn’t get a shot of his head -  but trust me you can tell from the belly it is he.

7, 8, 9 – We were tired -  So, we went to Dupont Circle, laid in the grass, and slept.

10, 11, 12 – The Midnight Monument Walk - is great until your two foreign exchange students decide they want to make out with Franklin Roosevelt.  That’s illegal unless you are an American citizen – unfortunately each was deported last night and will not be attending graduation ceremonies.  You may write to them at Guantanamo Bay Cuba in care of United States anti-terror department.

13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19   – Eastern Market and the Drum Circle at Malcolm X Park – Sunny Sundays in D.C. are always nice, especially with a little music.

20, 21, 22, 23 – Rodney and the ECC -  On Tuesday afternoon we went to the Earth Conservation Corp.   A lot of you know about it from the Sixty Minutes video in Government and Econ class.  The ECC saves lives and the Anicostia River.  Remember Rodney – the guy who sold drugs on the streets of Anicostia, the guy who carried guns, who shot people, who made a fortune in as he said “ill gotten gains.”  Well, Rodney took us on a river cruise and he is one cool dude.  No rap music for Rodney  – just Bob Marley.  Over the years I’ve heard hundreds of Close Up speakers, Congressmen up on the hill, newspaper and TV people on program, PI’s and Ambassadors, nobody has been as real or as riveting as was Rodney.  And it was just our little Oakridge bunch and him boating down the Anicostia.  The guy has seen it all – and he answered every single question thrown his way.  Then he took us up on the roof to see the birds, because Rodney is now “The Bird Man”.  Mr. Hoots grabbed Gary by the wrist and flew off with him…but we were able to retrieve him from a near by tree before he was eaten.

24, 25, 26 – D.C. Kitchen – On Capitol Hill Day we sneaked off to the D.C. Central Kitchen -  This is soooooo cool.  Biggest homeless shelter in the country, which then makes it the biggest homeless shelter in the world, which then means it also probably the largest in the universe.  They run “DC Kitchen” out of the basement.   This is a nonprofit organization which re-packages unused prepared food and kicks it back out to local food donation sites.  Food they are throwing out at restaurants and parties and college campuses which isn’t touched is accumulated, repackaged, and dispersed to the community.   They’ve recently created a sister organization called “Campus Kitchen” that does the same thing on college campuses across the country.  They’ve got twenty up and running around the country.  At college it is students who organize, collect, repackage, and deliver.  They even go out to the local farms and work in the fields to grab unused foodstuffs donated by farmers to add to the donation packages.  We met Americorps members who are involved.   A lot of ex-homeless work the kitchen too.   Next year on Close Up are going to spend a morning working in the DC Kitchen volunteering to prepare meals.  Another cool Close Up experience.

27, 28, 29 – Congressman Hoekstra – We went to his office – ninth year in a row that he has met with us personally…not everybody gets that kind of opportunity – thank you Congressman.    Devyn Crane did a very nice job with a ECC  presentation to Mr Hoekstra.  She gave him a promotion package and issued him an invitation.  He took our questions.  Oakridge students represented their community admirably.  We all shared our experience at the ECC and agreed it’d be good if he dropped by Anacostia and spent an afternoon with Rodney, even better if he brought along some fellow Congressmen.  They’d  learn an awful lot about the real world.  PS…Angelina we also stopped by Congressman Lewis’ office and talked with Andrew.  He misses you.   PSS…there’s a nice photo of Tyler and Gary at the Capitol.  PSSS…and our two exchange students, bailed out of jail courtesy of Congressman Hoekstra, got back on program and posed for a symbolic friendship handshake across Europe.  See the map at their feet.

30, 31, 32, 33  – Close Up live from the Newseum – Oakridge on TV  Friday night 7:00 PM – C-Span.  Don’t miss it.  Gary and Tyler and Laura all fire questions at the panel – topic Investigative Journalism in the USA.  Check here for a future online link.

And so that has been our little travel tour from  Washington D.C.  Hope you enjoyed it as much as we have enjoyed taking it.  See you soon.

34 – One last note – Lyndsey Gibson (OHS 05) graduated from American University on Saturday – her family was in town for the celebrations.  She heads off to Houston this summer for a seven week Teach for America seminar and then onto the Mississippi Delta to teach 2nd grade for the next two years.  Way to go Lyndsey!

Filed under: Weekly LP's 09