Walking in Washington D.C.

By Byerikbol Yerbol

Thanks to FLEX( Future Leaders Exchange program) and a Civic Education Week workshop it implements, I got to spent one week in Washington D.C in February 2023 with many other FLEX participants from other countries. Just being in the D.C territory was a huge deal to me to begin with. I am an outdoor enthusiast and I especially like to spend time in crowded and busy places. It makes me feel alive and interestingly, more secure and safe. The weather was pleasantly warm for February and though not a big fan of sunny days, I thoroughly enjoyed walking around D.C neighborhoods. After I spent about eight hours exploring Capitol Hill, I had come to realize that I really missed walking on not-so-warm, and not-so-cool, spring-like days. I have been to many dazzling and mesmerizing buildings, but the Capitol Hill Neighborhood was exceptional. I wanted to dress as formally as I could, because, first of all, I knew I would come across lots of people in suits and dresses because there were many office buildings nearby, and secondly, also most importantly, I often like to dress up professionally and it was the right time and place to show my tiny, yet profound homage to this country while I was visiting Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Hart Senate Office Building, Capitol Hill Visitor Center and many more.

I have one regret though. I did not have enough time to get a tour of the Capitol Hill visitor center due to my obsession with the Supreme Court building. Because there were not any hearings or sessions, the Court was open to the public and I entered it three times. The Library of Congress was by far more beautiful than it in terms of interiors. In fact, I found out that it was one of the filming locations of the movie National Treasure. But, considering that there were portraits of notable figures, the past Justices; classified and placed chronologically; I had more fondness for Supreme Court. Looking at the artifacts with the summaries of significant cases and decisions and thinking that they somewhat had an impact on the society the U.S has today, the Supreme Court was such an honorable place. The things like marbled spiral staircases that could potentially make you feel nauseous when you look up how far it goes, all the golden-looking elevators, the walls illustrated with ancient gods, and the ceiling designs in the great hall were like those little desserts that add beauty to the main dish. Another great thing about Supreme Court building was the view you could see just as you leave the building through the main golden-looking door, but actually, bronze when not in the bright sun, which is illustrated with images of the significant events in the evolution of law and justice. And as you open that door, the Capitol Dome is right in front of you.

The night before my visit to the Capitol Hill neighborhood, I could not sleep well. It was mainly because of my ecstasy, but also because of the late dinner. I had the best chicken pot pie ever in a restaurant called Elephant and Castle. Although I do not usually take pictures of my food before finishing it with a glimpse of an eye, I took a moment and got my phone out of my pocket and captured that perfection. It was perfect because there was almost no defect or flaw in the pie and no appearance of messy crumbs all over the crust at all.

As a person from an Eastern culture, and specifically, the country where Buddhism dominates, I was amazed by the interior of the museums I visited. The Italianish Renaissance or Greco-Roman architecture indeed gave me a whole new impression. Rambling through exhibit after exhibit and not thinking about anything nor catching my thoughts — I would never call something like that a waste of time, even if I did nothing but wander.

A couple of hours was as fast as passing periods at school when I was at the National Museum of African Americans History and Culture. The building itself would make you want to stand there from the outside and stare for minutes. Not only was it a museum with zillions of things to see, but also the exterior design of the building was as equally noteworthy as what was inside. The building had very strictly patterned panels which had some empty space in them so that the visitors could see natural light inside the museum. In the end, taking too many pictures left my phone with a run-out battery.

The next day, I went to the National Gallery of Art which I was very much looking forward to, although I am not a big fan of abstract expressionism and a modern body of work. One of the marvelous things about the National Gallery of Art was the peanut cookie in its cafeteria! I could write a paragraph or two about how little I know about or how much I felt the urge to study abstract paintings, but that cookie gave me a meaning of life, if I exaggerate.

My next stop was the National Museum of American History, which I would consider hands down the best out of all the amazing museums and art galleries I have visited in the U.S so far. I particularly enjoyed the entertainment area where I could see many collections and artifacts of 20th-century commercial films, TV, iconic posters, items of clothing, and so on. Though not a kid from that generation, nostalgia was in me as I was passing through the screen that was showing the 70’s film Kramer vs. Kramer’s scene where Meryl Streep breaks down in tears when she decides not to separate her son from the father. One of the greatest things about visiting a museum or gallery is encountering a stranger with similar interests as you and coincidentally making eye contact with them and softly and genuinely smiling as you walk past them.

Besides museums and galleries, I also got to see quite a few memorials. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial left me with great awe, which has nothing to do with the fact that he is my most favorite president in U.S history. I think he shall top the list of U.S presidents who had the most successful legislative program. It was quite windy outside and hazy or just so grayish when I was there. Maybe it was perfectly normal for what it is like around 5 PM in the American Northeast in February. But something about the statues located in the FDR Memorial, perhaps the rusty green colors I could see so clearly, made me feel blue. Or maybe it was because the statues built there were not as big as the other memorials such as Lincoln’s or Jefferson’s, which then made me able to look at the ones in the FDR Memorial more closely. That is why, maybe, after all, I felt like it was hazy outside when it might not actually have been. The color and statuary of that memorial park managed to create such a strong and intense atmosphere for me. I was so bewildered and confused and just walking aimlessly without being aware of my thoughts, visceral feelings, and things around me as if I fell into a very deep trance: basically, just a void existence was I.