Monday, June 24, 2013
Our Final Full Day Together
Yesterday
turned out to be a pretty uneventful day until later in the evening. We
rode the bus (stopping for breaks and lunch of course) until we got to
our hotel in Fairview Heights, Illinois. We had plenty of free time and
some good choices of places to eat supper. Some weather was coming in,
and most of us didn't think anything of a regular old
thunderstorm. Personally, after eating supper, the group of people that I
was with decided to go watch a movie. We ran through the pouring rain
to get to the movie theater, and halfway through the movie, the
electricity went out. It was also out in the hotel, and we had lots of
fun keeping ourselves occupied! Even though it wasn't really what some
of us wanted for our last night
together, we still had a ton of fun! The friendships that we have made
on this trip will last a lifetime, and I'm very excited to see what the
future holds for us.
Saturday
Today might
not have been a day filled with many tours or events, but it was never
the less a great day filled with fun experiences! For many, the day
started out with finishing up some last minute packing before going to
the Clover Cafe to eat breakfast. Packing up suitcases that were already
packed full when we got to D.C can be kind of difficult when trying to
fit souvenirs in them! The elevator for the girls' dorm was broken, so
it was pretty interesting and even scary for some as they tried to get
their bags down three flights of stairs. The bus left at around 7:30,
and we were off for Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello!
After a few hours on the bus with plenty of time for some much needed
rest, we arrived at our destination. Monticello was gorgeous, and it was
really fun learning about Thomas Jefferson. We were able to go on a
tour of the house and then explore the beautiful grounds with a little
bit of time to hit the gift shop afterwards! I think that it is safe
to say that when Marietta asked our group whether we liked Mount Vernon
or Monticello better, it came out to be about a tie. The differences and
similarities when comparing our two past presidents' houses were
interesting.
After the wonderful opportunity to see Monticello, we read
heartfelt letters from our amazing Program Assistants before stopping
for lunch. Other than a few more stops for fuel and supper, the rest of
the day was spent on the bus before arriving at our hotel in
Charleston, West Virginia. I think that even though we have become a
really close- knit group and most of us don't want this trip to end, we
are all getting very anxious to get home. And, after today, we are one step closer.
We did have one funny story that happened to Cooper the
night before! After the dance, he didn't realize that he was on the
basement floor instead of the first floor. So, he climbed one flight of
stairs like usual, and went to what he though was his room, which had a
number that was exactly the same except for one number. He put his key
in the door, and it opened because it was unlocked, only to find four
international exchange girls sleeping in the beds. He was really
confused, and asked the girl sleeping in "his" bed why she was there and
what she did with his stuff! The girl handled it pretty well and said
that the boys were on the floor above. Let's just say that Cooper was
pretty embarrassed and the girls are probably enjoying their American
experience!
After yet another day on this trip, I am still in awe of how close
we have become. I am also feeling extremely blessed to be a part
of Kansas 4-H and to have the opportunity to go on this amazing, life
changing trip!
Saturday, June 22, 2013
June 21, 2013
The group had the entire day to explore the city of Washington D.C. in small groups. At the beginning of the adventure, the majority of the group chose to go see the White House. From there they split up to see various sights including the Smithsonian and Zoo to see the pandas. Many of us received good deals on souvenirs at street vendors. Even a few brave ones walked the long distance to the Library of Congress for a library card to get inside. At 2:30pm, the group met back up at the National Archives for viewing of the Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. We also got to explore the old post office a bit before heading back to the 4-H Center at 4pm.
Following dinner, we had the talent show where we had many Kansas participants show their talent including Rachel, Jewell, Bryce, Cooper, and Keegun! We then gave our PA's, Kelsie and Wade, their gifts for their great work during the week. They thanked us repeatedly. To finish the day, many of us attended the dance.
June 20, 2013
As usual we started off the day with a delicious breakfast at the Clover Cafe!... But this time we got to sleep in a little longer! Right after breakfast we headed to our very last workshop. In this workshop we decided within our groups who would ask the questions, be the debaters, and who would be the spokespersons for the group's issues at the congressional session. The congressional session gave us the opportunity to get a feel for how congress runs. The bills were written over social media usage, school lunches, college tuition, and genetically modified seeds. It was cool that the topics were relevant and interesting to our age group. After that session we toured the national cathedral. Everyone was in awe of the beauty of it. It exposed us to a sight that you don't see every day. We then had our final committee meetings. It is a sad fact that we are almost done with this extraordinary trip. In our meetings we discussed how all of our planning has worked out. For supper this evening, we dressed up and ate on a riverboat that took us on the beautiful Potomac River. It was cool to see some of the memorials at a different point of view. All of us have become quite close. We're so much like a family! We talked, ate, and enjoyed each other's company on the boat ride. We also go to experience the metro train and bus systems. For many this was a first time. Needless to say that due to the small spaces, we became close really quick! The people on the metro were very kind and understanding with all of us. Many also were very interested in the 4-H program and impressed with our group. They could also tell that we were new to the metro system so they gave us some helpful hints. For example..... "Hold on to the railings" and "stand in a wide-legged stance for balance." Finally, we made it back to the 4-H center. We had some down time, so in preparation for the dance tomorrow night, we decided to have a swing and line dance lesson on the stage of the auditorium. I believe that we are all definitely pros now! It's been so fun just to hang out with all of these other 4-H'ers across the state. We are all dreading leaving already, but now it's time to get all rested up for the last full day here in Washington, D.C.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
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