D.C.: Day Three

Monday, February 14, 2011

This was the first day I participated for the most part in NCLC, even though I did squeeze a bit of touring in. Jaron had business meetings again this morning, but I decided to attend the Women’s Forum, just until the museums opened, that is. Abbie, Aaron, and I were in our seats by 7:45. I scored and found some hot chocolate and coffee cake for breakfast among the caffeine hoarders. The forum was good. I heard two successful, female chiropractors talk about how they survived school and the early parts of their career. I couldn’t help wonder why both of them chose to wear mini skirts to present in. I wish desperately there was some type of standard professional attire for women. Without it, I see too much variance and too little respect for females in the work place because of it. No male and few females could take these women serious, just because the more part of their nice legs were exposed. This was definitely their own choice and folly, but because they did it, I am now judged for it and compared to it. This was a frustrating theme throughout the week.

But, oh well.

 

By 9:30 I had booked it out of there, changed, and had begun the trek to the Holocaust museum. It was kinda far away, but I made it there in about 25 minutes. I guess I would have if I didn’t stop along the way. A block from the museum was the Washington Monument. We had visited it with Amy, but didn’t get to go up it. I wasn’t sure if they were sold out for the day or not, but I decided to check it out just in case. Lucky me, they had a ticket for me to go up right then! In line I met a couple from Scotland and overheard a small family in front of me from Albania. The top was pretty neat—great view of the city from every angle, historical facts about GW, and snapshots from 1930, 1955, and 1999 right below each window. On the way down, we got to see some of the unique stones sent in from individual states. These were generally of nice granite or super expensive jade (in Alaska’s case). Each had ornate engravings on them with political slogans and/or state flowers, trees, birds, etc.

This is a replica of the very top stone.

Then I booked it to the Holocaust museum. I had exactly one hour to go through it if I wanted to get back in time for the free lunch at the Future Leaders meeting. It was hard to go fast, though, not only because of the content and layout of the museum, but also because a private school was touring the museum that day too: lots of kids in blazers clogging small pathways. Despite this, it was quite the experience. The museum presented historical information chronologically and guided tourists in a circular path up three stories. At the beginning, I was given a little booklet with a girl’s name and her story of how she survived the Holocaust. I guess I was lucky in that too, most people got a story of how their person died. One of the more powerful segments I remember was a bridge from one room to the next that was lined on either side with old shoes taken from camp prisoners. There were thousands of shoes here: all dark, dirty, and singed. On the was above them was a short poem about how these shoes only survived because they lacked heritage; they had no ethnicity and thus could not be punished for it. I found it quite powerful. The reflecting room at the end was likewise powerful: a huge, marbled room with a few gas flames burning, some quotes about learning from history on the wall, and old men crying into their hands while they sat on the entrance steps.  The last was the most real to me. There are still people living today who are directly affected by the horrors of that time. I pray my generation recognizes this and can remember well enough to keep anything close to this from happening again, though it probably will. And that’s the saddest part of all.

Tender moments are often crushed by time. And so it was here. I had to fly back to the hotel to get changed again and meet up with Jaron in the Future Leaders’ meeting. I was still breathing heavy when we found out Jaron had missed the lunch sign up. So there was no free lunch there. Bummer…would have stayed longer or seen more if I knew I’d have to buy my own lunch anyway. Oh well. I ran out and got Jaron and I some sandwiches and came back to listen in on the meeting. I wanted to know what it was like to be a SACA national rep., since Jaron’s thinking about running for one of the positions. I hope he doesn’t though. Each presenter talked about how grades must suffer, lots of money must be spent, and relationships must be sacrificed in order to keep up with the demands and travel of the position. After a good little chat, Jaron and I decided it would be best for him to serve at the local level and make a greater difference in the lives of his classmates. And see me more. Thank goodness.

Right after that meeting, we had to run to the Capitol for the group picture. 

We took the subway (which I had not been brave enough to try on my own), and literally were running in our suits up to the steps. Pictures took FOREVER. But they usually do. We decided to make the long walk back since it was such a nice day. In heels, I later realized, this wasn’t such a great idea. But, we made it back just a little late for our next meeting, which was a Logan-only conference meeting with the school’s legislative rep. who told us all what we should be doing throughout the year to continue fighting for chiropractor rights. He was a bit bushy.

But after that a Logan faculty member took us all out to dinner at a really nice, carnivore restaurant. (BAH!) Vegetarianism isn’t so fun in situations like this. While everyone else got fancy slabs of veal and venison, I enjoyed a not-so-special soup and salad….and more power bars later that night in our hotel…

After the long walk back to our hotel, Jaron and I found message chairs left by one of the vendors. We sat in them for a good hour. So nice.