Week Two

Well, I have been here two weeks now, although it feels like much longer.
This past week was pretty busy, but I saw and experienced some amazing things!

Last Friday we went to the Newseum, which was a really really wonderful place. Some highlights included the Berlin Wall exhibit, where there is actually a portion of the Berlin Wall - see picture below. Around the room there are other pictures and information about how the press/media influenced the situation and how despite the physical barrier of the wall, the media was able to bring information to East Germany. Another highlight is the 9/11 exhibit. In the middle is a piece of an antenna from one of the towers, and there is a time line of the events that occurred on that day. Most impressive, however, is that one of the walls is covered with the front pages of 127 newspapers from around the country and world. Again, see pictures below. It is certainly a powerful display.

Many other pretty great exhibits exist in the Newseum including the Pullitzer Prize exhibit where the two Pullitzer prize winning photographs from every year are displayed. There are some very heart wrenching pictures up on the wall in this room - from the genocides in Rwanda and Sudan, to the hurricanes in Haiti and Louisiana. Other exhibits feature the front pages from major newspapers all over the world, one exhibit displays a large map (see picture below) of the status of the press all over the world. We are reminded that the United States was the first country to grant freedom to the press, and while we often take that right for granted, there are many countries in the world that put restrictions on the press. In some areas, journalists even face physical danger - arrest, detainment or worse, for reporting controversial stories. One could literally spend hours in this building. If you are ever in DC, I highly highly recommend that you go to the Newseum. I know that unlike the other museums it does cost money, but it is very much worth it.

On Saturday, some friends and I decided to go over to the Capitol to see Senator Kennedy's funeral procession. I could barely believe that I was standing with 5000 other people outside the United States Capitol watching one of our greatest Senators pass it by for the last time. Truly a unique experience. It was very moving to see the steps of the Capitol filled with his staffers and colleagues and to be led in the singing of America the Beautiful as the procession arrived. The crowd was pleased when the Kennedy family and other notables such as John Kerry stepped out of the cars to wave to us and listen to the prayer, and to hear Kennedy's son thank the staff for their commitment and hard work over the years. I am very grateful that I had this opportunity. I hope to make it over to Arlington in the next few weeks to visit the grave site as well.

Another busy week is ahead. I will update soon!
Enjoy the pictures, and again feel free to comment on anything!

Until next time,

Rachel

Senator John Kerry

Pictures

The United States Supreme Court

Freedom of the press around the world
(Green - Free; Yellow - Partly Free; Red - Not Free)

A portion of the Berlin Wall at the Newseum

The Bill of Rights at the National Archives

The Constitution of the United States at the National Archives

The Declaration of Independence at the National Archives

The Museum of Natural History - awesome place!

Settling In

To begin with, I was very sad to hear today that Senator Kennedy has died. He was truly an inspiring figure and he undoubtedly was one of the greatest Senators the United States has ever seen. I hope that we can push through the health care legislation, and perhaps they will dedicate the bill to Kennedy given his commitment to the issue throughout his career.

I have spent the past week settling into my dorm, learning how to navigate the metro system, and searching/interviewing for internships. It is very odd going through all of this orientation. It really makes me feel like a freshman again, which is not something that I was expecting. I must say it's not the greatest feeling in the world, but oh well. The internship search is going pretty well, I had two interviews yesterday, so I put on my new suit and heels and made my way to the offices of these organizations. Both interviews went pretty well I think, and hopefully I will hear back from them early next week. I also started class officially today. My professor and classmates seem great, and there is a rather large number of international students here, so the different perspectives will, I'm sure, add greatly to our conversations.

Today in class we had an "Introduction to International Law and Organizations" lecture, but tomorrow and Friday we are heading into the city to hear some speakers. Tomorrow we will be at the Library of Congress to hear a speaker talk about International Law, Sources, and Resources, and Friday we are going to the Newseum, which is supposedly really cool, to hear about International Law in the news and how it affects our daily lives.

I spent a little more time wandering around the Mall this past week. We went to the National Archives and saw the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. Of course, we watched National Treasure later that week : ) It is very impressive that these documents remain pretty much intact. We also went to the White House Visitor Center and the National Gallery of Art. Unfortunately both days we got rained out so didn't see as much as we would have liked. The weather is still pretty hot and humid.

All in all, things are going very well. I'm excited to jump into my class, I think that our professor will do a great job balancing lectures with speakers and outings, and we should be studying some interesting things. I'm also eager to settle an internship and start working. I think this program is perfectly balanced because it includes both class time and "real world" experience. I've also met some great people from all over the country and world for that matter, so I expect it to be an excellent semester!

More pictures will be coming soon!

Until next time,
Rachel

First Impressions

Well today was my first full day in Washington DC, and my mom and I spent the day doing the tourist thing before I move in to the dorms at American tomorrow. After successfully navigating the buses from Georgetown to downtown, our first stop was the Library of Congress

This really is a beautiful building. We went on the tour and learned that the library owns 140 million items and accepts 3000 more every day. Few of these items are actually stored at the library though...which was interesting to hear. Besides the ornate decorations and the Gutenberg Bible (which we weren't allowed to take pictures of) the most fascinating part was an exhibition called "Creating the United States". On display are early hand-written drafts of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights complete with cross-outs, inserts, and notes in the margins. Next to these documents were dozens of letters and speeches written by our Founding Fathers including the Federalist Papers, Washington's First Inaugural Address, and a letter from Jefferson to Reverend Samuel Miller on the Separation of Church and State, as well as early copies of manuscripts and essays by notables such as Locke and Paine. It is amazing to think that the hands of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin moved over these pages. Did they know they were in the process of creating a country that would become the most powerful on earth? What would they say to us today about the state of our Union? I've never really been a huge American history buff, but it was really exciting and rather awe-inspiring to look at these documents that contain our essential values, rights, and ideals.

After the Library, we stopped at the Capitol for lunch and pictures, then walked down the Mall, attempting all the while to stay in the shade as it was incredibly hot out. We spent some in the Natural History Museum. The place was pretty packed when we got there with families and little children, but we saw the dinosaur and mammal exhibit and got a look at the Hope Diamond. We continued on and saw the Washington Monument, and managed to see the back side of the White House. I expect to return to most of these places during the course of the semester to explore them more fully.



Tomorrow we head over to American University, orientation starts Thursday, and classes start next week! I hope also to be settling my internship at some point towards the end of next week.

I think I will plan on blogging once or twice a week, depending on what is happening. Again, feel free to comment on anything!

Until next time,
Rachel