On the first day, mom and I went cross country and roamed the streets of Washington. After checking into our hotel, we went to an organic restaurant called Founding Farmers. We sat down at the bar next to a young couple who happened to be chowing down on some very interesting looking wings. I asked them what they were and ordered a plate for myself. Lime, cilantro, soy wings. All organic. Freakin amazing. The guy, Trenton, told us they 'only come here for the wings and the cornbread'. And then I enviously watched as a cast iron pan of steaming cornbread was served to them. So mom and I ordered that too. And let me tell you, it just aint right that the BEST CORNBREAD I ever had comes from the North! We also got a Reuben and a salad, but Trenton and Mariel were right - cornbread and wings are the way to go. So we all got a-talking, and the amazingly nice couple told me all about life in DC and what to expect. They made me very excited. And it was one of those rare gems of a conversation, where you do more than just small talk, when you find yourself talking about deep stuff to total strangers. It was awesome. We exchanged info and I hope to catch up! From there, mom and I set our sights on seeing the monuments. We saw everything from the Lincoln Memorial to the White House. I even witnessed my first motorcade! I loved the first day. Everyone in DC was just so nice and friendly, so helpful. And the memorials were so touching. I think my favorite part was spending time with my mama, exploring a place that was completely new to us both.
June 20th was the first day of Colonial Inauguration - George Washington's orientation program. The "Colonial Kick-off" consisted of the colonial cabinet members putting a fantastic show for us with dancing, singing, and lights. Colonial Cabinet members are upperclassmen serving as counselors to us freshmen. It's like student governmet, but they are doing it to actually help their peers and not for the popularity. They are really quite awesome. After the kick-off, I met a lot of kids but felt kind of unsatisfied. I was expecting to meet people like the young couple at the restaurant - smart, interesting, and down-to-earth. The majority of the people I met were so stuck up and/or there to party. They were all trying to make this big impression, but in only annoyed the hell out of me. And to top it off, I find out that Thurston - my dorm - is actually known around the country as the biggest party dorm EVER.
The day was completely packed with stuff - information sessions, tours, lunches, floor meetings. And apparently, the parent and student schedules were carefully planned to keep us 100% away from each other at all times. I skipped out the last few things on the 'itenerary' to hang with my mom. We got coffee and then went for a walk. On the way back to our rooms, we met a girl named Erin. She was a junior at GWU and, like me, not there to party but to embrace the opportunities DC has to offer. She gave me so much insight on what to ACTUALLY expect at GW and gave me the best advice I'd heard all day. I was really thankful to hear from someone with similar interests and a similar lifestyle. I felt a lot more comfortable with being a student at GW. When I got back to my dorm, I decided to go downstairs to the piano lounge and mellow out. But in front of the piano were some Colonial Cabinet members and a couple students "Ooops. Sorry I was going to play but I don't want to bother you!" I said. One of the guys said "No no no. Please play! I am part of the Voice Gospel Choir. Play me something I can sing to." My heart just about lept. I hopped on and played "You are Good" by Israel Houghton, the most spirit-filled gospel song I know. Anthony, the voice gospel choir member, and his fellow voice gospel choir member, Destinee, sang along with me for ten minutes. We lit up the whole dorm with our praise and worship and sang other songs like "Here I am to Worship". It started with four people in that little piano lounge, and soon there was about thirty. Whether people understood what we were doing or not, God's presence was there in a dorm that was rated by Playboy magazine as the #1 sex dorm. Once it died down, it ended up being me and one other girl whom I was introduced to as Erica, a fellow incoming freshman. She told me that as she was walking inside Thurston Hall, she heard one of her favorite songs and she ran over to find out where it was coming from. We started talking about God and Christianity and the reputation of Thurston Hall. She told me her dad was a pastor, and we soon found out we had similar beliefs. We are non-denominational and we believe that church should let the Holy Spirit take over instead of formulating things. We went back to my dorm and I put some Laura Hackett on and she recognized it immediately. A fellow IHOP lover! I was so happy. She was so happy she started crying. We were so similar in spirit and in truth.End Night.
The next day, June 21st, was more informational then the previous day. I learned all about federal work study, studying abroad, internships, loans, etc. I made good friends with a girl named Becca, and we went to the Mount Vernon campus on a bus. I drank free coffee with my mom, ate spicy sushi, and ate barbeque with Erica at the CI barbeque. At this point, I was really wrestling internally with the decision of transferring out the notorious Thurston dorm or staying to be a light with Erica. I was really asking God for some guidance on this. Later that night, I was in a bad mood because I felt like everyone at GW was stupid. Don't ask me why, but this judgmental and "poor me" attitude took over. Reluctantly, I went with my mom to the scheduled Comedy Show together. However.... I was rolling over with laughter by the end of it! A team of comedians did satirical skits and impressions of everyone and everything from border patrol to Sarah Palin to Joe Biden. Hilarious! I wish I had a video. After the show, we split into small groups with our designated small group leaders. I had skipped on it the night before to talk with Erin and my mom in the street. But once the small group got rolling, I was really happy. Seriously, the small group was the best part of orientation. Everyone's toughness and phony fronts were dismantled when we had to ask hard questions honestly. Our end destination was getting the group into a circle and answering the question "What was your first time? Or first kiss?" Girls who seemed like they had it together had to be vulnerable and some guys even admitted that they are gay. When it was my turn, I said that I was a virgin until marriage and so I shared my first time falling in love. I talked about the whole story of God intervening in Jacob's life and bringing us together, a true story of love, friendship, and Holy Spirit. Nobody judged me and nobody thought I was crazy. Everyone really liked the story and I think even some were moved. I felt like I could really have a place in the GW community. There were tears and laughs and by the end we felt inseperable.
Back at the dorm, they had this truck called "The Big Cheese" parked out front. It's like an icecream truck, but they make you gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. There's apparently this new food fad in DC where trucks come around and sell you delicious food. I got a brie & apple sandwich.
The next morning, we had our "Pinning Ceremony" where the Colonial Cabinet members put on one last show and all the deans talk about our new life at GW. At the end of it all we pinned ourselves with "the GW pin". Cheesey, but endearing. My mom and I flew home and that was the end.
Oh, and I decided to stay in Thurston.
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