I made my flight arrangements and even convinced my good friend Abby to join me on my trip. And naturally, if I was going to go all the way out to D.C., I wasn't going to simply fly out, interview, and fly right home. So I called up my old roommate, Carley, to ask if I could stay with her and her husband for a few days. My D.C. trip came together perfectly in a matter of hours.
Enjoying our $243 (round trip!) flight from Salt Lake City to Baltimore. Thanks, Delta!
We arrived in Baltimore on Thursday evening, and Carley picked us up from the airport. Then we met Carley's husband, Adam, who was just getting off work. Adam (and what seems like half of the residents of the surrounding area) works on Capitol Hill. I should maybe mention that I am one of the least politically active people in the world, and being around so many people who work for the government and with government officials was pretty intimidating. I just prayed they didn't ask me too many questions about my political views.
Anyway, we headed to Ben's Chili Bowl for dinner. It was a fun little joint and I forgot about my strict "no hot dogs ever" diet to eat a chili dog simply because the picture looked good and I was starving.
After dinner, Carley and Adam dropped us off at the Lincoln Memorial. We had been told that the monuments were even more amazing to see by night, so we braved the 30 degree weather, and it was well worth it.
We even snapped some selfies at the World War II Memorial thanks to the self-timer on my camera. We are California Gurlz after all!
The next day, we got an early start.
We rode into the city as any D.C. resident would--on the metro! It's probably a little weird how much I love public transportation... Maybe it's due to south Orange County's complete lack of it. I have 18 years devoid of public transportation that I've been slowly trying to make up for over the past 5 years.
We first visited the White House. As you can see, it was pouring rain, so we struggled to find any tourists walking around who might be up to snap a picture of us. Eventually, we met a mother and daughter from Colombia and we took turns taking pictures for each other.
Then we headed to the Holocaust Museum, which was an incredibly humbling experience. Abby and I bawled through pretty much the entire thing. How human beings could ever exhibit so much cruelty to each other is beyond me. If any of you ever go to D.C., this museum is a must. It serves to inspire citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred and prevent genocide. The motto "Never again" is written throughout the museum.
Next stop--The Capitol Building! Still cold and pouring rain, and still a struggle to find someone to take a picture.
Which led to this:
And this:
And this:
And some more pictures which are probably too embarrassing to post.
So as we were dancing around and jumping in front of the Capitol Building and making complete fools of ourselves, this policeman approached us. Oh crap, we're making a ruckus and he's going to tell us to leave, was my first thought. But no, quite the opposite actually.
"You girls look like you are having a lot of fun. Well, I'm the fun police, and I want to keep the fun rolling."
Now we were just creeped out.
"How would you girls like to sneak past some of those chains and get some pictures from a VIP spot?"
Still slightly creeped out, but ok, we're listening.
"I'm going to take you up those stairs and you can get some close-ups with the building."
Freak yeah!
The policeman led us up to the chains blocking off the steps.
"It says no public access, but we can make an exception."
We walked up to a platform above the steps and he took several pictures for us.
"You know, the only thing that could make this more fun for you guys is if my good friend, Ty, would offer to take a picture with the two of you."
Who the heck is Ty?
"Ty is a trained killer. Hey, Ty! Would you take a picture with these fine ladies here?"
And that was when we got a look at Ty, and it all made sense.
Next up, a tour of the Capitol Building, given by Adam Jacobs himself. Since Adam works on The Hill, he gets special privileges, such as this awesome underground shuttle that looked like a Disneyland ride:
Adam helped us brush up on our U.S. history and taught us some really interesting things about the Capitol.
Next stop--lunch at Sweet Green!
This place is DIVINE. One of the best salads I have ever eaten. I have been craving it on the daily ever since!
Soon after lunch, we headed to Arlington Cemetery to watch the changing of the guard. It was still raining, and the fog had rolled in. The cemetery was nearly deserted, and while a rainy, foggy cemetery might not be for everybody, for me it made Arlington Cemetery seem even more tranquil and hallowed.
Saw this street sign and had to snap a pic since my mom's maiden name is McClellan. I'm sure George B. McClellan is a long lost relative of mine.
After Arlington Cemetery, we met up with Carley and Adam and some other D.C. friends for dinner at Ray's Hell Burger.
Naturally, I ordered the "Big Punisher," which looked a little something like this:
I like spicy, but one bite with those jalapeños and I had to down three huge bites of Carley's milkshake to keep from crying. After removing the peppers, I thoroughly enjoyed my burger.
The next morning, I had my interview. I filed in with 56 other qualified, but slightly terrified applicants. I became more and more nervous as I spoke to some of the other applicants. Several of them told me it was their second year applying, and since I had already been rejected from the University of Utah (let's just say I hate the Utes even more now. Cougar4life), I began to think that I might not get in anywhere this year as well.
First off we had a group interview, where I and two others talked with a faculty member named Dr. Jonely. She asked us to each tell her a little bit about ourselves. First off was some girl from Arizona, who explained that she decided she wanted to go into physical therapy because she had a younger sister with special needs who needed therapy every week. She entirely stole my thunder! I had planned to mention my little brother Austin, who is blind and autistic, and she totally beat me to it, all because she was seated to Dr. Jonely's left. Dang it.
Suffice it to say, I did not feel confident after my group interview.
We were then led on a tour of the campus and the PT facilities by current physical therapy students. The campus is in the middle of the city, and I loved the urban feel. The physical therapy school is in a mall for heaven's sake! So awesome!
After the tour, it was time for my one-on-one interview. I met with Dr. Cohn, a tiny little spunky lady. She greeted me and complimented my shoes, and I knew we were going to get along just fine. She asked me about my service experiences, and I talked about the Now I Can Foundation, which offers physical therapy for children with special needs like my little brother Austin. I also talked about my experiences in Ecuador, where I worked in orphanages and provided therapy for the children there. Then she asked me how I liked D.C. so far. I explained that I love how much of a melting pot D.C. is, and how the blend of ideas and peoples make for a wonderfully rich environment. I explained that I love living in the USA and I love the history that the city has to offer. I meant every word of it, and I could tell she liked what she was hearing.
I left the interview feeling that I had somewhat redeemed myself from the semi-devestating group interview, but not feeling as though I had solidified a spot at GW for next year.
But there was no time to waste... Abby and I met up and headed to the Smithsonian!
Making a fool of myself from the podium at the American History Museum.
Then I found an animal with possibly the largest hips-to-torso ratio I have ever seen in the Natural History Museum. We loved seeing all the dinosaur bones there!
After visiting several museums and finally getting kicked out of the National Gallery at closing time, we met up with Carley in Old Town Alexandria for Thai food at Mai Thai.
Naturally, we had to take a picture in our matching coats!! Thanks, J Crew!
Our final day in D.C. we headed to Georgetown, where we went loco crazy eating goodies at Baked n Wired.
Lumberjack pancake cupcake? Yes please!! My favorite napkin from the napkin wall:
MORMONS!
-We DON'T drink alcohol, coffee, or tea.
-We DON'T have pre-marital sex.
-We DON'T smoke.
But we DO get BAKED + WIRED.
Well said.
The area around Georgetown was absolutely amazing. I think I found a potential running spot!
Our very last stop in the city was Founding Farmer's, which we were told was the best place in the city for brunch. I think they were right. Holy cow, we were impressed!
D.C. was an absolute dream. And the icing on the cake...
Two days ago, I received an email saying that
I GOT IN TO GW!!!
