Staff Blog

Still today, those who went on LC2DC are discussing it and what an amazing experience it was. Students, faculty, and staff alike are expressing the tremendous impact this trip had on all. D.C. has a lot to offer, from art and history to political activity (and each was part of this trip) but what made this trip special was the "Louisburg College family", as many have put it, that attended. We were able to share our interests and knowledge, learn about each other, and discover new worlds within this family.

Some of the highlights for me were seeing the students and some staff experience D.C. for the first time. From the Metro to the Capitol, each seemed to hold equal grandeur.

The trip started with a bus ride that flew by, it seemed. Watching Independence Day and The American President kept us entertained, but didn't damper the interaction that a good bus ride incubates. Upon arriving and going over some trip details, all enjoyed the facilities of the National 4-H Youth Conference Center. My favorite moment came with three RCCs graciously scrounged together $1.50 in change to get me a Diet Coke (who carries change anymore!?); thanks, Yosi, Sam, and Von!

7:00am breakfast came early but was worth it. Everyone was on time and ready to go. We made it to the Metro and many were impressed by the escalator that seemed to travel a mile underground. It was smooth sailing (or railing) into D.C. as we arrived at Union Station. The short walk to the Capitol Visitor Center, we had the only rain we experienced that day and we arrived ready to see this $600 million facility. Inside, students explored the great museum displaying artifacts from Senate and House of Representative's history along with the many statues from states around the country.

Departing the Capitol we went to the National Gallery of Art. Professor Will Hinton took us through the gallery and showed us the Caulder mobile flying above the lobby. Students were left to explore. I was excited about the exhibit of Picasso drawings. The progression of his style was chronicled through pencil, charcoal, and pastels.

From the NGA, students had their choice between the Natural History Museum or the American History Museum (or, as I put it, dirt or cool stuff... I was a History major). Students came away discussing all the things they saw and were impressed by the collections. I enjoyed seeing the Star Spangled Banner again and enjoying some coffee in the cafeteria with faculty.

From there, it was off to the Old Post Office. This was one of the places I was most excited for the students and faculty to experience. It is the third highest point in D.C. and you can go up the bell tower for an amazing view. Most of the group took the trip up and were able to see all of the capital.

We had dinner and left the Old Post Office and headed out on our walking tour. First, the White House. Depending on who you were with, we either saw the front or back of the White House. Not sure if Mr. Obama was home, but the lights were left on for us. It was then off to the Washington Monument and World War II Memorial. As Fonda Porter stated later, "we arrived just at the right time for photos," as the sun was just disappearing and the moon was coming out. It was then off to the Vietnam War Memorial. I believe this is still one of the most somber memorials and with its impact on those who walk past the thousands and thousands of names. It was made more real when I saw a student searching the wall and discovered he had a relative's name on the wall.

From there it is a short walk and long climb up to the Lincoln Memorial. This is the my favorite. The power of this memorial comes in the size of Lincoln and the detail of his hands and face. Reading the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address you are reminded of how close we came to dissolving as a nation.

It was then off to the Korean War Memorial, with its haunting statues. This memorial evokes an uneasy feeling, similar to the feeling you may have about the war.

Finally that night was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. This memorial possibly sparked the most conversation and differing interpretations. I was struck by the placement of the memorial with King staring across the Tidal Basin directly at the Jefferson Memorial. Jefferson, who wrote that "All men are created equal" and King who fought and died almost 200 years later trying to fulfill that statement confront each other here. It was very powerful.

On Sunday, the group made it back to D.C. and had the option to explore several different sites. I decided to go the National Archives and see the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. I loved seeing that while writing the US Constitution, the writer made mistakes and had to insert several words (like "the"). These corrections then had to be explained at the end of the document to make them official. Lesson, spell check! On the way to lunch I noticed a lot of police and FBI cars (and helicopter) around. I shortly found out that the President was going to be driving by back to the White House. I stuck around and saw his motorcade travel by.

The group came back together at the National Holocaust Memorial Museum. The museum is designed to put you through the experience of the Holocaust. You start by receiving a small booklet with the picture and name of someone in the Holocaust. My person's last name was "Gani"... which took my breath away with the similarity of our names. You take your booklet and board an elevator with a dozen other people. You are not packed in, but there isn't a lot of room (if this was a train car during the Holocaust, twice as many would be packed in). You are taken to the 3rd floor and you begin the journey. You learn about the rise of the Nazi party and Hitler's power. You learn of the anti-Semitic laws and behavior that was spreading across Europe and the start of WWII. Exiting the 3rd floor you are given a brief reprieve with benches looking over an art installation of four large canvases, three rectangular and one pie shaped, painted completely white. The 2nd floor is about the Final Solution and the death camps. One of the most powerful pieces is a train car that you walk through. On the side of the entrance all is normal, but when you exit and look down there are the suitcases of the passengers thrown to the ground; the passengers will not need their possessions where they are going. Further in the exhibit is a listening room where you hear the testimony of survivors and what they went through; they speak as if this happened yesterday. Leaving the floor is the room filled with shoes; can anyone imagine 6 million pairs of shoes that no longer have their owner? The last floor of the exhibit is liberation and freedom. The end of the war and the liberation of the camps. You exit out into the Hall of Remembrance, its simplicity and peacefulness. You need this closure.

We left the museum and made it back to our bus. The trip home was quiet as we watched Forrest Gump. I believe we were all ready for our own beds.

This was an amazing experience and this only touches the surfaces of all we saw and did.
~Brian Gano