My long day began with waking up at 3 in the morning to
begin getting ready for the long day of travel. I arrive at El Cerrito High
School around 3:40AM. Don and Joyce were already there by the time I arrived.
Being completely honest I was felt like I was still asleep and not myself yet.
My mom came with me to say good bye and she also need to sign some papers. Don
had snacks and luggage tags that he handed out after he gave us a speech about
the dangers of New York. When I said good bye to my mom who was in a hurry to
get out of the cold, I think she was completely fine with leaving me this time
around because she knows I can take care of myself and that makes me feel very
independent.
The shuttle arrived at about 5AM we loaded up and wave good bye to
Don and headed to SFO airport. The whole TSA process went smooth we had about an hour
before we had to board so we took that time to go eat breakfast; I had a fruit
salad with coconut water. It was nice not to be in a rush I gave me time to
talk with my cohort. When the plane took from SFO it felt surreal to be on my
way to D.C. For the first part of the plane ride I did take a power nap which
gave me the energy to finish my reading and organize page sources. I sat next to the loveliest couple that was
traveling to Texas for a huge family reunion. Ron and his wife were so friendly
they made feel so comfortable. I love how they talked about the importance of
staying connected to family. I learned from them that it doesn’t matter if your
family lives a plane ride away it is still important to stay connected. They
told me that the first thing they were going to do when they landed was head to
the cemetery where Ron’s grandfather was buried and also some other family
members. I was memorized by the fact that he never forgot about his past
generations. I was amazed when Ron showed me a newspaper report of his father’s
death. I was amazed at how his father was working one day and because of a freak
occurrence his life was just over in a flash. That made me think about my life
and made me question whether or not I am living to my fullest potential. It’s crazy
to me how much two strangers could make me reflect so deeply about myself. I
was very jealous when they talked about all of the good barbecue they would be
eating. They live in California not that far from where I live. They mentioned
that they were retired and might consider moving to Texas if they could get
everything right. I gave them my blog address so I hope they read this and find
out how much I appreciated them talking to me. I used to hate talking to strangers
but I soon learned that some of the best open conversations you could ever have
can be with a complete stranger that you might never see again. That just goes
to show that you can learn from every one you encounter in your life. We had a small
layover in Dallas Texas where we picked up a snack and boarded the second plane
from Dallas to Washington D.C. since we are flying Virgin American we had
assigned siting for that part of my trip I sat next to Joyce who is to my left
and Alyanna who is to my right. I let Alyanna use my neck pillow so she was
asleep for most of the plane ride. I took advantage of the time to begin my
blog.
When we arrived to Washington D.C we headed to go see the monuments. I was
just inspired by the strong leaders this nation has ever known. I am amazed
that to this day some of honored leaders are still inspiring the next
generation. Something about walking around at night sightseeing made the city
look and feel romantic to me.
For dinner we went to Safeway, yes you read right Safeway where I had the most memorable food shopping experience of my. Let me just tell you this I felt like I bonded with my cohort over cheesecake.
Today has become one of the most memorable days of my life and for that I am thankful to be blessed to have the opportunity to learn so that one day I can teach others what I have learned.
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| Happy jump |
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