With Great Opportunity Comes the Requirement of Abundant Energy

I woke up at 8:15 this morning to the gentle voice of my roommate Saba. I quickly rushed out of bed, since we were all supposed to meet at the lobby by 8:30. We hurriedly put on our summer-ready outfits and headed downstairs. 

I greeted my lovely, but exhausted cohort. We all wished we could have had at least 4 more hours of sleep that night. Our exhaustion was evident over breakfast; there was not a single word uttered for a decent amount of time. Upon finishing our breakfast, we boarded the shuttle to the Smithsonian. 

1970's Count Dracula

At the Smithsonian, we were lucky enough to make it just in time for the highlight tour given by this wonderful retiree named Andrew. He truly had a deep passion for the subject of American history and proved himself to be extremely knowledgeable on the topic. We were able to see things unique to the museum, such as authentic locomotives and various American pop culture artifacts. The artifact I found most intriguing was the prototype of Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin. I also saw other interesting mementos such as Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves and the hat Abraham Lincoln was wearing during his assassination.

Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves

After leaving the museum, we took a cab to the Georgetown University area for our tour, which was one of the prime reasons for our trip here to Georgetown. Prior to our tour however, we ate at this small corner restaurant called "Martin's Tavern". Each of us had ordered a sandwich, but I believe mine had truly surpassed my expectations. I had ordered a "Martin's Favorite", which on the menu was described as a chicken, bacon, and tomato sandwich topped with Parmesan. The actual entree was drenched in so much cheese that it looked like soup--it was splendid. After finishing our meals, we walked a measly 5 blocks to the Georgetown University campus. 

Martin's Tavern

When we arrived on campus, we were unsure of where the information session was going to be held. We had a map that directed us for where to go, however; there was construction taking place  at the time, so we had difficulty spotting the location. After wandering around like lost puppies in the university, we found the our designated Reiss building. We were first given an informational presentation by one of the admissions officers of the university. I found everything she had to say interesting and important, but I could feel myself drifting off to sleep due to my fatigue (all my cohort members can relate). After the presentation, we were split off into groups and given a tour from a current student at the university.

Our tour guide's name was Matt. He seemed to be truly in love with everything Georgetown had to offer, and described the University in a very honest and descriptive manner. He showed us many beautiful buildings and informed us of superstitions relating to the campus. He was also helpful in explaining that Georgetown is open to anyone of any religion, race, and background, and that there is an extensive amount of support available all throughout the campus.

Healy Hall (looks like Hogwarts to me!)

After our tour, we returned to the hotel and freshened up for our fancy dinner at the City Tavern Club. We were all dressed rather exquisitely. Our taxi cab driver dropped us off 3 blocks down from the location, and we had difficulty spotting it as first since it was slightly discreet. We walked up to the entrance, and the door was mysteriously opened for us, and a strange man that seemed to work for the tavern showed us the way to our dining room. I was rather confused since I was surprised when I walked in. I was expecting more of the traditional restaurant setting with one large room for dining, however; this place just looked like someone's house. I was puzzled at the fact that we had to travel down a flight of steps just to eat dinner. The house seemed old and creaky, but I also felt like the house was of some sentiment to history. My cohort and I traveled down the steps and were greeted by a nice man in a fancy suit.

This kind man turned out to be Sean Redmond, a Georgetown alumni. He seated us at our table and asked about how our day went, and what we thought of Georgetown. He also gave us the historical explanation of the club that we were eating at: town hall meetings were often held in the building, and people of high status, most notably John Adams, had dinner at the CTC. Later on, two alums arrived at the dinner table. I was given the pleasure of meeting Chris and Josie, two fabulous and extremely fun people to be around. Our discussions were nothing short of hilarious and entertaining, and they really persuaded me to consider Georgetown as a college option. I learned that Georgetown provides lots of support to its students, and does whatever it can to ensure that they succeed. The university also has internship opportunities literally right around the corner, so even while you're in college, you're already advancing yourself in the real world for after college. 

After our fabulous meal, Sean gave us a private tour of the building. This building was truly unlike any other that I've seen; it had 5 levels and so much history to it in every single room. I learned that unmarked doors were often used for the waiters to get easy access to the kitchen, and that the windows on the top of the roof were unlike any of those on any other building in the area. I am incredibly grateful to Sean for getting us access to this truly magnificent place; I believe it made our experience so much more priceless. 

We all returned to our hotel, and pulled out our laptops to blog. Today has been full of  great experiences and new view on college. The people I met today truly inspired me to reach high for my goals, and really made me realize that college is just around the corner.