The Food Critics Return

So, now that it is the end of the weekend it is time to tell about the good food places I have been to. Being in Washington D.C. gives you lots of options for different flavors!

Now if you are someone who likes Tex-Mexican food I would suggest Cactus Cantina. It is located a very short bus ride or about a 15-20min walk, if the weather is nice, down Wisconsin Ave from the Tenley Campus. The setting is very comfortable but it is loud with how many people go there, so if you are looking for a quiet place this is probably not what you are looking for. The starter basket of tortilla chips and salsa, that has a good kick, is wonderful! I got the chicken fajita, which comes out on a sizzling cast iron pan of deliciousness. The peppers and onions were fried to perfection and the guacamole was fantastic as well.

If you are looking for some good thin crust pizza the place for you would be Pete’s New Havel Style Pizza at the corner of Wisconsin Ave NW and Irving St. NW. Pete’s pizza is a very thin crust pizza but is not crispy or burnt. (A slice goes for about $2.50). They also serve some type of old school fountain sodas which are sickeningly sweet but absolutely fabulous. My top choice is the cherry coke.

I nice place to take your family if they come see you or a nice place for you and your friends is Capitol City Brewing Company. This restaurant is right by the Union Station metro stop. Now something which I insist that you get is the Southwest Keg Rolls. I am not a bean person but for some reason the mixture of chicken, corn, tomatoes, cabbage, black beans and mozzarella cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla and deep fried then served with sweet thai chili dipping sauce makes beans taste good! For a main dish I ordered the chicken strips which were very good with whatever little spice they added to them to make your mouth a little hot. But no worries since this place is famous for their home brewed root beer.

These three restaurants were my picks for this week. Next week will be back with another three restaurants which are wonderful in Washington D.C.!

Identity

In class the idea of identity has been a reoccurring topic or conflict, war, genocide, and disagreement. So i decided to look at this idea a bit more. What I have discovered is below.

I had never really thought about what my identity is. Identity seems to be something which people are willing to kill over, I have started to learn. But why? Why is your identity so important? That is something I still have not learned. So, what is my identity then? Is it something so great that I would kill for it? We have continued to see examples of groups which have killed each other because of identities, which many people did not even know they had. How can we create identities for others without knowing them?

I feel the identities created are normally some of the largest identifiers in society; skin color, sex, religious affiliation or political ideology. You could say these are “hot button” issues, issues which would cause lots of controversy because people have such a personal connection or position in regards to these identifiers.

But why do, as humans, we need to care these identifiers? Why do identities matter? Why is there a need to see differences instead of similarities? Does it make people feel better about themselves? Does it help people feel as if their life is not useless? Because if you care about something then you have a purpose, right? Does an identity give your life a purpose? If so then wouldn’t identity purely be a safety blanket so that you do not become over whelmed by feeling insignificant?

So, then what is my identity? I honestly do not know. The only thing I could think of would be my mind. My mind dictates my decisions; and my decisions are what identify me. But do I always listen to my mind? Or are my decisions dictated by others? Then leading me to believe that my identity is then created by someone else? I do not think this. I think I make the choice I do. I may ask the opinions of those who I value but in the end I make the choice I do.

Time Management :-/

This is going to sound very cliché but time management is really important. I am noticing this as I have been studying down in Washington D.C. I suppose I always knew I was a procrastinator but since I am now in the city there are so many more things you can do to get distracted from work. Going to college in a city I feel is a Catch 22. There are so many talks, exhibits, and events I would like to attend but I have to make the choice of going to talks and events or doing the work for my seminar. Now, I am not going to tell you that my choices have always been to do my work, as I said I am a procrastinator, but there are times when I need to buckle down and do work (which will be happening this weekend). I suppose that is a version of time management just maybe not the best one.

I think the key is finding a balance, because coming to study at the Washington Semester gives you the opportunity to meet people from all over the United States and the globe and be exposed to a totally different environment. So, of course you want to go out and socialize, which I think you should do because if you do not, your semester will not be a full experience! There has to be a health balance of both socializing and getting your school work done.

Now this may seem like freshman year 101 of leaning time management skills but for me coming from a rural school in upstate New York being in a city allows for lots more distractions and reason to not do my work. Something I really suggest is either bring a planner or if that does not work for you (like me) having a notebook which is dedicated purely to your “to do” list so that you stay organized and know what you need to get done!

All About Comfort

Today I learned how important it is to have a comfortable working environment. Without a comfortable work environment it is harder to ask questions, and learn more. I feel this is something that students here at the Washington Semester need to really remember when they are searching for their internship. Honestly when you are going in for an interview at an organization and you feel uncomfortable in the office space then you will want to figure out if it is just nerves or if it is actually the office space.

The reason why I bring this up is because interning at TransAfrica Forum has been fun for me and I feel I own that a lot to the comfortable work environment and people I work with. Everyone is very open to me asking questions and furthering my learning. For instance I am conducting research for my seminar, not my internship, on child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and I was able to go and talk with the head of the Africa department and ask for articles and organizations to contact to get more information without worrying about it.

Also this past weekend was the birthday of two people in my office, one of whom was an intern, and we had a little party in the last hour of the work day of snacks and were able to sit around talking with everyone. The executive director even came in and was talking with everyone even the interns as if they were no different.

I really feel at my internship that I am treated as an equal and not as some low “intern” in the stereotypical way (if that makes sense). A way to avoid a bad environment is asking in your interview what would some of my tasks be as an intern? I really do feel that it comes back to the environment which I am working in that makes me feel this way.

Food Critic (but not really) :)

Now I would like to say I am a foodie. I am someone who loves food and especially good food! Something that is wonderful about being in Washington D.C. is there are tons of different places to go out and eat at. So, I have decided to dedicate this blog to some of my top picks. Mind you these are in no specific order.

The first restaurant that comes to mind is Zorba’s Café located in Dupont Circle right by the Dupont Circle Metro Station. This place has wonderful Greek food at a reasonable price. My choice from the menu was the famous Greek gyros and french fries, and I have had the real ones in Greece so I can compare, and this one was comparable! I also suggest that you grab some baklava for a wonderfully sweet dessert to finish your meal.

Now if you have more of a sweet tooth then I suggest Tryst in Adams Morgan. Its coffee shop/bar setting is very interesting and they have some fabulous baked goods. My choice have consisted of the fruit danish and the chocolate croissant. Now the wonderful flakiness of the chocolate croissant combined with the perfect amount of chocolate with every bit was to die for! The fruit danish had a perfect mixture of cream center, surrounded by flaky pastry, and topped with a mixture of delectable fruit. Other than some sweet treats which Tryst offers, is breakfast served all day. Now one of my favorite breakfast meals is waffles served with strawberries and whipped cream. Now one criticism I have towards Tryst is they do not have good maple syrup, now many may not agree with me on this statement but I am from Vermont, we even make our own maple syrup at my house so I come in with pretty high standards for maple syrup.

Now breakfast is one of my favorite meals. As my mother always says “breakfast is the best meal served because you never have to clean up, because who wants to start their day that way?” A great breakfast place which is open 24/7 :) is Steak and Eggs located in Tenleytown not to far of a walk from Tenley campus. One of my other favorite breakfast foods is egg sandwiches; egg sandwiches are something I ordered every morning back at my home school, so am consistently on a search to match those made by the amazing Laure. Well the results are in and I have found a place that comes quite close!

Stay tuned for more on eating in Washington D.C. next week!

Two School, One Roof

This week we have been going the current situation in Bosnia. What I found most intriguing about the current situation in Bosnia is something referred to as “two schools, one roof.” I do not know if many of you may have heard this term before but I had not and found it so interesting because it is such a different system that what system is here in the United States.

Now what “two schools, one roof” refers to is the policy of having literally two schools, two different styles of education, in the same school building. You may be thinking that well two different styles of education does not seem that bad, everyone has a different style of learning, right? Well this is different; these students are being segregated because of their religion because there is still a lot of tension between the two religious groups, Muslims and Christians, from the Bosnian Genocide during the 1990’s. In some of these schools students of different religions even enter through different doors so that they stay separated. These students learn different histories about Bosnian depending on their religion. Some students will learn that the Muslims should not be in Bosnia and that they need to be expelled; while the other side will learn that the Muslims were brutally murdered by the Slavs or they may not even learn about the Bosnian Genocide. Being taught these different ways I feel helps promote some of the stereotypes which allowed for violence to occur to the level which it did in the Bosnian Genocide.

It is so interesting that religion is so ingrained into education because here in the United States it is not. Yes, you are allowed to study religion in higher education but it is not something required. While in Bosnia some schools pray in school.

I would like to be clear that no all schools in Bosnia have this style of education system. The education of an area is decided by Minister of Education for each district like area (there are 10 in Bosnia). There are some schools which are fully integrated and do not have religion in school or teach different histories.

A Little Perspective

This past week in my Peace & Conflict Resolution seminar we have been going over the Bosnian genocide. I honestly did not know much about the Bosnian genocide before this or about the conflict which lead to it. As an introduction we read Peter Maass book, Love Thy Neighbor: A Story of War. Peter was a journalist who was stationed in Bosnia to cover the conflict while it was going on. I want to warn anyone who is thinking of reading this book it is quite disturbing and upsetting since it talks of the genocide which occurred and has refugees and survivors accounts of what happen to them. It tells of concentration camps, rape, starvation, brutal attacks and honestly gets you quite lost about where humanity has gone. But it is a very important book because as difficult as it is to talk about war and genocide and human beings being so brutal to each other we cannot forget it or turn our backs on it because if we do then we will forget and may allow the same mistakes to occur again.

The next few days after discussing Maass’ book we met Bosnian refugees and survivors. What is so difficult for a lot of people in my seminar is that the survivors are just a few years older than us. They are in their twenties and going to college. This genocide occurred when we were alive and when we were kids. It is not some far off thing like the Holocaust that happened during a World War it happened in the early nineties and there is still high tension in the area.

Something that was very interesting was the fact that so many people received labels from the Yugoslav army that they did not even know they had. The Bosnian genocide is when Christian Slavs wanted to “cleans” Bosnian of Bosnian Muslims (or as they were referred to by the Yugoslav army Turks). Some of the Bosnian Muslims did not go to mosk and they even ate pork (which is against the Islamic religion) but they had a Muslim name which meant they needed to be “cleansed.”

I cannot imagine how it must have been to be persecuted for something which you did not even identity with, which is what we heard from some of the survivors. The survivors told us that they were labeled into a group and an identity they did not even know they had. To be told that you are something, which you feel you are not, and that that something is wrong which justifies killing you enrages me, because I know if it happened to me I would be enraged.

Not to have a downer post, it is more to make people think about how important it is that things of history which are bad must be taught for that is the only way in which society is not doomed to repeat atrocities.

:)

After being sent our schedule for this week from my professor I was quite excited to learn that Bob Schieffer, a CBS anchor is coming to speak to us. I started to look back on some of the people I have met so far in my seminar and am very impressed by how many prominent figures I have met. We have met journalist, CEO of nongovernment organizations, authors, genocide survivors, executive directors, conflict analysis, and mediators. Then to add on top of it our professor was telling us about who we would be meeting while aboard are UN representatives, EU representatives, presidents and prime ministers, and ambassadors.

These individuals have solved wars between countries, started the breakdown of stereotypes after war, met Mother Theresa, started NGO to better the world, find information for everyone to use, and told the story of those who could not be heard.

To meet such prominent members in your field and be able to question them and learn from their experience is such a fantastic opportunity! I have learned so much more about what I want to do after college so that I can go into the field that I wish to go into from our speakers.

What is also so amazing is how open the speakers are to your questions and asking for their business cards. With every speaker you should always send a thank you email to let them know how you enjoyed what they talked about because then you can continue a conversation with them and it allows you to network with the people of the field you are looking at getting into. As bad as it may sound sometimes it is about who you know, and with this program you are meeting a lot of people in high positions and making a personal connection with them.

What to Wear? What to Wear?

Well, I know it has been a long time since I have written, there has been so much going on in my seminar and with my internship that I have not been posting what I have been writing down.

One thing that always comes up in the Washington Semester is how to dress for class. There are three styles in which you will be asked to dress for your seminars in the Washington Semester. These styles are business formal, business casual, and casual.

First, business formal, for males business formal is a full suit which includes a button up, suit jacket, dress pants, a tie and dress shoes. For females there are more guidelines. Women can also wear full business suits; this would either be with a skirt or pants. I female business suit would include a business jacket, button up, blouse or nice top, then a nice pair of pants or a skirt, and business shoes. Girls can also wear business dresses; these would normally be a bit above knee length or knee length or longer. Business dress of course would be partnered with business shoes. With most of these outfits females tend to wear stockings or tights.

Next is business casual. Business casual is always harder to define. For males business casual would mean dress pants but not suit pants, so it can include khakis or other pants which are not jean material. Males would also wear a button up but you do not need a tie or suit jacket. For females it gets a little more difficult to define. Skirts are still fine but not miniskirts, I would say that if you put your hands down at your side and your skirt is above where about your fingertips hit you will probably want to not wear it to a business casual class. When it comes to pants it is just the same as for guys, no jean material everything other than that is pretty much acceptable.

For casual it is really whatever you would wear to classes at your normal class at your homeschool. I would personally suggest not wearing pajama like clothes.

Day to Explore

So, my friends and I have decided that every weekend (we hope) we are going to pick a different area of Washington DC to explore. This weekend’s choice was Georgetown! Places to visit on the list are: Georgetown Cupcakes, Annie Cream Cheese and what even else we found exploring. If you want to get into Georgetown from Tenleytown you need to take bus 31, 32, or 36 from the most stop right at Tenley Circle to the M St. NW and Wisconsin Ave. NW bus stop. The bus ride takes about thirty minutes. Georgetown has tons of stores and restaurants to explore.

When we got to Georgetown Cupcakes the line was around the corner and since it was misty rain day we decided to save waiting for cupcakes for a sunny day. Annie Cream Cheese has some great funky clothes. Annie Cream Cheese also has some really fun sunglasses. On Mondays they have some great deals for college students of 40% off when you have your college ID. Next stop was h&m which had a great sale section where I got a perfect blouse for my business casual days. We got lunch at this really great Italian restaurant down a side street off of M Street. I have never really liked tomatoes or tomato sauce but I loved the tomato sauce at this restaurant!

Getting off campus and being out around people other than students was great. Being on campus and in the flow of student life on campus it is so easy to get stuck in this bubble of campus and student life and not really see the outside world. That is why it is always best to be able to balance your time between your social life and your school life. You need to always leave time for something more than school work and the normal going out of a weekend night. I think that has been one of the hardest things here being able to balance the parts of life with the option of doing so much in Washington D.C.