First Trip to DC

Yesterday, I participated in the first ever End Modern Slavery Walk in Washington DC, Constitutional Gardens. It was my first time in our nation's capitol and I really enjoyed it! I left Regent with a group of students at 5 AM (ya, woke up at 3:30...not fun), and we embarked on the 3 hour drive. We made a stop at Chic-Fil-A (seriously don't understand why everyone is obsessed with that restaurant) and caught some sleep in the van. I got to see the sunrise. The orange tint outlined the horizon as it slowly made its morning entrance and gradually changed the sky from gray to blue. We got pretty lost trying to find the walk. After the adventure of parking a 15 passenger van in a parking garage we barely fit the height requirements for, we walked to the Lincoln Memorial to meet the rest of our IJM (International Justice Mission) group.

It's funny because I didn't actually do the 5k at all. Since we got there so late, it had already started and people were finishing it. I didn't mind because we walked so much the rest of the day that I definitely would have regretted it later. There were lots of people participating who are passionate about raising awareness. I discovered many organizations who have dedicated resources to fighting this injustice. Speakers included a former victim of sex slavery, the founder of Project 318 (who openly professed to be a Christian and got supportive applause for it), and the President of Shared Hope. It's really scary how much sex trafficking happens right here in the US. It's not an international crisis alone. Hundreds of thousands of children are forced into this in our own country. Check out www.polarisproject.com for facts and statistics. I dare you!

The Constitutional Gardens is gorgeous!

Raising Awareness is the answer to this crisis

Most girls forced into prostitution start at 13

Walkers

 Also had lots of time to be a tourist! The city is beautiful and I was surprised how similar the houses were to San Francisco. It's actually very similar to San Fran: rude drivers, no yards, hard to park, lots of stuff to see and do, but DC has more nature and fewer hills. Here are some photos...

Such beautiful buildings everywhere!

Veteran's Memorial...too many names. Quite humbling.

Me and Abe

The White House is right behind the Washington Monument

So much beauty

Washington Monument

After the event, our group went to lunch at Busboys and Poetry. It was a quaint little bookstore and cafe that would do very well in Santa Cruz. They emphasized being green, artistic, and organic. I had the best veggie burger of my life with a side of sweet potato fries! Yum! But to get there, we had to take the metro. It was quite the experience, and I'm really glad I don't have to do it everyday! Not a huge fan of a transit system that only gives you about 60 seconds to get on and off a crowded train that is located underground in a dark tunnel. So glad someone else was navigating.

Our tickets had panda bears on them :)

Looks like a scene out of a movie

When we finally made it back to the van, it was close to 4 PM. We were exhausted and did our best to sleep in the awkward positions that offered minimum comfort. Got to see the sunset as well. When I lost all the blood in my leg, I had no choice but to sit up and attempt to entertain myself for the remaining hour of our drive. I got so bored I played roadside ABC with myself (took forever to find a dang Z). Driving on Virginia highways is pleasant because both sides are mostly framed by forests not shopping centers. And the fall colors are beginning to show on the leaves. We got back at 8 PM, and then I freshened up to go straight to an engagement party for a friend (Jennifer from my 48 hour film team). I didn't get to bed until 12:30 AM which means that I was up for a grand total of 21 hours! It was worth it.