Washington Monument
Hello again,
Time is going by so fast. I can’t believe that I will be going home next week! I’m devastated. Obviously I’m really excited about seeing my friends and family. And Christmas is a great time of year to be at home – everyone is back from their travels and there’s always a good buzz about the place. Even though it rains quite a bit here in NC, it’s not as dull or as gloomy as it is in Ireland during the winter so I’m definitely going to need some time to readjust to the Irish weather!
A couple of weeks ago I visited Washington, D.C. I loved it! Vimaljit, girl I met at the Gateway Orientation program, is studying at Georgetown University so I stayed with her for the weekend. One of the best things about getting a Fulbright is getting the chance to meet new people. I’ve also recently met up with two Irish Fulbrighters, one here in North Carolina and one in San Francisco (more about SF next week). Fulbright really does give you the opportunity to meet new people, from your home country as well as abroad.
My first day in DC was spent exploring Georgetown. It’s such a cute place. Looking at the different style of houses is one of my favourite things to do in a new place. I don’t know if that’s weird or not and I actually only found out how much I like doing it after visiting Chicago earlier this year. Chicago has some really cool architecture, especially around Lincoln Park. Vimaljit also showed me the house where The Exorcist was filmed! After grabbing a bite to eat we headed out for some drinks with her college friends. Going for drinks in DC is totally different from going for drinks in Chapel Hill, probably because Chapel Hill is your quintessential college town replete with UNC merchandise stores and frat houses (but I love it). There’s definitely a more businessy vibe in DC.
Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool
The next day I went sightseeing. I did the usual: Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Reflecting Pool, the Capitol, the White House…They are all within walking distance from each other. I then headed to the museums. The first one I went to was the Smithsonian Holocaust Museum. That was really interesting. I spent at least three hours in there. I read everything on the walls so I moved pretty slowly. I also went to the Library of Congress and the Museum of American History. By that stage I was pretty tired so I headed back to the apartment. We went for dinner and wine at a Japanese restaurant later that evening and it was great to unwind.
My bus was leaving early the next morning so I didn’t have time to do any more sightseeing. Which I was a little disappointed about because there is so much to do and see in DC. But I definitely intend on heading back in the future. It’s a great city. After San Francisco it’s my favourite US city (so far). I would definitely recommended a visit! 
As you’ve noticed, I also visited SF recently. I’ve family there so I went to spend thanksgiving with them. That was also so much fun and you’ll hear all about that next week!
Bye for now…
AnneMarie Brosnan 