Within a six-month period, I will have the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. three times. I should probably provide some background to make things make sense.
A little over a year ago, I was awarded a minority fellowship through SAMHSA and the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. In addition to receiving a generous sum of money, I have also had the opportunity to attend training meetings by some of the experts in my field (and related fields) on minority issues and substance abuse. It's a pretty incredible experience that always leaves me feeling a mixture of heavy emotions related to my cultural and professional identity. The last meeting left me feeling very unresolved. Also, I spent four days in our nation's capitol and saw none of it.
So, I can't say that I was really excited over the prospect of flying to Washington, D.C. to spend three solid days in a conference room and leave feeling emotionally battered. This is me, again, sounding ungrateful to the association that has given me a lot, in addition to paying for food, lodging, and airfare for this four day trip. I'm a brat.
I planned to arrive in D.C. early enough to get a good night's sleep before our first day, which was to be spent on Capitol Hill. Unfortunately, I got stuck in Dallas for an extra two hours as a storm passed over DFW and left us sitting on the tarmac. I was lucky enough to be on the same flight as my friend Martha, another MFP fellow and student at Tech, so we had dinner together in the airport while we watched CNN footage of a security guard at the Holocaust museum who was shot and killed earlier that day. It was sort of a chilling way to begin a weekend that was sure to include discussions of discrimination, oppression, and power. When we arrived at Reagan National Airport, we debated about catching the Metro to our hotel or taking a cab. A man driving a shuttle came up to us and said, "You need a cab? There are no cabs running this time of night. Get in my shuttle."
Why we obeyed him is beyond me. I will say that, while I am among the least street-savvy people in the country, Martha is a shade less savvy than I am. So we followed him, while Martha, confused, whispered, "I see three cabs up the street." But we concluded it was a little late to change our plans. Meanwhile, we got on a shuttle with seven other people from various other countries who were staying in various places around the city. I don't think the doors on the shuttle closed properly, as the overhead light flickered on and off several times. We kept looking over our shoulders to make sure our bags were still in the van. An hour later, he dropped us off at our hotel, and after some confusing negotiation over prices, we paid him way too much and checked in. It was 1:30 by this time, and my roommate, Kim, was already asleep when I got to my room.
The next day, we met in the hotel lobby for breakfast before taking the Metro to Capitol Hill. As I mentioned previously, I saw nothing that looked like D.C. when I came in February, so I was pretty awestruck by the sight of the Capitol Building, the House and Senate Buildings, monuments, museums, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, etc.
We had a photo session scheduled on the steps of the Capitol Building at 11 with Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. He was one of the major players in securing us the SAMHSA funding, which, according to Adisa, our program director, was a result of a conversation he had with Congressman Jackson about the importance of families (snide remarks about the congressman's family pre-empted). He was very nice, but took charge of placing us for the picture so that he could get it taken in a timely fashion and get back inside, where he was to be speaking in 15 minutes. If we'd had access to CSPAN that day, I guess we could have watched him.
The official Capitol Hill photographer got a shot of us with the congressman. This one was taken with my camera after he left. Sara, me, Avigail, Afshana, and Kristy.
Instead of watching CSPAN, we had lunch in the cafeteria of one of the House buildings, and then split up to meet with staff members of Senators/Representatives from some of our respective states. Those meetings were relatively short, which left us some time for sightseeing.
Here is a shot of me next to the Texas state flag. It's funny-Texas is the only state I've ever lived in whose flag I can recognize easily. It may be because it is such a simple design, but it's probably because I see it often.
There are 19 Smithsonian museums around Washington D.C. The first one we explored was the Native American museum. Because of the training associated with this Fellowship, I often find myself looking at things with a more critical eye than I used to. And the irony of a museum for Native Americans built on land stolen from Native Americans was not lost on me.
We visited an art museum featuring exhibits of Japanese artwork. Here is a shot of a screen from the Edo period (I think. It's been several weeks since I took this picture, and my memory is a little fuzzy. I liked that it depicted a family gathering. I also liked that they were eating onigiri, as I am pretty sure that Japanese families today still do this.
Below is an intriguing painting by James Abbott McNeill Whistler called The Princess from the Land of Porcelain. It's part of the
Peacock Room in the Freer Gallery. Whistler also painted the entire room in addition to this painting. Click the link if you want to know more about it. I just thought the painting was interesting because it is an American depiction of a Chinese woman. I don't think she looks particularly Chinese.
Here is a shot of me and Afshana as we made our way back to Union Station for dinner. I wanted to get Washington Monument in the back. I apparently also got piles of concrete barriers and the back of a moving truck.
Then, we headed to a restaurant called The America for dinner. When you have 27 people with different tastes, some of whom are also vegetarians, at the same dinner table, I guess you have to go kind of generic. The restaurant boasted cuisine from various regions of the country, like Maryland crab cakes, Texas barbeque, and Southern fried macaroni and cheese.
After dinner, despite soreness and fatigue, a few of us decided to see some of the monuments. Kristy lived in Washington D.C., and offered to show us around.
Here's another shot of me in front of the Washington Monument. I apologize for the angle, but it was the only way Kristy could get all of the monument in the picture.
Here are Kristy, Afshana, and I in front of the Lincoln Memorial. I was surprised at how crowded it was.
We also visited the Vietnam Wall, but it was getting dark, so I didn't get any pictures of it.
Here we are in front of the World War II monument
I have to say, I wasn't expecting to have a moment like I had in front of this monument. This Fellowship has been an interesting experience for me because, while I recognize that a large part of my receiving this award has to do with my minority status, meeting with other fellows and participating in these training sessions reminds me that my life has been minimally impacted by being a minority. I have very little connection to my Japanese ancestry (as my sister is quick to remind me), and people are more likely to mistake me for Latina than they are to correctly guess my Asian ethnicity. However, I will say this: I felt very conflicted as I walked around the World War II monument. I have a grandfather who, like many second-generation Japanese Americans at that time, was in the army. As an American, I am glad that our country accomplished its goals for peace in World War II. But then I think about Japanese Americans in internment camps, and I think about the horrors of unleashing the A-Bomb in Hiroshima, and I am reminded that there are two sides to every story. And I think being an American carries with it the responsibility of never forgetting that. I apologize if this rant makes you uncomfortable. I'm done.
Why bring this up on a blog that, for the most part, has been a documentation of my travels and occasional rants about my love life? It was sort of a turning point in my life, and particularly in my experience as a Minority Fellow. The next day, before starting our training, we were asked to share our thoughts about Capitol Hill. I shared my experience in front of the group, and had the opportunity, throughout the rest of the day, to have several conversations with others about the experience, including our faculty advisor, who intimidates me beyond reason.
The other notable part about that second day was that I met Gayle Iwamasa. I had no idea who she was previous to this trip, but, as it turns out, she is a Japanese-American former professor of psychology who has been active in leadership in the American Psychological Association. Recently, she made the decision to leave academia for hospital administration in order to spend more time with her three young children, who, like me, are fourth-generation half-Japanese Americans. I found out later that Adisa invited her to come with me in mind. I was touched. She gave me some great advice about connecting with the culture, balancing career and family, and coming to terms with having children who look like generic white people. Pretty much all of the things I worry about on a regular basis.
Here are some shots of the reflecting pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.
That night, we walked down to the waterfront, which was very pretty. I wish I could say I felt a strong desire to see Alexandria nightlife, but by 9:00, I was beat.
Saturday involved much more training. However, we did get time for lunch and dinner on our own. I am ashamed to say that I ate at the same restaurant twice, and that it was the kind of fast food sushi serious sushi afficionados like my brother would turn their noses up at. I also had a cupcake, though, which, I think, made up for it.
I had a little bit of time to browse some of the stores along the main drag of Alexandria's Old Town. It's sort of an interesting street. There are restaurants from various countries, as well as trendy fusion restaurants, bookstores, tiny boutiques, brand name stores, and, for reasons I don't really understand, two wig stores two doors down from each other. Some day, maybe I will get to explore these two wig stores and compare and contrast them. I just can't figure out why that particular community is able to sustain two wig stores adjacent to one another. I've lost sleep over it.
Here's one.
Here's the other.
I got up extremely early the next morning, as I had to catch a flight back to Lubbock in time to teach Relief Society that afternoon. The Metro hadn't even started running when I got to the station with my bags, so I took the time to snap this picture.
There are times when I'm pretty proud to be an American.
