DC as Home

Joyce Choi

Blog #6

7/16/18

DC as Home

New York was a lot this past week. The last time I went was for only a day with my family when I was 12. This time was a completely new experience because it was for four days with a group of friends I made just a month ago. It was absolutely amazing, and I had a couple of big takeaways from the entirety of the trip.

When we were standing in line to get to the Statue of Liberty, I remember thinking with a friend how Ms. Okomou, the lady who climbed the Statue, was standing in line, just like us but with the mindset of climbing it that day. Also, Candace, our workshop leader mentioned a thought that I had also had earlier that day, but the Statue of Liberty is huge. Pictures never do reality justice. Seeing how big the Statue was and how high the base of it was and imagining Ms. Okomou climbing up there because of the injustices of present day America was a thought that struck me out of nowhere and gave me a huge moment of pause. She put her life on the line in order to show people how messed up our society is right now and how we need to do something about it.

Also, New York really is the place to meet famous people because I got to see Woody Allen and get a picture with him in Chinatown. First off, I loved Chinatown. It’s definitely bigger and a better representation than the one in DC; it seemed more authentic. Secondly, I had a discussion with some friends about how Woody Allen poses as a very problematic figure in society because of the scandal involving him marrying his adopted daughter. I was immediately disgusted by that idea and couldn’t help but judge him because of how wrong that is. However, immediately afterwards, I also thought that as a Christian, I should never be judging or condemning anyone for their actions. I’m not condoning acts like that to be committed, but I was reminded that I really strive for my first response to be of love in any situation, no matter how difficult that situation may be.

On a somewhat lighter note, I think that city biking should be considered an extreme sport. I love doing adventurous and, for some reason, somewhat crazy things, and I really wanted to bike around the city. I had multiple near death experiences and ended up spraining my ankle throughout the process, but it was very worth it, and I would do it again when I hopefully get to go back in the future.

It was funny because when I got back to DC, I told one of the girls that it felt like coming home after a trip in New York. Technically, DC is a trip just like NYC, so it just blew my mind because it took just a little over a month for this city to feel comfortable enough to feel like home rather than a place I was visiting for the summer. I’m really going to miss this place and the people I’ve been blessed enough to form a community with here.